Nothing says true luxury like cashmere. A cashmere sweater is often a special treat for that special someone in your life or for the someone who simply has everything. It will draw admirers with its beauty. However, if you own a cashmere sweater or are thinking about getting one, it is important for you to know exactly how to wash a cashmere sweater or you will get no practically no enjoyment from your luxury item.
The only safe way to wash a cashmere sweater is to hand wash it in cold water. This is a fairly simple technique. You will need to select a pan or sink big enough to hold the sweater, water and allow for some movement for agitation. Fill it with cold water and add the exact amount of detergent stated on the container. Be sure you are using a detergent that is formulated for delicate hand washing in cold water. Do not add too much detergent because it suds up very easily in cold water and it will take you quite a long time to get rid of all the suds if you use too much.
When the detergent is mixed into the water, add your cashmere sweater. If there were any stains or odors on it, you should have pretreated with a pretreatment product made for delicates. Move the sweater around gently to completely cover it in the water and to create agitation, so that the sudsy water will pass through the fabric and start to work on cleaning it. Rub stains, necklines and armpits with your hands to help along the cleaning process in these areas. Let the sweater soak for a while in the sudsy solution.
After a half hour or so has passed, come back to the sweater and agitate it throughout the water again. Then you will rinse it. Remove the soapy water and add clean water, agitating the sweater in it again. Keep repeating this process until no more bubbles are produced when the sweater is agitated in clean water.
Remove the sweater from the water and gently compress it to get as much water out as you can without damaging the garment. Do not wring or twist a cashmere sweater. When you have gotten some of the water out, lay the sweater on a dry absorbent towel. Gently roll the towel up with the sweater inside, in a jellyroll fashion. Compress the roll to get out additional moisture. Following this, lay the cashmere sweater flat to dry on a sweater dryer to allow air circulation. It may take a couple of days to completely dry but you will have saved yourself a pricey dry cleaning bill.
Don’t turn away from cashmere simply because it’s a little more work and extra care than most clothes. The feel of the luxurious softness is well worth the occasional investment of your time in hand washing what will quickly become one of your favorite things to wear.