Cashmere is a very fine fabric made from fibers obtained from the downy undercoat of goats, and washing and caring for the fabric seems challenging because of its softness and cost. You do not want to risk damaging the fabric in the wash at any cost.
The process of extracting the fibers and processing them makes this fabric very expensive. This rare and most coveted fabric in the world is prized because of its softness and fine quality. Socks, sweaters, wraps, robes, hoodies, scarves, pullovers, hats, jumpers, ponchos, and gloves are all made with this precious fabric. Just imagine – your precious sweater is probably made with wool from some 4 goats!!.
A properly cared-for cashmere piece will last a lifetime and is worth all the money you have paid for it. Â
Cashmere Care
Cashmere is basically wool. So all the care you take for woolen clothes should be taken with cashmere clothes.
Read and follow the washing instructions given on the care label of your garment. But most care labels will ask you to dry clean the garment. You can hand wash your cashmere after the initial dry clean or two by following some general guidelines of handwashing.
Wash Cashmere garments after 2-3 times of wear
Care label on cashmere clothing.
The laundry symbols on the care label on cashmere clothing says – Hand wash, Do not bleach and Iron in mild temperature and can be dry cleaned with petroleum solvents.
Can you machine wash cashmere?
Machine washing is generally not recommended for cashmere clothes. Hand washing in tepid water (not hot or cold; never hot or warm) is preferred.
If you MUST machine wash, keep it in the laundry bag and put it in the gentlest cycle in your machine (delicate on mine; check if your machine says hand wash cycle). Skip the dry cycle. Machine washing is not recommended.Â
Checkout the tutorial for making a laundry bag
Use cold water to wash cashmere. Hot water will shrink cashmere.
Do not wring the cashmere clothes or twist it to take out water.Â
After the water is squeezed out of the cashmere, keep it on a clean towel.Â
If you notice stains, deal with it immediately before washing the garment. Use a stain remover suitable for woolen clothes.
What detergent to use with cashmere?
Most cashmere loyalists will never touch detergent on their cashmere clothes. Nothing harsher than baby shampoo would do for washing. You can use a liquid wool detergent also. In the final rinse a spoonful of hair conditioner – with the logic that the hair of the goat will benefit from what we use on our hair.This will make your garment smooth and softer.
After some time, the water will be absorbed by the towel. Now you can lay the clothing flat on a drying rack. Lay flat to dry. Keeping the wet items on a clean towel will absorb extra water. If you hang wet cashmere fabric, the fibers will stretch out of shape. Ensure that the garment is smooth when drying. If there are wrinkles when drying, they may get set like that even when dry.
If you feel that your cashmere garment has distorted, stretched, or shrunk during wash, shape it when it is still wet to your preferred shape. The fibers are very weak and pliable when wet and will dry in the exact shape you place them. Â
Cashmere sometimes has a horrible smell when wet. This will go away when dry. So be patient and do not get it wet when you are out wearing it. Adding some vinegar to the final rinse water is also said to remove an unpleasant odor.
Pilling is a regular thing with wool sweaters and the same with cashmere sweaters. You cannot fully avoid it. After some time, pilling will reduce. If you want to deal with the pilling, checkout the post on preventing lint – the same principles will also apply here.Â
Checkout the tips on caring for delicate clothes  for more details
As for ironing Cashmere, always iron on low heat settings with the garment turned inside out. Steam also works to remove stubborn wrinkles. Â
Storing Cashmere clothes
If your sweater is even slightly wet or has a small sweat moisture, do not store it so. Ensure it is fully dry before storing.
When storing cashmere, use mothballs to prevent moth attacks. Wool is always prone to moth attacks.
You can wrap the mothballs in sachets so that it does not come in direct contact with clothes. Making sure that your wardrobe is without any moisture is also a good idea. You can prevent moth attacks to an extent by making sure that the sweater does not have any food spills or dirt or perfume smell before storing it.
Ensure that the cashmere is not in contact with hard things, sharp metal things, etc., like metal jewelry. The yarn will be snagged on these and create holes.
Once in a while, lay it out in the sun ( not direct sunlight and not more than 30 minutes) so that sun’s rays will destroy any moth larvae on the clothes and remove humidity. Sun drying also will prevent a foul smell from mildew/ mold.
Related posts: Garment and fabric care.Â
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If you have any information, I will be very appreciate for your valuable advices.
Best Regards