Defuzzing a Cashmere Sweater: The Step-by-Step Guide
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Discover how to wash your cashmere knit sweater so that you can avoid the next time trying to unshrink it! Our guide should help you prevent that.
You are surely looking for methods to unshrink a cashmere sweater. Indeed, being fragile, this goat wool requires special care. Thus, it shrinks during improper handling. Here’s how to recover your wool and cashmere sweaters and cardigans.
Improper washing and drying can distort a knit and cause pilling on its fabric. An unsuitable machine wash and inadequate drying can cause a knit to pill, shrink, or stretch. To fix these mistakes, you can proceed with unshrinking.
Recovering your cashmere sweater through unshrinking
A sweater that has gone through a poorly set washing machine can lose its softness, stretch, or shrink. This is due to the water absorption by the wool. During high-temperature washing, the knit structure becomes saturated, and its scales separate and then interlock.
The textile fibers in contact with heat tighten. So, the knit tends to shrink and takes on a cardboard-like, stiff appearance.
This is what we call felting. However, it is possible to recover a felted sweater. And this unshrinking process is within everyone’s reach.
Unshrinking a wool garment involves straightening the natural fibers of the textile, restoring its softness and original size. Conditioner, white vinegar, glycerin, and even the cooking water from white beans are products to use during unshrinking.
However, they must be mixed with cold or lukewarm water. You can also stretch your fabric using an iron. Thus, unshrinking is a thermal treatment of wool knits that aims to restore the fabric’s original appearance.
How to unshrink a cashmere sweater: a precise process
We therefore offer you five methods to unshrink your cardigan or cashmere sweater and make it comfortable again:
- Unshrink your cardigan with white vinegar
Here’s how to proceed with this first unshrinking technique:
Fill your basin with cold or lukewarm water. Then, add one cup of white vinegar for every liter. Mix the solution well and fully submerge the knit to be unshrunk until it has a dark color. Then, thoroughly soak the sweater in the vinegar solution.
Stretch it every hour so it can easily regain its original size. Carry out the operation for about ten hours and wring the pullover well with a cotton towel. Finally, let it dry flat on a dry towel in the open air.
White vinegar is a powerful softener very effective for your wool clothes.
- Unshrinking with glycerin
You can easily unshrink your sweater with glycerin that you can find at the pharmacy:
Start by filling a basin with cold or lukewarm water. Add one tablespoon of glycerin for every liter of water and mix the solution well. Then, immerse your sweater in the glycerin solution and soak it well until it is dark.
As with the first method, gently stretch your garment, but this time, do it every 15 minutes. Then rinse your sweater with clear cold water. Wring out the sweater with a sponge towel. Pour a cup of white vinegar over your knit and wring it out once more.
Finally, let the cashmere sweater dry on a towel laid flat, away from sunlight and heat. Glycerin is a humectant that relaxes the fibers of goat wool fabric and softens it.
- Conditioner
This product is also a good option for unshrinking your expanded pullover:
Follow the initial steps of filling the basin. Then, take one tablespoon of conditioner per liter of cold or lukewarm solvent. Soak your knit in the mixed solution for four hours.
Stretch it frequently then rinse, wring, and dry with cotton towels. Being a very gentle product, the conditioner plays a softening role on your cashmere garment.
- Unusual tip: the cooking water of white beans
Start by cooking a good amount of white beans and let them cool. Soak your goat wool sweater in it. Stretch it every fifteen minutes until it becomes wider.
Rinse and wring out your cashmere garment then let it dry flat with sponge towels without twisting it.
The white bean solution is a good stain remover and restores volume to delicate fabrics.
- Last tip: ironing
Set the iron to the wool/silk program and then gently iron your knit sweater while stretching it. Continue until it regains its original size. Although heat tends to shrink wool fabrics, gentle heat does not cause as much damage to delicate fabrics.
This is why you should set your iron to the gentle program suitable for wool.
To go further, discover the steps to dry your cashmere sweater without hassle!
This is what we call felting. However, it is possible to recover a felted sweater. And this unshrinking process is within everyone’s reach.
Unshrinking a wool garment involves straightening the natural fibers of the textile, restoring its softness and original size. Conditioner, white vinegar, glycerin, and even the cooking water from white beans are products to use during unshrinking.
However, they must be mixed with cold or lukewarm water. You can also stretch your fabric using an iron. Thus, unshrinking is a thermal treatment of wool knits that aims to restore the fabric’s original appearance.
How to unshrink a cashmere sweater: a precise process
We therefore offer you five methods to unshrink your cardigan or cashmere sweater and make it comfortable again:
- Unshrink your cardigan with white vinegar
Here’s how to proceed with this first unshrinking technique:
Fill your basin with cold or lukewarm water. Then, add one cup of white vinegar for every liter. Mix the solution well and fully submerge the knit to be unshrunk until it has a dark color. Then, thoroughly soak the sweater in the vinegar solution.
Stretch it every hour so it can easily regain its original size. Carry out the operation for about ten hours and wring the pullover well with a cotton towel. Finally, let it dry flat on a dry towel in the open air.
White vinegar is a powerful softener very effective for your wool clothes.
- Unshrinking with glycerin
You can easily unshrink your sweater with glycerin that you can find at the pharmacy:
Start by filling a basin with cold or lukewarm water. Add one tablespoon of glycerin for every liter of water and mix the solution well. Then, immerse your sweater in the glycerin solution and soak it well until it is dark.
As with the first method, gently stretch your garment, but this time, do it every 15 minutes. Then rinse your sweater with clear cold water. Wring out the sweater with a sponge towel. Pour a cup of white vinegar over your knit and wring it out once more.
Finally, let the cashmere sweater dry on a towel laid flat, away from sunlight and heat. Glycerin is a humectant that relaxes the fibers of goat wool fabric and softens it.
- Conditioner
This product is also a good option for unshrinking your expanded pullover:
Follow the initial steps of filling the basin. Then, take one tablespoon of conditioner per liter of cold or lukewarm solvent. Soak your knit in the mixed solution for four hours.
Stretch it frequently then rinse, wring, and dry with cotton towels. Being a very gentle product, the conditioner plays a softening role on your cashmere garment.
- Unusual tip: the cooking water of white beans
Start by cooking a good amount of white beans and let them cool. Soak your goat wool sweater in it. Stretch it every fifteen minutes until it becomes wider.
Rinse and wring out your cashmere garment then let it dry flat with sponge towels without twisting it.
The white bean solution is a good stain remover and restores volume to delicate fabrics.
- Last tip: ironing
Set the iron to the wool/silk program and then gently iron your knit sweater while stretching it. Continue until it regains its original size. Although heat tends to shrink wool fabrics, gentle heat does not cause as much damage to delicate fabrics.
This is why you should set your iron to the gentle program suitable for wool.
To go further, discover the steps to dry your cashmere sweater without hassle!
