Look after and take care of all those fabulous Winter woollies now Spring is here! If you want your winter woollens to last a lifetime, it’s time to give your favourite knits the love they deserve.

1. Hand washing wool has always been the preferred cleaning method but nowadays most machines have a hand washing cylcle which is a gentle cycle and won’t spin the item too much.
2. Don’t ever store your knits between seasons in plastic. The plastic allows bacteria to grow and your woollens will discolour. Wool is a natural fibre so it needs to breathe.
3. Always wash your wools in cold water – despite what the label says.
4. Don’t spin or tumble dry – movement, water and heat turns wool into felt! Be sure to wring and agitate your wool as little as possible. The last thing we need is these shrinking on us.
5. To hand wash, use a mild detergent. Simply let your item soak for 3 to 5 minutes before rinsing it in cool water. To dry, gently squeeze the garment and lay it flat.
6. You actually DON’T NEED to wash wool too often either.
7. If your sweater is a little smells a little stale or smokey, simply air dry it lying flat.
8. If you have a stain or spill on your woollen item consider spot cleaning in a small amount of liquid detergent specifically designed for woollens and delicates (I like to use Softly) instead of washing the entire garment.
9. If your woollen item smells but isn’t dirty, another way to eliminate the odour is to place it in a sealed bag in the freezer overnight. This will kill the bacteria which causes the odour.
10. Shave off any fuzz balls with a de-piller. These little gadgets work really well.