I never wash knitwear – here’s how I keep my jumpers fresh
Last winter, I posted on Instagram that I had never washed this five-year-old yellow wool jumper. Little did I know that over 500,000 people would be interested in watching my little ode to doing less laundry, but here we are with one of my most watched videos of all time, second only to the reel I made about my Lakeland heated clothes airer. What can I say? I obviously give the people the mundanity they crave on social media.
One year on, and I still haven’t put this lovely knit from Lowie in the washing machine. Ditto the hand knitted tank top that was made for my mum in the 1970s (I have the matching one made for my dad, too). I learnt my lesson the hard way – more than once – that washing wool is a high stakes game; the last cashmere sweater I shrank was donated to my petite next door-but-one neighbour Emeline (at least I still got to see it. It was a lovely jumper).
But other than the fact that wool is prone to shrinking if you wash it, and that the mere act of washing it in the machine can degrade the fibres meaning your knitwear won’t last as long, the fact is that we simply don’t need to wash our knitwear as much as we might think.
Wool jumper, Hannah’s own, for a similar style, try Lowie; denim workwear trousers, £139, Kate Barton
Wool is an amazing material. As well as being natural and compostable – it can take just a few months for a 100 per cent wool sweater to decompose simply by burying it in the garden – it comes with all sorts of qualities that should save you time on your delicate washes. Like all natural materials, it’s breathable, so is less prone to smelling bad, and has the added bonus of being antimicrobial; the lanolin in wool fibres actually repels dirt and stops the growth of bacteria. A bit like the stain repellent we spray on our shoes, but built in naturally. Wool also has a water-resistant outer layer, meaning that if you spill something on your favourite knitted tank top, you have the chance to shake it clean off well before a stain starts to set in.
Of course, this only applies to items that are 100 per cent wool; synthetic alternatives like acrylic and polyester don’t have the same benefits. Sure, you can whack them in the washing machine without the fear of shrinking, but they’ll get whiffy more easily and will be hanging around on the planet for hundreds of years after you’ve stopped wearing them.
Knitted tank top, Hannah’s mum’s; polo neck, £39, Kate Barton; velvet trousers, £125, Aligne
It’s always worth checking the labels before you buy – on a recent trip to a well-known high street retailer, I not only found that most of the knitwear displayed by the door was made up of a high percentage of acrylic fibres, but you could actually smell it as you walked in. Because what’s acrylic? Plastic, of course.
But back to wool. I don’t rely on its natural benefits alone to keep my knitwear looking good without washing it, as helpful as they are. Many of the following additional tips will sound obvious, but I’m always surprised at how many people don’t give them any consideration before having to resort to a risky knitwear wash cycle.
Zero waste cotton jumper, £395, Jaggery London; linen dress, £345, Justine Tabak; leather shoes, £295, Grenson
T-shirts for the win
I always wear a t-shirt under a jumper, because it is far easier to wash cotton than wool. For a non-bulky fit try Community Clothing, Colourful Standard or Rapanui.
Avoidance is key
If possible, I change out of my knitwear when I’m doing something smelly, like cooking a curry or, since it’s that time of year, attending a bonfire party.
Speaking of which…
I’ve fully embraced napkins. I’m not in any way embarrassed to tuck one into my collar in a fancy restaurant. My outfit will thank me for it.
Hit the spot
Try spot washing any stains rather opting for a full wash. I use a delicate detergent from Norfolk Natural Living and then rinse the offending area in cold water in the sink.
Airing is caring
Airing knitwear between washes, either outside or just by hanging up in an open window, helps if you have picked up any smells. I’m also a big fan of refreshing my wool using a hand steamer and a spritz of garment mist from Duxmore Botanics, and I am reliably told that a splash of vodka on armpits will take care of that particular issue, should you need to.
Cotton on
If you still can’t stomach the idea of not washing your jumpers but, like me, have had enough of shrinking them, consider trying cotton knitwear instead. I still follow the tips above if possible, but as a last resort, I know that a cold cycle in the machine isn’t going to be the end of the world. Unlike that cashmere sweater, which I still mourn, but that Emeline assures me she still wears, five years after we stopped living on the same street.
