Wool Washing at The Fold

These directions reflect 20 years of washing many tons of wool, but are not to be viewed as definitive. In working with fibers, there is ample room for each of us to develop her own system, specifically tailored to her own situation, and **whatever works for you is right!!**

Here's what works for me. I wash my wool in the washing machine, but NEVER AGITATE! My water heater is set at its hottest setting (around 160 degrees or so), and I use a good detergent, but with NO BLEACH. The hot water is to dissolve lanolin better, and I never use a detergent with bleach because the bleach can partially or entirely dissolve your wool. My favorite washing agent is Tide, which seems to work best for me although it's expensive. I've tried other detergents, but with my water, Tide is my choice. Other washing agents may work better for you - experiment with various ones and see which does the best job with your water. I've heard from various people that Dawn dish detergent works well. Some people swear by Orvus, or washing soda. On several occasions when away from home, I've even used simple hand soap on a lock or two of fiber, and that works just fine, so try various washing agents until you find one that works well for you.

Once you've chosen a washing agent, start to fill your machine with water, and dissolve in the water about 3 times the amount of the washing agent you would use on a full load of clothes. After the washing agent is dissolved, put the wool in loosely, and probably in quantity no more than 1/3 to ½ of a full tub. The idea here is to keep enough space in the tub for the wool and water to float freely, so the washing agent and later the rinse water can flow through the wool. After the tub is full, let the whole thing stand ~~ NO AGITATING!! ~~ for 15 - 20 minutes. Within 15 - 20 minutes the microscopic scales on the outside of the wool fibers will have had a chance to bloom open, releasing dirt and grease. Don't wait much longer than 20 - 30 minutes to spin the water off the wool for the following reason: if you let the water get cold, all that dissolved lanolin suspended in the water will settle back on the fibers, so before that happens, spin the water off. Spinning the water off won't hurt the wool, but agitation will. Agitating wool will felt the loose fibers into a permanent glob. Felted wool can't be unfelted. It's interesting but not spinnable. Nice little trick to use once in awhile but not on a prize fleece!

Okay, now you've been through one washing of some or all of the wool. Take a look at it. If it's clean, you can skip ahead to the rinse, but if it's still pretty dirty, you'll wash it a second time. Before you start, move the wool to the side away from the spot where the water pours into the tub. I live in the country and use well water, so my water pressure isn't very strong, and I've actually found that allowing the water to pour onto a very dirty fleece can help clean the dirt out, but occasionally I hear of someone on city water who has felted wool in her machine by letting the incoming water land on the wool, so let's avoid that. After you've moved the wool, fill the washer again with hot water & more of your washing agent, though a little less than for the first wash (I use 2 scoops rather than 3), and go through the same process a second time. Keep the water temperature high, or at least close to the temperature you used in the first wash. This will help avoid the shocking and felting of the wool that can take place when water temperature changes drastically. After 15 minutes or so, spin the water off again. If the wool still looks pretty dirty, wash a third time with 1/3 of the original quantity of washing agent. In my experience, washing wool more than 3 times doesn't get it noticeably cleaner, and rinsing often does. If the wool looks pretty clean and doesn't feel tacky after the 2nd washing, you have gotten most of the dirt and lanolin out, and you can skip the third wash and go right to the first rinse. When I rinse, I use warm water rather than hot. The temperature is close enough to the wash water temperature in order to avoid shocking and felting the wool, but saves my water heater a little work. Let water and wool stand and soak for a few minutes, or you can stir gently with your hand or a stick but, again, NO AGITATING!! Take a look at the water and see if it's still looking a little cloudy (that can be dirt rinsing out or detergent, or it could be a combination of both). It's likely that the water will still be cloudy, and that means you should rinse the wool again. Spin off the water, and then give the wool another rinse bath. I always rinse at least twice to be sure that no detergent is left in the fibers. Soaps and detergents are alkaline-based, and wool, being protein, responds badly to long contact with alkali. Check the second rinse water, too, to be certain that it's quite clear. This tells you that the washing agent and most of the dirt have been rinsed out. If the water is still extremely cloudy, a third rinse should help.

Washing will get out dirt, animal oil & soil, but will not touch chaff, twigs, grass or hay, so it's wise to pick the cleanest fleece you can find to save yourself junk-picking time later when spinning. Frankly, I think we've gotten spoiled and make too much out of a little chaff, etc., left in our fleeces, but the cleaner, the easier to spin, certainly.

Washing in the kitchen sink or bathtub? The basic process will be the same, but you'll have to squeeze the water out of the fiber by hand. While doing this, be careful to rub it as little as possible. Wool loves to felt, and we want to avoid letting it do that.

If you have any questions, let me know! I'll do all I can to answer them.

--Toni Neil