? About Washing Wool

crackerjackprinter

Do I have to use "wool wash" or could I get away with using something else?  Like Dove or some other mild soap?  I want to wash and lanolize the soaker I just made but I don't have any wool wash, nor anywhere close to get it

MTOW

Shampoo will do in a pinch.

smurfetteinred

Nope - wool wash is just premade for you to make it easy. Here's a really easy way to lanolize without it.

Rinse your cover in tepid water to get most of the urine out. GENTLY squeeze the bulk of the water out. Fill sink with tepid water. Boil some water (or get it reallly hot). Add a dime to nickle sized dollap of lanolin to a jar (Canning Jars or old PB Jars work great for this) and add the hot water too it. Add a squirt of gentle soap (what you use on dc in the bath is a good choice) to the water. Put lid on jar and shake until the lanolin is emulsified in the water - the soap helps to break it up or it sort just gets gloppy. Add mixture to your sink water and swirl about. Add cover/covers to the water. Give a gentle squeeze to get the water into the fibers. Let sit for 15-45 minutes. Remove from water and GENTLY squeeze the bulk of the water out. DO NOT wring out. Roll up in a towel to remove even more water. Lay flat to dry. 

Done!

crackerjackprinter

MTOW:

Shampoo will do in a pinch.

Any shampoo, really?  I don't use natural shampoos (I know, bad EF nestie!), does that make a difference?

crackerjackprinter

smurfetteinred:

Nope - wool wash is just premade for you to make it easy. Here's a really easy way to lanolize without it.

Rinse your cover in tepid water to get most of the urine out. GENTLY squeeze the bulk of the water out. Fill sink with tepid water. Boil some water (or get it reallly hot). Add a dime to nickle sized dollap of lanolin to a jar (Canning Jars or old PB Jars work great for this) and add the hot water too it. Add a squirt of gentle soap (what you use on dc in the bath is a good choice) to the water. Put lid on jar and shake until the lanolin is emulsified in the water - the soap helps to break it up or it sort just gets gloppy. Add mixture to your sink water and swirl about. Add cover/covers to the water. Give a gentle squeeze to get the water into the fibers. Let sit for 15-45 minutes. Remove from water and GENTLY squeeze the bulk of the water out. DO NOT wring out. Roll up in a towel to remove even more water. Lay flat to dry. 

Done!

Thanks!

luvlieK

I have heard baby shampoo but who knows.

I use ecover delicates but I only have interlock.?

MTOW

crackerjackprinter:

MTOW:

Shampoo will do in a pinch.

Any shampoo, really?  I don't use natural shampoos (I know, bad EF nestie!), does that make a difference?

 The idea is that shampoo is made to clean hair, and wool is essentially hair, so anything should work.  If you use a really strong shampoo, a baby wash or something milder might be a better bet, but I think most shampoos would be ok.  I wouldn't use it long-term, though, especially since there are several good no-rinse wool washes out there, some of which even contain lanolin, whereas with shampoo, you'll need to soak again in fresh water to rinse.

smurfetteinred

I use baby wash in my homemade wool wash and never rinse. My covers are golden. That's what most wahm wool washes are - mild soap and lanolin and they're all no rinse as well. Though I might be missing something.