Spring is finally upon us! For some of us, it means packing away our heavier Woolpower gear for the summer months and pulling out our 200 / 400 / LITE collections.
Before we dive into washing your Woolpower, there a a few characteristics about wool as textile that we should cover. First, the beauty of wool is it’s ability to absorb and neutralize bad odors. It is by far superior to other textile materials and easy to care for. Second, the keratin in wool actually breaks down the bad smelling bacteria from your skin naturally to “self-clean”.
Did you know the core of wool’s fiber is composed of two types of cells that each absorb different amounts of moisture? That’s right! The first type swells more than the other causing a constant motion friction to occur between the two. This unique characteristic creates a mechanical, self-cleaning effect of the fiber. While moisture collected on the surface of a textile promotes bacteria growth – the outside of the wool fiber will stay relatively dry. The surface of the fiber in wool is water repellent, which prevents bacteria growth and its resulting bad smell. Know that we’ve covered wool’s unique characteristics, let’s dive into washing your Woolpower!
As we prepare our gear for storage, there are a few things to do. First, check each piece for spots that might need a light brushing off or a quick spot treatment. Separate into good to store and need to wash / spot clean piles. Now, on to the next step!
SPOT TREAT
To spot treat, wet the spot and add a tiny bit of Woolcare – our wool cleaner of choice. Gently work it into the stained area(s).
Remove soap and dirt with a wet Lint-Free Cleaning Cloth—be sure to remove all soap. After that, dampen the cloth as you need to and repeat the process until satisfied. Allow to dry and you are ready to store your jacket until next season.
Woolcare
Made from lanolin, woolcare is both gentle to the environment and your clothes. Woolcare contains no enzymes and only low-impact renewable surfactants and will pro-long the life-time of your Woolpower garment.
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MACHINE WASHABLE
Occasionally, you just can’t get the smell of that last adventure out of your jacket or socks and it’s time for a wash. Trust us, we’ve encountered enough skunks on the trail to have an interesting dinner story or two! Our Ullfrotté Original and Woolpower LITE undergarments can be machine washed at 60 °C / Gentle Cycle with our Woolcare laundry detergent and tumble-dried at a medium heat or laid flat to dry.
The surface of wool’s fibres is covered with small scales, which means that wool clothing can become bobbled when washed. But Woolpower’s clothes are treated so the wool is machine washable.
KEEP COLORS SEPARATE
You’ve probably been told at some point in your life to wash your colors with colors and whites with whites…well we’re going to say it again. Wash all clothes with similar colors – darks (Black, Dark Navy, Pine, Forest Green, Grey, Anthracite) or lights (Nordic Blue, Grey) (Cerise) (Grey and Rose) (Petrol). They might shed a bit in the first few washes, but don’t worry it’s natural. If you are worried about colors running, feel free to drop in a color catcher sheet.
DRY FLAT
You can expedite the drying process by laying the item flat on a clean towel. With the item in its original shape, roll it up in the towel to remove excess water. Unroll and lay flat in to dry. When drying, avoid direct sunlight and heat sources – such as the radiator – because they can yellow, shrink, or damage wool.
To remove wrinkles, we recommend steaming for the best and safest finish. Never iron, as ironing will crush or flatten the natural structure of the fibers.
WON’T SHRINK
Because wool is a natural fiber, it will contract up a small bit when washed. But don’t worry! Your Woolpower gear will stretch and shape comfortably to your body when you put them on next season.
FLIP THEM INSIDE OUT
A PRO tip – wash your the clothes inside out to extend their lifespan.
While we sometimes use the washing machine to get out tough exterior stains like coffee, grass or ketchup, most of the time we’re aiming to freshen our items up from the kind of dirty clothing gets just by being worn by a person.
During a typical day of wear, clothing comes into contact with our bodies as we move and sweat, often leaving them in dire need of washing. By turning your Woolpower items inside out in the washing machine you can ensure that the sweat areas are coming in as close contact with the Woolcare as possible.
STORING
Always store items clean to avoid inadvertently providing a “food source” for bugs. Prevent bug and moth infestation by storing in a breathable cotton storage bag with a zip closure. Storing in plastic encourages yellowing and can trap mildew-causing moisture, a prime environment for bugs.
We hope you find this information on washing your Woolpower helpful as you decided how to prep your gear for summer storage!
Stay cool!
~ Team Woolpower