caring for & storing your knits in the warmer months

Caring for & cleaning your wool knitwear is especially important before you store your knits away for the warmer months. Moths love dirty wool and if you store your knits after a season of heavy wear without caring for them, you might pull them out next autumn to find a few sad holes that will require mending.

image from Country Knits by Carol Huber

fun / gross fact : moths aren’t actually the little fellas chewing holes in your wool, it’s their larvae & they are feeding on the protein and keratin of your animal fibers.

First thing I’m gonna do is consider which few knits I want to keep in my rotation through the summer. The ones I grab for the most and will throw on over a t-shirt when the sun goes down on a summer night. For me, this is my cropped goldfinch sweater. The rest will inevitably get pushed to the bottom of my drawer or to the hard-to-reach back shelf in my closet. They all deserve care, but the ones going into storage require a bit of thought.

Wool doesn’t need to be washed often. It’s naturally antibacterial, it neutralizes odors, aaaand it is stain resistant. The fibers will also hold up longer if you skip washes. I wash my knits once or twice a year. I mostly wash them at the end of the winter season, but I do other things to keep them fresh in the meantime.

airing out
Airing out your wool is a great way to freshen them up. Hang them outdoors in the sun for a couple hours. The sun will also kill any moth larvae. Be careful not to leave them in the sun too long to avoid discoloration / bleaching & be careful not to leave them on hangers too long to avoid mis-shaping.

steaming
If I’m looking to freshen up a sweater I’ve worn a lot, maybe it’s getting stretched etc, but I don’t want to go as far as washing it, i’ll blast it with a bit of steam. The steam is going to allow the fibers to swell and regain their natural shape. Keep your iron hovering just above the knit so the steam hits, but the hot plate does not. The hot plate will smoosh the fibers down. Steaming will also kill moth larvae.

washing
My care tags tell you to “hand wash in lukewarm water, press with dry towel, lay flat to dry, do not wring.” Follow that advice cause it’s the only way to for sure not screw up your knits.
But I have a confession - i don’t do that. I put mine in the machine on a cold cycle (I’m specifically talking about the knits that I make). But I can’t tell you that because I don’t know what your machine is like and I can’t trust it!!!! The machine I had in Dublin would have chewed my knits up and spat them out. So, here I am asking you to hand wash.

hand washing tips: Wash inside-out. Use cold or lukewarm water. Use an eco detergent. Or you can use a baby shampoo, this is also gonna be very gentle. Let it soak for 10 mins or more, then swish around gently. Rinse until there are no more suds. Give it gentle squeezes to press out water (don’t wring). Wool is weaker when it’s wet. Lay flat between two towels and roll it up like a burrito. Press additional water out. Lay flat to dry on a dry towel (or on a flat sweater drying rack.)

machine washing tips: Front loading machines are typically (but not always) gentler. Use an eco detergent. Wash your knits separate from things that have zippers or buttons or things that could snag. Wash inside-out. Put them inside a garment washing bag. Lay flat to dry.
Remember, my product care guidelines will tell you to hand wash because i don’t know / trust your machine and because i <3 you.

storing
Once your knits are aired out, steamed, or washed, make sure to store them right! I love the security I feel by storing my knits in vacuum bags. I already know everything is clean, but now I also have the assurance there’s no oxygen for the feckers (larvae) to survive.
Please note that vacuum bags can cause more delicate fibers to crush or lose their shape, especially if they are not folded properly. Please also note that it is important all items are completely dry as to not trap in any moisture!
Linking an example of the bags I use here, but any variation will work.
For the knits I am keeping at the ready in my drawer, I like to toss a few cedar blocks in the drawer with them. Keep in mind the cedar needs to be lightly sanded occasionally to keep their smell punchy.
Reminder that in any season, store your knits folded, not on a hanger! This is to keep their shape from warping.

random note on moths & larvae: Ever heard of Diatomaceous Earth? It’s a powder that I puff around my studio to keep bad things away. Bugs ~moths and their larvae included~ can’t survive with it around. It’s natural, harmless to mammals (people even eat it but i won’t get into that), and it’s better than chemicals because bugs can’t build a tolerance to it like they can other poisons - the method of killing is physical, not chemical. Maybe try this if you’re having issues with bugs?

Confused or have a question? email me! hello@studiokelsey.com

Peace, love, knitwear <3
Xx,
Kelsey