How to Wash Wool, Bamboo and Sheepskin So They Last Years, Not Seasons

The most common thing we hear across the counter is not a question about price. It is a story about a jumper that came out of the wash the size of a tea towel.

Natural fibres are not fragile, but they are specific. Treat them the way they want to be treated and they will outlast anything synthetic in your wardrobe. Treat them like a load of tea towels and you will be disappointed once, expensively.

Here is what we tell people, sorted by fibre, so you can jump to whatever is sitting in your laundry basket.

The rule that covers most of it

Wash less, wash cooler.

Natural fibres do not get dirty the way we assume. Wool and bamboo both handle moisture and resist odour well, which means a garment worn for a day is usually not dirty. It is just worn. Airing it overnight somewhere with a bit of air movement resets it.

Most damage to good clothing happens in the washing machine, not on the body. Every unnecessary wash is agitation, heat and detergent the fibre did not need.

If you take one thing from this guide, make it that. Wash when something is actually dirty, not when it has simply been used.

Possum merino and wool

How to wash merino wool and possum merino

Cool water. A wool detergent. Never hot.

Heat and agitation together cause wool to felt, which is the scales on the fibre locking permanently into each other. Once it has happened it cannot be undone, which is why a shrunk jumper stays shrunk.

A wool cycle on a modern machine is genuinely fine, and a short spin is fine too. Hand washing works equally well. Use a detergent made for wool rather than a standard one, because ordinary laundry detergents often contain enzymes designed to break down protein, and wool is a protein.

Drying, and the mistake everyone makes

Do not tumble dry. This is the single most common way good knitwear dies.

Dry flat instead, on a towel, out of direct sunlight. Reshape the garment gently while it is still damp, pulling it back to its proper dimensions.

Hang wet knitwear on a line or a hanger and the water weight drags it downwards. Sleeves stretch, shoulders develop points, and the garment never quite recovers.

Pilling

Pilling on high friction areas is normal in the first few wears and settles down as loose fibres work their way out. A fabric comb or a pilling stone deals with it in a few minutes.

The nylon in a possum merino blend gives it more resilience than pure wool, but the same rules apply. Always read the care label on your particular piece, because constructions vary across our knitwear.

How to care for bamboo clothing

Bamboo is more forgiving than wool, but there is one thing that ruins it.

Why fabric softener ruins it

Skip the softener. It works by depositing a waxy coating on the fibre. On bamboo, that coating sits over exactly the surface that was giving you the breathability and moisture handling you paid for.

Bamboo is naturally soft. It does not need help, and the help makes it worse.

Washing bamboo socks and underwear

Cool wash, gentle cycle, line dry where you can. Bamboo viscose is a little weaker when wet, so avoid wringing it out hard.

A low heat tumble dry is survivable if you must, but line drying keeps the elastane in bamboo socks and bamboo underwear doing its job for far longer. Heat is what kills elastic recovery, and once the waistband has gone the garment is finished regardless of how good the rest of it is.

Turn printed items inside out before washing, and wash dark colours together for the first few washes. The rest of the bamboo essentials range follows the same rules.

How to care for sheepskin boots and slippers

Never machine wash

Not on any cycle.

Sheepskin is wool still attached to its leather backing. Soaking the backing and then drying it makes the leather stiffen and contract, which changes the fit and cracks the surface. This is a one way trip.

How to clean sheepskin

Dampen a clean cloth, use a small amount of a cleaner made for sheepskin, and work in the direction of the pile rather than scrubbing in circles. Wipe over with a barely damp cloth to lift the residue.

Drying, and why you should never rush it

Keep them away from heaters, direct sun and hot cars. Sheepskin dries slowly on purpose.

Stuff the boot loosely with paper to hold its shape while it dries, and change the paper once it is damp.

Resting between wears

A sheepskin boot worn every day never fully dries out inside, and that is what flattens the pile.

Two pairs alternated will each last more than twice as long as one pair worn constantly. That sounds like a sales line and it is simply how the material behaves.

Our sheepskin boots and slippers come with care guidance and it is worth actually reading. If you are local, bring them into the shop instead and we will look at them with you. Sheepskin is one of the ranges where handling it in person tells you more than any description can.

How to store woollens over summer

Albury summers mean woollens spend several months in a cupboard, and that is when the damage happens.

Wash everything first. This is the whole game. Clothes moth larvae are not really after clean wool. They are after the sweat, skin oils, hair and food traces on it, which is why the Australian Museum describes their natural diet as feathers, fur and wool rather than fabric as such. A jumper put away dirty is a meal. A jumper put away clean is much less interesting.

Store in breathable cotton, not sealed plastic. Plastic traps residual moisture against the fibre, which invites mildew. A cotton storage bag or an old pillowcase works perfectly well.

Fold, do not hang. Knitwear on a hanger for six months develops shoulder points and stretches at the seams.

Skip the mothballs. They work, but the smell takes months to leave the wool. Cedar and dried lavender are more pleasant, though they are a deterrent rather than a treatment, so they only work on genuinely clean clothing. Alternatively, our range of bug busters and clothing protectors are all natural using clove, wormwood and essential oils and are handmade in Walpole, Western Australia. 

Check the cupboard once mid-season. Five minutes in January can save a jumper.

What to wash with

Detergent matters more for natural fibres than for synthetics.

Use a wool wash for anything protein based, meaning wool, possum merino and cashmere. For bamboo and cotton, a gentle general detergent without heavy enzymes or optical brighteners is ideal. Optical brighteners are dyes that make white fabric look whiter under light, and they build up on natural fibres over time and dull the colour.

Less is more with quantity. Most people use considerably more detergent than the dose on the packet, and the excess does not rinse out cleanly. It stays in the fibre, attracts dirt and stiffens the fabric.

Our eco laundry range covers wool washes and gentle general detergents, and the concentrated options mean less plastic through the laundry over a year. Worth a look if you are due a restock.

When to repair rather than replace

A hole in a woollen sock is a twenty minute job with a darning needle and it will hold for years. A pilled jumper is five minutes with a comb. A stretched cuff can often be shrunk back with careful steam.

We would rather help you keep something going than sell you a replacement you did not need. That is not charity. It is the reason people come back.

Key takeaways

Keep reading for the questions we are asked most.

Common questions

What temperature should you wash wool at?
Cool, and never hot. Heat and agitation together are what felt wool, and felting cannot be reversed. A wool cycle or a gentle hand wash in cool water with a wool detergent is the safe approach.

Should you use fabric softener on bamboo clothing?
No. Softener leaves a coating on the fibre that reduces the breathability and moisture handling you bought bamboo for. Bamboo is naturally soft and does not need it.

Can you machine wash sheepskin boots?
No. Machine washing soaks the leather backing, and as it dries it stiffens and shrinks. Spot clean with a damp cloth and a sheepskin cleaner, then air dry away from heat with paper inside to hold the shape.

Why should you dry knitwear flat instead of hanging it?
Wet wool is heavy, and hanging lets that weight pull the garment out of shape. Sleeves lengthen and shoulders develop points from the hanger. Drying flat on a towel supports the whole garment while it dries.

How do you stop moths getting into stored woollens?
Wash everything before it goes away. Moth larvae are after the sweat, skin oils and food traces on a garment rather than the clean wool itself, so a clean jumper is a far less attractive target. Store in breathable cotton rather than sealed plastic.

If you are not sure what a garment needs, bring it in. Visit Our Store at 614 Dean Street, Albury, and we will have a look at it with you. Between us we have handled most of these fibres long enough to know what is fixable and what is not, and we will tell you honestly which one you are holding.