How to Wash Raw Fleece

Many spinners or felters find the experience of preparing a fleece from its raw state to roving to yarn or felt a rewarding and educational experience. Moreover, buying raw fleeces is often more affordable and allows for more experimentation with blending fibers and offers you total quality control.

Things You'll Need

• Raw fleece
• Top loading washer
• Shampoo
• Flat screens or drying rack
• Large tub or trash can

Instructions

1. Choose a fleece. Your local fiber fair is an ideal place to shop for your first fleece. You may also want to buy directly from the sheep farmer, especially if there is not a fiber fair locally. Buying in person is ideal, as you can feel the fleece and talk to the seller about specific qualities you need in a fleece.

2. Bring home the fleece. You should begin washing it immediately. Raw fleeces have a strong sheep smell that can be rather offensive. Expect washing raw fleece to take most of a day, off and on.

3. Take the fleece outside. Remove any visible vegetable matter or skirting from the fleece. Shake out the fleece and beat it rather aggressively to remove as much dirt as possible before you begin washing.

4. Fill a large container with cold water. A clean trash can or large plastic storage bin will work well for this. Add the fleece to the water, carefully avoiding any agitation of the wet fleece. Allow it to soak for several hours. Drain as much of the water as possible on a drying screen or rack, then bring it inside and use the spin cycle on your washer to remove excess water. Take the fleece out of the washing machine and allow it to rest while you prepare the washing machine to wash the raw fleece.

5. Fill the washer with hot, but not boiling water. You may want to turn the temperature on your water heater up for this. Add a generous squirt of regular hair shampoo and mix it into the water. Be certain to turn the washing machine off once it is filled. Agitation will turn that fleece into felt. Gently add the raw fleece to the washer. Allow to soak for around half an hour, then spin out the excess water. Remove the fleece. Depending upon the amount of dirt left in your washing machine, it may take several rounds of this process to take that raw wool to clean and ready to card. Clean the washing machine before soaking the raw wool again if needed.

6. Once the fleece is clean, fill the washer with fresh hot water and rinse the fleece, spinning it out each time. You may need to repeat this step several times as well. Do one rinse with a bit of human hair conditioner added to soften the raw fleece if desired. Be sure to rinse again after conditioning.

7. Spread the fleece on a drying rack once it is clean and allow it to dry. Sunlight will speed the process and the raw wool will dry faster if spread thin. The fleece is on its way to become yarn for your next project.

Tips & Warnings

• A cup of rubbing alcohol may be added to the wash cycle to cut grease and lanolin in the wool if desired.