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Washing Wool Covers
Washing wool covers does not have to be intimidating. It is actually quite simple! Some wool diaper covers can even be washed in your washing machine. There are a few of different ways you can wash your wool depending on how dirty they are. Here we will go over everything you need to know about washing wool, stain removal and stripping. A Few Wool Wash Facts Always wash wool covers immediately after getting soiled (pooped on) . Otherwise you will have stains in your wool that will be very hard to get out. Poop or mud or juice or anything that stains needs to be washed out before it sets in! Wool covers do not need to be washed after every use. They can be reused over and over again until they are dirty. If they a wool cover gets wet just air dry it and reuse at the next diaper change. When you buy new wool covers, make sure you know wether it has already been lanolized or not. If the wool cover has been lanolized it will not need to be re-lanolized again for another month or when it gets dirty. Some wool wash already contains lanolin. That means, when you wash your wool you are lanolizing it at the same time and do not need to lanolize it after washing. Wool covers do not need to be lanolized at every washing. If you need to lanolize your wool covers, but don't need to wash it, you can use a lanolin spray. They are very easy to use and your wool dries faster than if it has been washed. In some cases you may find that you have stains that do not come out with basic washing methods. In this case you may need to strip your wool. Stripping your wool allows you to remove lanolin that may be holding stains in. Once you get the lanolin out of the wool, you will be able to remove stains much easier.
Wool Care Do's & Dont's There are a few things that you should never do when washing your wool. * Never wring or twist your wet wool to remove excess water - instead lay it flat between the layers of a folded towel and let the towel soak up the excess water. * Do not stretch your wet wool - unless you want to change the size or shape of it. * Never use bleach on your wool. It will break down the fibers. * Never wash wool with cold water as it will "shock" the fibers * Do not put wool covers in the dryer unless you want to shrink or felt them. Wool Washing Basics Basic Wool Washing Method * Fill the sink or bucket with warm water * Add in 1 - 2 Tsp liquid wool wash, depending on how many covers you are washing * Put your wool items in * Swish wool items around to mix * Let soak for 30 minutes - 1 hour making sure to watch wool for color bleeding * Remove wool from water * Gently squeeze excess water from wool, or * Lay wool on towel, roll up and press firmly * Lay wool flat on towel or other flat surface and allow to air dry *Note - If you need to wash several pieces of wool at the same time, you can try this method in the bathtub using more wool wash.
* Fill sink or bucket with warm water * Take NON LANOLIZED wool wash bar and gently rub over stains until worked into a lather * Put down wool wash bar and gently rub stain with fingers until stain is removed * Rinse wool wash off of stain * Add 1 - 2 Tsp of liquid wool wash with lanolin to water * Submerge wool into water * Leave wool to soak for 30 minutes - to 1 hour * Remove wool from water * Gently squeeze excess water from wool, or * Lay into towel, roll up and squeeze * Lay wool flat on towel or other flat surface and allow to air dry If you find that you have stains on your wool covers that are not coming off, or you have lanolin stains/spots on your wool covers, you will need to strip them. Stripping wool covers removes the lanolin from the wool which is locking the stain in. Once the lanolin is stripped from the wool you will be able to remove any stains. I don't recommend stripping wool covers if you can avoid it. It's not good for the wool. Always wash wool covers immediately after getting soiled with anything that will stain to avoid any staining. Stripping Wool Covers * Fill sink or bucket with warm water * Add small squirt of blue liquid Dawn * Put wool items into water * Agitate wool to mix with Dawn * Let soak for 30 minutes - 1 hour, occasionally agitating water * Drain water from sink or bucket * Turn on warm water and gently rinse the Dawn from the wool until all bubbles are gone * Once all Dawn has been removed, re-fill sink or bucket with warm water * Take wool wash bar and gently scrub until worked into lather * Set down wool wash bar and use fingers to gently scrub wool wash until stains come out * Rinse wool wash from wool * Drain water from sink or bucket * Add 1 - 2 Tsp of liquid wool wash with lanolin * Soak wool for 30 minutes - 1 hour * Remove from water * Gently squeeze excess water from wool, or * Lay into towel and roll up, squeezing gently to remove excess water * Lay wool flat on towel or other flat surface and allow to air dry Washing Wool In The Washing Machine If you any other type of wool other than knit or crochet, you can use your washing machine to wash your wool. This makes washing wool a lot faster, but you have to be very careful not to shrink it. When using the washing machine to wash wool, only run it through one cycle and never use cold water. Basic Washing Machine Instructions * Set machine to delicate or hand wash cycle * Fill washer with warm water * Add 1 - 2 Tsp of liquid wool wash or commercial wool wash * Put wool items in * Let wool soak for 30 minutes - 1 hour * Let cycle continue to run if using commercial wool wash or, * Set machine to spin cycle and run if using wool wash with lanolin * Run an extra spin cycle to help remove excess water if you like * Lay wool out flat to air dry Stripping Wool In Washer & Stain Removal * Set washer to delicate or hand wash cycle * Fill washer with warm water * Add in 1 squirt blue liquid Dawn * Put wool in washer * Let soak for 30 minutes - 1 hour * Let cycle continue to run to rinse out the Dawn * Add an extra rinse to make sure all the Dawn is out or, * Hand rinse wool until all the soap is out * Use wool wash bar to gently scrub stains until worked into lather * Put down wool wash bar and continue to gently rub stains with fingers until stains come out * Fill washer with warm water * Add 1 - 2 Tsp liquid wool wash with lanolin * Submerge wool items into water * Let soak for 30 minutes - 1 hour * Set to spin cycle and run * Run extra spin cycle to remove excess water if you choose * Lay wool flat to air dry How Often Do I Wash My Wool? One of the great things about using wool as a cover is you do not need to wash it after every use. Because wool is naturally anti-bacterial, it helps neutralize the smell of urine, allowing it to be used many times before washing. It is only necessary to wash your wool covers when they are soiled, stained, or every few weeks to keep it fresh and clean. If you find your wool needing to be washed often, then it is not necessary to use a wool wash containing lanolin every time. If you use lanolin on your wool covers too often it can lead to lanolin stains or can make it harder to get dirt out.
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Basic Wool Wash & Stain Removal