How to Reduce Wool Sweater Shrinkage

If you're new to wearing wool or you just had a forgetful moment and washed your wool sweater in the machine and then put it in the clothes dryer, you may have learned that this can make your sweater about three sizes smaller than when you last saw it. This process is called felting, where the wool fibers join together for a much tighter fit. Your sweater hasn't really shrunk, rather, it has simply contracted. Luckily, there is a way to reduce the shrinkage that could make that sweater wearable again.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mild detergent
• Towels
• Lanolin

1. Fill a plastic tub or your bathtub halfway with warm water. Add a drop of a mild detergent (Woolite, for example) and use your hands to stir it in. Put your sweater in the water and let it sit for 10 minutes. The solution will help to unlock the wool fibers that the dryer set in place.

2. Take two or three old towels and lay them on the floor in your basement or another cool area of your house, side by side. While the sweater is still wet, try to stretch it so it is back to its original size. Pull gently at the fibers and don't try to force them or you could end up ripping your sweater. Keep it in its original shape, with no bumps or lumps. Lay the sweater on top of the towels.

3. Allow the sweater to air dry. When it dries in the cool air it should end up close to its original form. It may still be slightly smaller, but a definite improvement.

4. Prevent future shrinkage by adding lanolin to your sweater so that it's less likely to absorb water into the fibers. Put 1/2 tps. of lanolin in the palm of your hand and close your hand around it to soften it. Pour out the water from the basin or drain your tub. Refill the tub by running the water into your hand first so it picks up the lanolin on its way down.

5. Soak the sweater in this new water for 10 minutes so it can absorb the lanolin. Air dry the sweater.

Tips & Warnings

• You don't have to stretch and lanolize your sweater in the same day. If it's looking a little beat up, wait a couple days. Lanolizing is not a permanent solution. You need to repeat the process at least once a month. You can find lanolin at most drugstores.
• Never put a wool sweater in the dryer and always wash it in cold water. Wool not labeled "superwash" is best washed by hand.

References

• Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association: Care of Wool