WoolWeenies Club

[jessmarimba]

Hard to even comprehend wool in this heat, but I stopped at the LRS today and got sucked into their sale rack. Picked up an ibex U-sixty tee and Icebreaker Cascade hood dirt cheap. I was so excited I forgot to ask for our running club discount on my shoes.

[Devold]

I´m new to wool, but already love wearing it on my daily commutes and when I'm home and cold after a long days work

I bought 2 Devold long underpants, 2 different Devold jerseys (one to autumn, one to winter) and nice womens boxers, also Devold And some different Icebreaker wool socks and a wool Buff

Do you wash your wool gear with a wool detergent with lanolin sometimes? I hand wash my gear with special fine washing detergent. But there aren't any lanolin in it, nor other wool "protection". My gear was quite expensive and I expect long lifetime by any means

Do you air your wool clothes often? Or do you wash it frequently?

I'm unfortunately one of thoose people, who perspire a great deal, no matter what shape I'm in or how long I bike. I used my wool jersey for 3-4 daily roundtrips (10 mile each) and then the wool jersey started to stink a bit. I hope that the stink will vanish in the wash. I got high hopes already

I hate hate hate synthetic clothes because of the stink

[goldfinch]

I wash my wool in the wash machine with other dark clothes. Cold water. Standard detergent. Most I lay out to dry. While drying it might smell a bit wooly but once it dries they smell fine. I wash wool less often than other clothes.

[Devold]

I wash my wool in the wash machine with other dark clothes. Cold water. Standard detergent. Most I lay out to dry. While drying it might smell a bit wooly but once it dries they smell fine. I wash wool less often than other clothes.

You'll ruin your wool with regular detergent. Wool doesn't tolerate enzymes!

[goldfinch]

You'll ruin your wool with regular detergent. Wool doesn't tolerate enzymes!

Interesting! So far no problems (maybe because I am very stingy with how much I use) but from Googling about I see that the issue may be a pH issue and that something like Dawn dish washing detergent is a better choice.

[Devold]

Interesting! So far no problems (maybe because I am very stingy with how much I use) but from Googling about I see that the issue may be a pH issue and that something like Dawn dish washing detergent is a better choice.

Or just detergent without enzymes and bleach. The most supermarkets carry wool detergent - it's not that expensive

[goldfinch]

While googling this issue I found this from rivbike.com, FWIW:

http://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=42

Washing and drying it
Do you think wool would have remained popular through the centuries if it disintegrated when it was washed? Do you think the laundry methods of the 1300s were gentler than a cycle in your Whirlpool? Don't make me guffaw.
The fact is, the wool we offer is easy to care for. You can take special care with it if you like, if it makes you feel good and lets you sleep better at night, but it's not entirely necessary. Following is a rough way to care for wool, and then a soft way to care for it, and they both work.
Rough
Soap: Whatever you have, but nothing with bleach in it. Water: Warm Dryer: Warm
Wool laundered this way will shrink about half a size. It won't get wrecked. We'd like to see you treat it with slightly more care, but if you can't be bothered, that's quite all right.
Soft
Soap: Kookabura (we sell it), or Ivory detergent, or pretty much any earth-friendly suds sold by hippies or in a cardboard box adorned with at least one drawing of the earth, and word such as "enviro" and "friendly" and "non-toxic" and "bio-degradable" on it. Water: Warm or cold Dryer: Air. If you want speedy drying, roll it in a towel, stomp the towel, then unroll the towel and lay it flat or hang it up or something.
The main thing is: Don't fear wool. Don't save it for special occasions. Don't look back on a life in which you were afraid to wear wool for fear of wearing it out or something.

I know myself. I probably will continue with the "rough" method. Laziness will likely rule and I will continue to use regular detergent and wash wools with my other clothes. I am thinking about my wool socks. I only wear wool socks. They have been durable washing them "rough" and I even put them in the dryer if I am especially lazy. But I might be more careful with my Ibex hoodies and other pricey stuff.