Alpaca knitwear, such as hand-knitted sweaters, dresses or beanies, can last for years, but you must know how to preserve your clothing from day one because it needs special care. Here we’ll solve some of the doubts you can come up with if you don't know how to wash alpaca wool.
WASHING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALPACA WOOL
As a producer of woolens, we can advise how best to take care of your purchase, and reassure you that it is not any extra work. To make sure that your garment stays as gorgeous as the day you bought it, it’s important to bear in mind the following:
Alpaca wool is self-cleaning. After wearing, hang it out to air.
Don’t spot clean; always wash the whole garment, not just the part that has the stain.
Wash similar colors separately.
Do not use bleach!
Hand washing is the best method and is commended as the best choice of washing, remember the thing that causes wool products to shrink and/or felt is temperature change and agitation while wet. So, the greater the temperature change and/or agitation the greater the risk of shrinking and felting.
We can recommend washing alpaca wool at 0 degrees in the washing machine on the wool cycle, and we also use the wool spin cycle. Please if you decide to use this method must be at your discretion. A delicate wash and lower temperature setting is generally less risky.
Use a pH neutral detergent, or preferably a special wool washing detergent.
When rinsing, make sure that the temperature of the rinsing water is the same as the washing water.
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DRYING
We do not recommend using a dryer. If you choose to risk doing so, use a delicate or fluffy low temperature setting, and only leave the product in the dryer for a very short period of time.
Dry the product in a flat position, and out of sunlight. Never hang or lay a wool garment to dry when it is saturated in water. Try to remove as much of the water as possible and don’t lay it out on anything that absorbs moisture (such as a towel). Colors might run and the natural elasticity of the garment may deteriorate.
Some reshaping to the original dimensions may be necessary. Remove wrinkles and straighten seams by hand. Do not use a brush, after the product has dried you may touch it up with a cold iron.
Pilling and balling of your purchase is perfectly normal. To remove pilling, and keep your item looking fresh and recently bought, we recommend using a wool comb or by hand. It is natural and uses no chemicals or batteries.
When ironing, use a steam iron, or put a moist protective sheet between a regular iron and the woolen surface.
STORING TO PRESERVE
Make sure the items are completely dry before storage. The second major consideration is the protection against moths. Some ideas include placing items in a cedar chest, plastic zip-lock container, and plastic tubs. We do not recommend using mothballs.
Now you know how to care for alpaca wool. Hope you enjoyed this article! Here at Knit-Lab Peru we are committed to offer premium quality products that combine modern technology with ancestral tradition. Contact us if you want to learn more or work with us.
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