s/o wool question

lytedark · November 2009

how often would you say you need to lanolize? do you lanolize every time you wash so 3-4 weeks unless comes in contact with solids?

also - as far as the 'solids' go. obviously this is less than ideal and you attempt to avoid it but my guess is at some point i'm going to have poo on my longies/soakers, etc, right? is there anything special you do when/if that happens? do you try to soak in cold water right away or just do a special wool wash as soon as you can? how do you work the stain out of the fabric without felting the wool?

MTOW · November 2009

I wash and relanolize when things start to get stretched out or smell funky. If there are stains (in the beginning it was poop, these days it's more likely to be food), I rub the fabric together under cool water to get it out before washing. You need moisture, heat, and agitation to felt, so remove one of those three variables and you're fine. I wash in hot water, but don't agitate at all. Also, it takes a lot of work to really felt something by hand, so you're not going to accidentally end up with something that looks like it's been through a hot cycle in your washer. And a little felting is a good thing where soakers/longies are concerned. You'll get some in the wet zone just from use.

smurfetteinred · November 2009

I use all recycled wool (made from old sweaters/ etc) and it's a bit hardier in terms of washing than hand knits (but it's less bulletproof) so I tend to throw mine in the washing machine lately because I've gotten lazy so I never lanolize anymore. Buuuuuut when I did handwash (and when I finish my knit longies I will again) I used a wool wash that has lanolin in it so mine were lanolized every time I washed them. When I was out of my wool wash I lanolized too - it's pretty easy to throw it in so I liked the extra protection.

When I've had a poo issue I've run it under cool water to get the bulk off, soaked it and then gently rubbed it with my finger while under the water to get the rest off. Kind of gross but when you have a kid you're up to your ears in gross anyway. You could probably do the same by rubbing the fabric against itself but you'll up your chances of felting that way.

I was out when it happened and I just put it in the wet bag until I got home and dealt with it then. I've never had staining issues but mine are all dark so I don't have a good answer for that one.

smurfetteinred · November 2009

And I'd add - I'd listen to MTOW's advice because she's the wool expert!

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