How to Care for your Natural Knits

With fast fashion and cheap, synthetic clothing being the norm these days, it’s become a little hard to know just how to keep your beloved knitwear in tip-top condition.

We believe good things should last for as long as possible, which is why we’ve come up with this handy care guide to help you really make the most of your favourite natural knits.

And if your knits need some additional care, we now offer a care and repair service.

Hand Washing

Most of the garments in our collection are machine washable. Having said that, we recommend that you hand-wash all of our pure cashmere garments, as the nature of their super-fine fibres makes them especially vulnerable to heat and friction damage.

Aside from that, there are a handful of other garments in our range that are also hand-wash only, please see below for recommended washing instructions.

Your WoolOvers cashmere garment has been made using the finest cashmere fibres. This luxurious fibre is renowned for its desirable softness and superior warmth. Special care should be taken when laundering your cashmere garments.

1 – Lay garment completely flat, and use a pilling comb to remove the excess bobbles from the garment. Pilling combs should be used very gently as excess combing will damage the fabric.

2 – Fill a sink or small tub with luke warm water.

3 – Add a teaspoon per item of a gentle laundry detergent (we recommend our very own Wool Wash infused with lemon myrtle and tea tree oil) then gently swish your knitwear around in the water, avoiding any harsh scrubbing or wringing actions. Never use biological detergents, as they contain enzymes that break down fibres.

4 – Turn the garment inside out and submerge in the water for five to 10 minutes. Do not soak.

5 – Rinse in cool water, until it runs clear.

6 – Squeeze to remove excess water, but do not wring. Lay flat on a dry towel, roll up and press to remove excess water.

Preventing Damage from Moths

Moths, or more accurately their larvae, love natural yarns just as much as you do!

This is because fibres like silk, cotton, and wool are rich in keratin, a protein that’s also found in hair, nails, horns, etc.

You may have been unlucky enough to have had first-hand experience with this when you took out your favourite Cashmere jumper for a special occasion, and found it scattered with unsightly little holes.

To keep moths away, we recommend a bag of our moth repellent cedar wood balls. These are not only highly effective at protecting your knits from moths, but are also 100% natural, and free from the toxic chemical pesticides present in traditional mothballs.

Alternatively, you can always make your own natural moth-repellent sachets with a few simple materials.

Pilling

Pilling or bobbling is something of a necessary evil when you like an all-natural wardrobe. Pilling or bobbling is something of a necessary evil when you like an all-natural wardrobe.

As mentioned in the ‘washing’ section, you can prevent pilling to some degree by turning your knitwear inside-out, and washing it in a separate load to coarser materials like denim.

However, when you do notice pilling on your jumpers or cardis, you can get rid of it using one of our popular pilling combs. Simply spread your garment out on a flat surface, then use the comb to scrape away pills in one direction using short, soft strokes.

It’s important to treat your natural knitwear gently when de-pilling, especially with more expensive yarns like cashmere and merino. If you’ve never used a pilling comb before, we recommend starting on a small, inconspicuous part of your garment before moving onto the rest of it.

If you don’t have a pilling comb, then a sandpaper sponge, a disposable razor, or even snipping the pills off with scissors, can all make pretty decent alternatives.