Knitwear Care 101: How to Wash, Store & De-Pill Your Sweaters — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00If you've ever pulled your favorite
2. 0:01sweater out of the wash only to see that
3. 0:03it's shrunk two sizes, then this video
4. 0:06is for you. Knitwear is beautiful, but
5. 0:08it's also one of the easiest things to
6. 0:10ruin. So, today I'll show you exactly
7. 0:12how to take care of it, how to wash
8. 0:14safely, how to store properly, and how
9. 0:17to keep your sweaters fresh so they last
10. 0:19for years. Because buying highquality
11. 0:22pieces is only half the battle. The real
12. 0:24secret is looking after them so that you
13. 0:26can keep wearing them season after
14. 0:28season. Quick note before we start. When
15. 0:30I say knitwear, I'm talking about
16. 0:32natural fibers such as cashmere, wool,
17. 0:36mohare, and alpaca. And everything I'm
18. 0:38sharing in this video is a mix of my own
19. 0:40research and what has worked for me. So,
20. 0:43adapt it to your wardrobe and your
21. 0:45needs. And if you've got your own tips
22. 0:47or any special products that you use,
23. 0:50please share them with us in the
24. 0:51comments so that we can all learn from
25. 0:53each other. Part one, washing and
26. 0:55cleaning. How often should I wash my
27. 0:58knitwear? Way less than you think. You
28. 1:00only really need to wash your knitwear
29. 1:02when necessary, such as when you notice
30. 1:05any marks or odor. Fabrics like Kashmir
31. 1:08or wool are breathable, which means they
32. 1:10are naturally odor resistant, and they
33. 1:12wick away moisture rather than trapping
34. 1:14it, which prevents odorcausing bacteria
35. 1:17from growing. I normally wear a layer
36. 1:21underneath my medium or thick jumpers
37. 1:24like a t-shirt and then that way when
38. 1:26you sweat you sweat onto your t-shirt
39. 1:29which you can wash frequently and this
40. 1:31helps to protect your knitwear further.
41. 1:34Should I hand wash or machine wash or
42. 1:36dry clean? So firstly always check the
43. 1:38label before you wash anything. Always
44. 1:41make sure to read whatever the care
45. 1:43label says to see what is recommended
46. 1:45from the brand. As a quick reminder,
47. 1:47this symbol means hand wash. This symbol
48. 1:50means machine wash at whatever degrees
49. 1:53the number says. When it comes to dry
50. 1:55cleaning, if you have a simple knitwear
51. 1:59piece, such as the one that I'm wearing
52. 2:01now, if it says dry clean, I personally
53. 2:05don't think you have to take it to the
54. 2:07dry cleaners. Most knitwear that says
55. 2:09dry clean, you can probably just hand
56. 2:12wash, but please use that advice with
57. 2:14caution. It really depends on the piece.
58. 2:18If it has lining or if it has any
59. 2:20embellishments or anything special on
60. 2:22it, then it might have to be taken to
61. 2:25the dry cleaners. I'm of the impression
62. 2:28that dry cleaning uses a lot of heavy
63. 2:31chemicals and a lot of abrasive
64. 2:34movements which is quite damaging to
65. 2:37natural fibers. And when it comes to
66. 2:39washing our knitwear, the number one
67. 2:41rule is that we want to be as gentle
68. 2:45with it as possible. And so from my own
69. 2:48life, my own experience, I mainly hand
70. 2:51wash my knitwear. Natural fiber knitwear
71. 2:54is very delicate. And so hand washing is
72. 2:57the gentlest way to clean it. I think
73. 3:00when people think about handwashing, you
74. 3:02might think that it takes a lot of time,
75. 3:04but it honestly doesn't. And I'm going
76. 3:06to walk you through how to hand wash
77. 3:07your knitwear in a bit. But obviously,
78. 3:09if you are pressed for time, if you have
79. 3:12kids, if you have a very busy life and
80. 3:14job, and you do want to throw your
81. 3:17knitwear in the washing machine, you
82. 3:19can, but at your own risk. And I'll walk
83. 3:22you through how to wash your knitwear in
84. 3:24the washing machine safely. If your
85. 3:25washing machine has a wool wash setting,
86. 3:28then use that. Otherwise, use the
87. 3:31delicate setting. Make sure you select
88. 3:33the lowest spin speed setting and the
89. 3:36lowest temperature. Shrinkage is caused
90. 3:38by hot temperatures and so you want to
91. 3:42use the lowest temperature possible. You
92. 3:44should also use a special wool detergent
93. 3:48as this is less harsh than your normal
94. 3:51laundry detergent. Put your item inside
95. 3:53out and then as an extra precautionary
96. 3:56measure, I would also put it inside a
97. 3:58mesh bag. This will give as much
98. 4:00protection as you can to your item when
99. 4:03it's like spinning around in your
100. 4:05washing machine. And then hopefully that
101. 4:07should do the trick. Hopefully your item
102. 4:10won't come out with a change shape or
103. 4:14trunk or anything like that. And you
104. 4:16should lay your items flat to dry. And
105. 4:19whilst you lay it out flat, you can kind
106. 4:21of put it back into its original shape
107. 4:24as well. Never hang it to dry as the
108. 4:26weight might cause it to grow. And you
109. 4:29might also get like hanger marks in the
110. 4:32shoulders. How do I hand wash? Honestly,
111. 4:35hand washing is super easy. You just
112. 4:38need to fill a clean basin or a sink
113. 4:41with cool or lukewarm water. Add in the
114. 4:44recommended amount of special wool
115. 4:46detergent. I've also read that baby
116. 4:48shampoo is a really good alternative as
117. 4:51it's very gentle and at the end of the
118. 4:53day things like cashmere or wool is like
119. 4:57a hair fiber and shampoo cleans hair so
120. 5:00it kind of makes sense. Again, you want
121. 5:02to turn your item inside out and then
122. 5:05submerge it into the basin or the sink
123. 5:07of water. Then gently swish it around
124. 5:10the water and give it a bit of a massage
125. 5:12to loosen any dirt or debris that might
126. 5:16be in the fabric. Leave it to soak for 5
127. 5:18or 10 minutes. And then rinse your item
128. 5:21in clean, cool water until there's no
129. 5:24more soap left. You want to make sure
130. 5:26that you are just being really gentle
131. 5:28and careful at this point. This is when
132. 5:31your item is going to be the heaviest as
133. 5:33it's soaked up all that water. You want
134. 5:35to make sure that you have something
135. 5:37supporting the bottom of the item, such
136. 5:39as your hand. You never want it to just
137. 5:42hang freely when it is soaking wet like
138. 5:45that. This will cause it to stretch and
139. 5:47to grow and to lose its shape. Once all
140. 5:50the soap has been rinsed out, you want
141. 5:52to get rid of the excess water. Never
142. 5:55ever ring out your item. I like to just
143. 5:58give it a gentle squeeze, like squeeze
144. 6:01it in a bowl all together and try and
145. 6:03get as much excess water out. Once
146. 6:06you've done that, you can take a clean
147. 6:08towel and lay it on a flat surface. Then
148. 6:11place your item on top of the towel.
149. 6:13Again, you can put it back into its
150. 6:15original shape. And then you want to
151. 6:18roll the towel. And with each roll, I
152. 6:21like to give it a press to really
153. 6:23squeeze out all that excess water. And
154. 6:25then again, just place it flat on your
155. 6:28drying rack to dry completely. And this
156. 6:30whole process probably takes like 20
157. 6:33minutes max. How do I spot treat my
158. 6:35knitwear? So, the less you wash your
159. 6:38knitwear, the longer you can preserve it
160. 6:40for. And like any stain, the faster you
161. 6:42get to work on it, the easier it will be
162. 6:45to remove. How you treat the stain
163. 6:47really depends what it is. You know, is
164. 6:50it coffee? Is it red wine? Is it a grass
165. 6:53stain? These things are all very
166. 6:56different to get out. I found a really
167. 6:59good article which I will link to in the
168. 7:02description box which kind of goes
169. 7:03through lots of different stains and how
170. 7:06to spot treat them. But some general
171. 7:08tips when it comes to spot treating. You
172. 7:10want to make sure that you are blotting
173. 7:12the stain and then you're not going back
174. 7:14and forth and rubbing it in as this will
175. 7:17actually push the stain further into the
176. 7:20fabric. Do not ever use bleach, stain
177. 7:23removal pens, or any harsh chemicals on
178. 7:27your knitwear. Stick to your special
179. 7:29wool detergents or baby shampoos. And
180. 7:32you also want to avoid hot water as this
181. 7:35again will set the stain in further into
182. 7:39the fabric. Should I use fabric softener
183. 7:41on my knitwear? So, I have been guilty
184. 7:43of this in the past. I have actually
185. 7:45used fabric softener on my knitwear, but
186. 7:48since then I have read that fabric
187. 7:50softener is actually really bad for your
188. 7:52knitwear. The fabric softener coats the
189. 7:54fibers and this is what makes them feel
190. 7:57really soft, but this actually reduces
191. 8:00their moisture wicking abilities and it
192. 8:02could potentially cause the fibers to
193. 8:04clump up or lose its shape. So, as long
194. 8:07as you use a knitwear detergent, that
195. 8:10really should be enough. Can I put my
196. 8:12knitwear in the dryer? The long and the
197. 8:14short answer is never. Unless you want
198. 8:17to shrink your knitwear two sizes, never
199. 8:19ever put it in the dryer. Part two,
200. 8:22refreshing your knitwear. What can I do
201. 8:24between washes to keep my knitwear
202. 8:26fresh? In between washes, you can
203. 8:28lightly steam your knitwear just to
204. 8:31refresh the fibers and get out any odor,
205. 8:34but only if your knitwear really needs
206. 8:36it. And make sure that when you do steam
207. 8:39your knitwear, you're not holding the
208. 8:40steamer up against the knitwear. It's
209. 8:43not like you're trying to get creases
210. 8:45out of a cotton shirt. It's not like
211. 8:47that at all. You want to hold the
212. 8:49steamer a few inches away and just let
213. 8:52the steam like gently touch the fibers.
214. 8:54Otherwise, I just like to keep my
215. 8:56knitwear out for a day or so after I've
216. 8:59worn it just to air it out before I put
217. 9:01it back in my cupboard. You can also use
218. 9:04a fabric spray. This will help to keep
219. 9:06the fibers fresh. You can even get
220. 9:09sprays that are like antibacterial,
221. 9:12although I'd make sure that you're using
222. 9:14one that is specially made for knitwear
223. 9:17so that it is gentle on the fibers. How
224. 9:20do I get rid of pilling? So, pilling is
225. 9:23like those little tiny bubbles that
226. 9:25gather on the fabric. This will usually
227. 9:28happen in like high friction areas and
228. 9:30this is just the fabric rubbing against
229. 9:33each other and the fibers becoming like
230. 9:35little bubbles. This is something that
231. 9:37is completely normal from natural
232. 9:39fibers. This is something you should
233. 9:40expect from your knitwear. But how much
234. 9:42or how little something pills comes down
235. 9:45to its quality. So normally higher
236. 9:48quality pieces are made from longer
237. 9:50fibers. This means that they will peel
238. 9:54less. Whereas lower quality pieces are
239. 9:57made from shorter fibers and this pills
240. 10:00faster. To get rid of peeling, you can
241. 10:02either use a machine depiller or a
242. 10:06cashmere comb. For a machine shaver, the
243. 10:08one I use is from Philips. I think I
244. 10:11just got it on Amazon. I'll link it down
245. 10:13below. It's adjustable. So, it has this
246. 10:15little plastic part at the front. If you
247. 10:18take it off, it brings the shaver closer
248. 10:20to the fabric. But with it on, it just
249. 10:22means that the shaver has that little
250. 10:24bit of extra space further away from the
251. 10:26fibers. I usually leave it on, otherwise
252. 10:29you risk overshaving your fabric. All
253. 10:32you need to do is lay your sweater on a
254. 10:35flat surface and then glide the shaver
255. 10:38gently in short circular motions. You
256. 10:41don't need to press down really really
257. 10:43hard or you might shave too much off and
258. 10:46then you'll make the fabric really thin.
259. 10:48So always work in small sections so that
260. 10:51you can keep checking what you're doing
261. 10:53and then this will keep your sweaters
262. 10:55looking brand new again. And after you
263. 10:57have deep them, you can give them a
264. 10:59light steam just to like fluff up the
265. 11:01fibers again. For more delicate
266. 11:03knitwear, you can also use a cashmere
267. 11:05comb as this is much gentler. Again,
268. 11:08just use short and light strokes and
269. 11:11only go in one direction. Don't go back
270. 11:14and forth. Make sure that you're being
271. 11:16gentle. You're not trying to like scrape
272. 11:19the surface. You're just trying to give
273. 11:22it a gentle brush. As the fibers gather
274. 11:25on the comb, just clear it regularly and
275. 11:27carry on combing. You also want to make
276. 11:29sure that you avoid any loose stitches
277. 11:32as this may catch on the comb and become
278. 11:35worse. And then I feel like this goes
279. 11:37without saying, but I'm going to say it
280. 11:39anyway. You don't need to depill
281. 11:41something that's brand new. Wait until
282. 11:44the natural peeling forms and then you
283. 11:46can use a fabric shaver or a cashmre
284. 11:48comb on it. Part three, storing and
285. 11:51preventing damage. Should I fold or hang
286. 11:53knitwear? You should always, always,
287. 11:55always fold your knitwear. hanging might
288. 11:58stretch them out and if it's a heavy
289. 12:01piece of knitwear then you might get
290. 12:04like little shoulder bumps from the
291. 12:06hanger and nobody wants that. But of
292. 12:08course not everyone has the space to
293. 12:11fold their knitwear. So if you do have
294. 12:14to hang it, this is how you do it
295. 12:15safely. So you just want to fold it in
296. 12:17half lengthwise and then put the armpit
297. 12:21at the top of the hanger where the hook
298. 12:23is and then drape the body over one side
299. 12:26and then the arms on the other side. And
300. 12:28then hopefully there should be enough
301. 12:30support from the hanger that it doesn't
302. 12:32grow. How do I prevent moths? So moths
303. 12:35are actually attracted to the oils and
304. 12:38the sweat in your knitwear. I
305. 12:40accidentally left my cashmere jumper out
306. 12:43and the moths had a nice little feast in
307. 12:46the armpit because obviously like that
308. 12:48is where I sweat. So when you store your
309. 12:50knitwear away, you just want to make
310. 12:52sure that it's clean. You can also use
311. 12:55cedar blocks or cedar balls in a sache
312. 12:58or I've also read that people use
313. 13:01lavender sachets. You can put these
314. 13:04amongst your knitwear or in your
315. 13:06wardrobes. Both of these things give off
316. 13:08a really strong scent that moths don't
317. 13:11like and it also helps to mask any human
318. 13:14odor so that moths aren't drawn in as
319. 13:17easily. But you want to think of these
320. 13:19things as extra insurance. It helps, but
321. 13:23the best way to make sure you don't have
322. 13:25moths is just to make sure your knitwear
323. 13:27is clean. And also remember that cedar
324. 13:29blocks and lavender loses its scent
325. 13:32after a few months. So either you reand
326. 13:37the cedar blocks to refresh it or
327. 13:39replace it with a new one. What is the
328. 13:41best way to store knitwear offseason? At
329. 13:44the end of winter or midspring,
330. 13:46depending on where you live, you might
331. 13:49want to start storing away your knitwear
332. 13:52so that it is fresh and ready for you
333. 13:55when winter rolls back around again. And
334. 13:57this is the best way to do so. So, like
335. 14:00we spoke about just now, you want to
336. 14:02make sure that your knitwear is clean.
337. 14:04Maybe just have a day at the end of the
338. 14:07season to do any washing and have a bit
339. 14:11of a deeping session. Using fabric
340. 14:14storage boxes, you can then just fold
341. 14:16your knitwear inside, add in any cedar
342. 14:19blocks or lavender for that extra moth
343. 14:22protection, and you're good to go. I
344. 14:25personally prefer fabric boxes over
345. 14:28plastic ones. Maybe this is just in my
346. 14:30head, but I feel like I want the air to
347. 14:34circulate through my knitwear. I want my
348. 14:36knitwear to breathe, and I feel like
349. 14:38they can't do that in plastic boxes, but
350. 14:41I'm sure plastic boxes is fine, too. So,
351. 14:43if you only take away three things from
352. 14:46this video, let it be this. Number one,
353. 14:49wash gently, hand wash when you can, and
354. 14:51always use a wool detergent. Number two,
355. 14:54store smart. Always fold, don't hang and
356. 14:58keep your knits clean when you store
357. 15:00them away. And number three, refresh and
358. 15:02don't overwash. A quick deill, a light
359. 15:05steam, or just airing it out will keep
360. 15:07your knitwear looking new. If you follow
361. 15:10these three rules, your knitwear really
362. 15:12will last a lifetime. If you're
363. 15:14interested in learning more, I'm going
364. 15:15to link to one of my favorite videos
365. 15:18that I've ever made. It's all about what
366. 15:20to look for and how to shop for
367. 15:23highquality clothing. As always, thank
368. 15:25you so much for watching and I will see
369. 15:27you in the next video. Bye.
370. 15:30[Music]