I wear my
sweaters nearly every day. I have a
variety of colors to coordinate with an assortment of sleeveless and short
sleeved tops. My work environment is
what I would describe as professional casual attire. We have a dress code and it is rather
specific, but coat and tie is not the norm for everyday. A nice sweater fits the bill quite nicely
with the added benefit that it keeps me warm.
It is very
easy to mess up a sweater in the wash. I
know because I've done it. More than
once. Nothing is more frustrating than
to accidently mess up a piece of clothing you spent money on. Or to have it fade and pill after just a few
washings. Through trial and error I
finally figured out what works for me.
I use the
short wash setting on my machine, set it for normal soil and a medium high
extraction, as sweaters soak up a lot of water, warm water with a cold rinse. I use a minimal amount of soap and fabric
softener and let it run through the cycle.
I have a hand wash cycle on my machine, but the sweaters come out really
soggy. I found the short wash cycle is
gentle enough.
After the
washer shuts off I pull them out immediately before they have a chance to
wrinkle and put them on my drying rack.
This rack was our clothes dryer for over a year in our RV. It works great. I plan to take it with me to the future
retirement house.
 |
| The red sweater is 20 years old! Still looks new. |
They dry
overnight and then are ready to hang.
Sometimes the cuffs are still a little damp so I will usually leave them
hanging in the laundry room an extra day to make certain they are thoroughly
dry.
So far all
of the sweaters I've purchased in the last year have remained brightly colored
and pill free. They haven't shrunk or
stretched either. I'm sure some you have
other ways of washing sweaters, but I just thought I'd share with you how I do
it.
Thank you for this post! I wear sweaters almost daily and I agree that it is very frustrating when one gets messed up. I appreciate that you showed how you care for your sweaters. I don't have a drying rack but I am thinking maybe I should pick one up if I see one, as it may be better to dry them that way before immediately hanging them.
ReplyDeleteYou know how when you hang them right away they get stretched a bit and then you have the hanger puckers on the shoulders. This way no puckers. :)
DeleteI wash and dry my sweaters just like you do. Also, I try not to wash them too often.
ReplyDeleteIt just goes to show you when you buy classic styles like your red cardigan, you can wear them forever! I have a couple in the same style and I wear them all the time, year after year. I love it! :)
D.
I wear mine several time before washings too.
DeleteI fold my sweaters and put them in a mesh bag and dry flat. I never hang. I take care of my sweaters! If any are left soggy, I use the spin cycle on another cycle. Since they are folded in a bag, they never spin to distortion. pparsimony
ReplyDeleteThat is a great way to do it too. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteI hang the bulk of our laundry, except for towels, as energy costs are high. many don't realize that dryer lint is actually fabric from clothing. Line/clothes horse drying saves clothing.
ReplyDelete