In the following lines you can learn how to take care of wool products, especially how to wash wool blankets, bedspreads, carpets and other wool products so that they do not get damaged and last as long as possible. Wool is a very long-lasting material, but there are a few basic principles to keep in mind. They are not complicated and if you follow them, your woolen gems will keep you happy for decades, and in the case of our hand-woven rugs, even your children and grandchildren.
How to take care of wool blankets, bedspreads and carpets and other wool products at home?
Generally, wool blankets or bedspreads do not need to be washed very often. Wool fibre has excellent self-cleaning properties which keep the wool product in excellent quality for a long time. A proven method to keep a wool blanket looking like new for as long as possible is to air it out frequently and hang it in direct sunlight. This will revive the wool and the sun’s rays will act as a preventative against possible moths and other pests.
In frosty weather, it is recommended to spread blankets and other woollen bedspreads, carpets, kilims, etc., over a layer of snow for several hours and on both sides. The snow can rid the blanket of all dirt and dust, while refreshing the fibre and, together with the frost, again acting as a protection for the wool against moths. Ventilation, sunning and freezing are very effective and the easiest and least strenuous methods of keeping wool products clean, beautiful, protected from pests and preserving the proper function of the wool fiber. We can thus recommend them with a clear conscience as a very suitable care method for all our wool products!
How to protect the wool from moths?
If you are not using your wool blankets or bedspreads and have them stored in the closet, we recommend inserting a pillow with dried lavender flowers into the folded wool product, or a pillow with a few drops of essential lavender oil on it. You can use, for example, the one from us that contains nothing but 100% oil from real lavender – Lavandula angustifolia. Lavender repels moths and acts as an all-natural protection for wool products, plus it makes them smell lovely. We recommend applying this protection to all stored wool products – even merino t-shirts and sweaters that you don’t use for part of the year. Even so, once in a while, stored wool products should be inspected and aired, sunned or frosted (see above).
How to wash wool blankets and bedspreads?
All of our blankets can be washed at home without the need to take them to the dry cleaners. You only need a washing machine with the wool programme. This should have an automatic pre-set washing temperature so that it does not exceed 25, or in extreme cases 30 degrees. If your washing machine does not have a wool programme, select the gentle wash setting and set the temperature as low as possible, no higher than 30 degrees, but ideally lower. Do not set the pre-wash or soak or wring. Do not use conventional detergent or fabric softener – they could damage the wool. Use a wool detergent with lanolin. Lanolin is sheep fat, which wool naturally contains. A detergent with lanolin will ensure that the wool fibre is well cleaned and properly treated and the washing itself will not have a negative effect on it. In addition, our lanolin gel will complement the natural scent of wool with the fresh scent of Balkan mountain herbs.
After washing, never tumble dry wool products – they may shrink. Remove wool textiles from the washing machine and allow all the water to drain out of them first – we recommend placing them folded on a clothes dryer and waiting until all the water has drained out. Only when your woollen item is damp, rather than downright wet, can you hang it to dry completely. If you rush the hanging, your blanket may pull out and lose its shape under the weight of the wet material.
How to wash wool products by hand?
If you’re not sure whether your washing machine can wash wool or if a woollen item – such as a carpet – simply won’t fit in the machine, you can wash it by hand. Run lukewarm to cold water into a basin or bath, add a lanolin product and immerse the woollen fabric. Leave for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Then drain the old water, fill with clean water and repeat the process with gentle agitation until the wool is completely clean. All blankets, bedspreads, carpets, runners and woollen clothes can be washed in this way.
How to take care of wool rugs?
We offer several types of rugs. The simplest, but at the same time very effective method is the ventilation, sunning and freezing method we described above. A wool rug, whether it is a plain woven tread or kilim, or a high pile guber or chaliste, will be very well cleaned and treated by these most natural methods of wool care. It will cost you very little effort. All the carpets in our range can also be vacuumed.
Carpets of smaller size and volume can be machine washed just like blankets. If you follow the above procedure, you do not have to worry about the carpet deteriorating in the washing machine. We recommend that you place high-pile carpets in a laundry bag before washing them, so that the pile that the carpet may shed during washing does not get caught in the washing machine drum. We do not recommend washing only our hand woven kilims in the washing machine, due to their high value. Rugs that will not fit in the washing machine can be hand washed as described above.
If your rug only needs to be cleaned of a localised stain, we recommend soaking the spot with cold water, rubbing it with a natural soap such as Aleppo soap, leaving it on for a while and then rinsing again with cold water.
If you are still worried that you can’t deal with your carpet on your own, contact a dry cleaner. In the case of our hand-woven kilims or chalets, we can arrange for a gentle hand wash using natural soaps with our partner who specialises in cleaning hand-woven kilims and pershans specifically. If you would like to use this contact, please email us at info@balkanova.eco.
How to wash wool clothes – merino sweaters and shirts and scarves with wool and cashmere or wool socks?
Wool and merino wool garments can be washed safely in the washing machine on the wool programme in the same way as we have described for blankets. So only use a product with lanolin, not conventional products. Do not use any fabric softener. If you don’t have a wool programme, wash on the delicate programme with the lowest possible temperature, ideally around 25 degrees. Do not wring or tumble dry wool products. Let the water drain out first and then hang as described above. If you are unsure about your washing machine, you can also hand wash our wool clothing and accessories.
How to wash cotton throws, bath towels and hand towels?
For these products you can proceed as for washing normal cotton clothes. Select the cotton programme and a maximum temperature of 40 degrees. You can also tumble dry our cotton products.
We hope that we have helped you to find your way around wool products and hopefully convinced you that it is not difficult. If any of your questions are not answered in this article, please email us at info@balkanova.eco.