How to Clean Felted Wool

Felted wool is special wool that is a product of washing to force the wool to shrink. When the wool shrinks, it becomes soft and dense. Felted wool is a beautiful fabric that is useful for creating a variety of home decor products and personal accessories such as handbags or hats. When you must wash felted wool, check the item first to find specific washing instructions. In the absence of specific instructions, proceed carefully with any washing techniques and test the washing technique first in an inconspicuous area of the felted wool to make sure the color of the fabric is not harmed and does not shrink.

Things You'll Need

• Felted wool
• Carpet cleaner (designed to clean wool)
• Absorbent cloth
• Gentle laundry detergent
• Absorbent bath towel
• Iron

Instructions

1. Check the tag of the felted wool prior to trying any washing technique. Follow the recommendations for washing the item if there are any.

2. Spray a small amount of carpet cleaner onto an absorbent cloth to spot clean the felted wool. Apply the saturated cloth to an inconspicuous area of the felted wool to make sure the carpet cleaner will not harm the felted wool. Wait for approximately 10 minutes. If the spot cleaner does not change the color or look of the felted wool, proceed with spot cleaning the felted wool.

3. Apply the carpet cleaner to any stained spots on the felted wool. Work the carpet cleaner into the felted wool gently. Rinse the carpet cleaner from the surface of the felted wool by saturating the cloth with clear water and rubbing it over the stained area.

4. Hand-wash the felted wool as long as you feel confident that hand washing will not shrink the felted wool item. Remove any parts or decorations from the felted wool that you can remove. Fill the sink with warm water and add a small amount of gentle laundry detergent. Place the felted wool into the sudsy water and agitate it lightly with your hands.

5. Soak the felted wool in the warm water for one hour. Drain the sink and rinse the felted wool with cool water.

6. Spread a bath towel out and cover the felted wool with the towel to remove the excess moisture. Place the felted wool onto a dry towel and arrange it so it is properly shaped.

7. Apply a warm steam iron to the surface of the felted wool after it dries if the felted wool has wrinkles.

Tips & Warnings

• Never bleach felted wool because bleach destroys the fabric fibers.

• Never machine wash and dry felted wool because this will shrink the wool.

• Never roll or wring felted wool because you may distort the felted wool and destroy the shape.

References

• Feltz Designs: Felted Wool