I have recently picked up a very nice wool flannel shirt. It appears unworn but it has an odor from storage that I would like to remove. Woolite in the tub? I have one of those Dryel kits available as well. Any advice to offer would be appreciated. I did a bit of searching but didn't find what I was looking for. Thanks.
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Washing wool flannel
- Thread starter 3fingers
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jamesmac1801
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I have bought wool Pendleton shirts from the swap meet that said dry clean only . I just washed them in cold water on regular settings with tide and they were fine . I woulda recommend a cool dryer setting and iron after cause they tend to wrinkle
Dirk Wainscotting
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Drying a wool shirt in a dryer is a mistake. A dryer shortens the life of shirts (of any type). It's best to lay it flat on a rack for drying and be patient. Wet wool, especially flannel, stretches under pressure so no hanging it up wet. When it's nearly dry an iron on wool setting can remove creases. Even when it's dry you can use a spray to re-moisten and press them out.
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Harrifer
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I own two Sir Pendleton wool shirts (the lightweight worsted one), as well as one British Army wool flannel shirt. I wash them both the same way I wash my wool socks: Tub of hot soapy water, soak for an hour or more, then rinse them out in the sink until all the soap is gone and the water runs clear. Then I hang them to drip dry.
People generally caution against wringing out wool, but I always do it gently, and its never been a problem. I think the caution is intended towards knitwear. I would never wring a sweater.
People generally caution against wringing out wool, but I always do it gently, and its never been a problem. I think the caution is intended towards knitwear. I would never wring a sweater.
Metatron
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I find that the drying phase is crucial, as wool tends to set in the position it is dried in. Dry it flat, not on a hanger, and use bits of cardboard to give the garment form as it dries. As others have said-no hanging wet wool.
Wool and Silk can have similar outcomes from washing instead of dry cleaning, however, I have learned that hand washing works just fine on either. I'll take a picture of a wool shirt I have to wash later today for my Husband. I simply use cold water wash on the shirt soaking in luke warm water for a few hours, I then lightly squeeze the soapy water out of the garment, put it by itself in the washer machine on spin to spin out all the excess soapy water, then back into the soaking bucket for rinse. I will soak with clean water and do the spin cycle a few times to get all the soapy water out. Next I just use a full sized hanger, hang it in the bathroom to dry. Doing this way of cleaning the shirt, I've yet to need to iron it. I do sort of "smooth out" and pull the shirt into shape over the course of drying. The shirt is a vintage NOS shirt I purchase two years ago. It still looks new. I use the same wash method for silk shirts but they do need an iron after they are dry.
Honestly washer machines and dryers both EAT the material from anything you wash with them. All you have to do is check the lint trap on your dryer....that "lint" is what the machines just "shaved" from your clothing articles. It is a real PISTOL to hand wash clothing all the time, but if you value your clothing, it is worth doing so. I'll post some pictures later when I can of hand wash success!
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tropicalbob
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All good advice. One caution though: dry-cleaning is murder on wool fabrics. Obviously, you need to get your suits cleaned once in a while, but do it very infrequently. All other wool items I wash in Woolite in the manner prescribed above using the drying rack.
Nothing wrong to use a drying rack...but...hahah...the method I use although is time consuming, wait until you see the final results! Hanging some items on a wide full sized hanger has an advantage over the rack. The weight of the material "pulls" some of the wrinkles out. I hang the shirt NOT buttoned up for a few hours, allowing more air to get through the material to speed up the drying time...then I button everything including the outside pocket flaps. All the time it is hanging, I pull the sleeves flat while on the hanger...pull out wrinkles...I shape the collar....shape the cuffs and then later button them. When this is all the way dry, it will look fantastic and almost NOS new again....I'll have pictures as I am actually doing a shirt right now, a SEARS brand Wool shirt from the early 1950's.
You can "spin cycle" what you have hand washed. Much better then to wring it all out.
tropicalbob
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LMM, thanks for the tips. I was thinking mainly of sweaters, which I wouldn't put on a hanger, as the weight of the wet wool would pull it down and destroy the shape. I am going to try your method on a lovely McGregor 1950's wool shirt that I just received this week. I'll keep you posted.
Dirk Wainscotting
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It doesn't need to be wrung, it can be squeezed.
As you can see, I go from the laundry products, soaking the item in the soapy water, then using spin cycle to extract the soapy water, I then rinse in the bucket a few times with clean luke warm water and spin cycle again until done with that...then hang up on hanger...as it hangs you shape it out a few times then button everything as it is almost totally dry...and then you do not have to use an iron! This Shirt will look fairly new for years to come...hand washed.
It is a SEARS Field Master...super nice!
