How to choose a wool wash or soap for wool fabrics

It's spring again, and every time we get to this time of year, we get tons of questions in our store from customers about which wool wash they should choose. Today, there is a huge range of lovely products to clean wool with, and it's hard to assess your needs and figure out which is best for you. Luckily, with lots of experience and samples on hand, I can tell you all about the difference between all the different types of wool detergents that are out there for you to wash wool with. 

Should you use a solid soap? Or would a dish soap be OK? Or do you really need a wool detergent for best results? Whether you're working with merino wool or cashmere from a ready to wear sweater, or you're looking to take care of your hand knits and prevent damage to your delicate wool fibers, this guide will tell you everything you need to know. You do not, in fact, have to take your wool coats and other wool items to dry cleaning. You can wash them right at home! 

What makes wool and other animal fibers different?

While wool and other popular animal based fibers like alpaca or cashmere are not the same thing, they have similar qualities. The reason that we can't just use standard laundry detergents or dish soap on these items is because they are designed to remove protein based stains (ie. from our bodies or from food spills) from our laundry. This is great when you're washing athletics gear or other natural fibers such as cotton, but wool and other animal based fibers I mentioned are protein fibers, which means that the detergents will, over time, break down that protein and cause damage to your delicate fibers. 

This is why you should always use a wool specific detergent for wool sweaters. By the way, brands like Woolite now no longer actually make only wool detergents, so we don't recommend them. 

Should I use solid or liquid format? 

Wool wash comes in both liquid detergent and solid soap formats, but which one should you use? 

As with most of my blog posts... my answer is.. it depends! I've had good results with both, and being a knitting pattern designer, I own so many different things and wash them in so many different ways that I have both in my laundry room. 

Liquid formats or wool wash detergents are great for...

• Superwash wool garments that you're putting in the washing machine for the wool cycle. 
• Deep cleaning without any lanolin (such as when using Soak). 
• Are a great gentle detergent for washing other things such as lingerie or swim wear (again, Soak is great for this). 

Solid formats are great for...

• Hand washing wool or other fibers in a sink or basin. 
• Treating visible stains as a stain stick. 
• Some include a small amount of lanolin for conditioning. 

Which one is the best detergent? 

There are so many different wool soap brands on the market today, and I love a lot of them! Different brands have different uses and I'm going to cover my 3 favorites today. 

Soak

Soak has become very popular these days, and they are advertised to be good for anywhere from workout wear, swim wear, lingerie, to wool and baby items. They come in a range of gorgeous scents as well as an unscented version for those with sensitive skin. I love them for washing pre-felted wool diaper covers or other special care items in my washing machine. 

This particular brand does not have any lanolin in it, which means that I use it for a truly deep clean, since the presence of lanolin can prevent your detergent from getting deep in the fibers.

This is also why Soak is marketed for all those extra wash needs, including even washing your make up brushes! 

This is a no rinse formula, and is suitable for both the gentle cycle and for hand washing. It's rated for high-efficiency machines. 

Shop Soak in our shop.

​Tuft Woolens 

The first wool soap that we ever carried in our shop, we LOVE this solid soap for a conditioning clean. The significant amoutn of lanolin included really helps soften wool and wool blends without anything harsh.

We carry it in unscented as well as our exclusive scent Citrus Grove, a versatile scent that's part fruity and part musky. We use this mostly for things we make from wool yarns, including my wool coat. It's a no-rinse formula, which is also very nice. 

Shop Tuft Woolens in our shop. 

Eucalan

One of the most popular brands of wool wash detergent. This one includes a very light amount of lanolin and is good for most cleaning uses that involve wool fabrics. It's a very mild detergent and suitable for machine washing--including high efficiency machines. It comes in a smaller range of scents as well as unscented, and my favorite is the eucalyptus oil scented one which has a fresh and herbaceous smell for my wool clothing. 

Some general caution when washing wool clothes...

Remember, always test your wool wash with a swatch, and never put your stuff in the tumble dryer. If you're washing in a machine, again, do test your swatch, and consider using a mesh bag and washing items alone or with other like items only. Do not wash wool and other natural fibers and delicates in high temperatures. I have a strong preference for cold water for worsted spun fibers, and lukewarm water for woolen spun to help it bloom. NEVER use fabric softener in your wool--it'll coat your fibers and make it harder to clean. 

If you need some help we've outlined simple steps towards washing your wool items in a different post, so please do check these related posts out: 

• How to wash your knits: a complete guide.
• Choosing yarns for beginners.
• How to knit for cold weather.