Cashmere Care: Moth-Away Herbal Sachets

Let's face it - moth's go after cashmere.  They aren't dumb - they now it's soft and warm.  They don't actually look for cashmere to eat - usually they are just after the dirt that's on the cashmere, and since most of us don't launder our sweaters after every wearing (I know that because I buy ALOT of used sweaters and I see it), that dirt accumulates.

Other than actually laundering your sweaters & scarves, there is no better way to protect your cashmere from moths than to make it smelly enough that they don't take up residence there.  FYI - the CCMI - Cashmere & Camelhair Manufactures Institute - actually recommends handwashing to dry cleaning.  You can do that by buying a cedar chest or using toxic moth balls - OR - you can use herbal sachets.  Lavender is one major deterrent for moths, but my favorite is Moth Away.  Moth Away herbal sachets contain Peppermint, Rosemary, Thyme and Cloves.

I sell these adorable little reclaimed cashmere mice, each comes stuffed with either Lavender or a Moth Away packet.  They smell lovely, they look cute, and they're good for the environment.  You can lay them in a drawer or box, or you can hang them by their tail on a hanger.  They are for sale here in my etsy shop here.

Cashmere Care: Wash, don't Dry Clean

Yes, I said wash - as in hand wash (unless you intentially tend on shrinking your garment). Cashmere prefers hand washing! Use a mild soap - I like lavender scented Eucalan, but Ecover also makes a nice washing liquid. Here is a fancy one with a cedar scent. I've even heard of people using a mild baby shampoo (cashmere is hair afterall).

So, here's a good description from PureCollection on how to hand wash cashmere:

For hand washing: Soak the sweater in sudsy, lukewarm water for 5 minutes, then gently ‘squish’ to let the suds soak through the fibres. Rinse in lukewarm water using the same ‘squishing’ action – never wringing - until the water is clear. Roll the garment in a towel to remove the extra moisture and speed drying.

As far as drying and re-shaping, I like Martha Stewart's instructions (you can find them in my earlier post). And if you need a little starter kit to take care of your cashmere, I sell one in my online shop - it includes Eucalan samples, a defuzzer comb and some Moth-Away herbal sachets.

I wash all of the cashmere sweaters I receive in the washing machine (I have a front loader HD) with warm water and dry them in the dryer on "normal". I can tell you that most of the sweaters shrink at least a little bit - but not one has ever shrunk to the point of being felted. (I have my own opinion about whether cashmere will felt or not). I also wash my personal cashmere sweaters in the washing machine (I'm too lazy to hand wash) on the gentle cycle, cold water and then hang them to dry. Then, once they are 100% dry, I throw them in a warm dryer to fluff them up. If they need blocking or reshaping, I do it afterward with the iron on steam setting. That's just what I do. If I were you, I would follow the experts advice and do as I say and not as I do. But that's just if I were you, and I'm not. You decide.

Blocking - or - Reshaping Cashmere

I first learned about "blocking" sweaters from Martha Stewart (hey, a girl has to do something to wile away the hours while on bedrest - and Martha was on TV conveniently after breakfast, but before anything really exciting happened in my day). The basic idea is, that you measure your sweater before you wash it (so you know what size it should be after it is dry). Then, after delicately handwashing, you lay it out on a flat surface and reshape it. That way it will still fit you and you don't have to donate it to someone like me who will just cut it up...but I digress.

Here are the basic instructions from Martha's website: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/blocking-and-folding-a-sweater

[I am posting this here, because it works great for reshaping my scarves after they are washed - and making them back into rectangles!]

Hand-washing is the gentlest of cleaning methods and, when done correctly, can add years to the life of even the most delicate fabrics. Sweaters are best when hand-washed, though it is important to be especially careful with wool and cashmere, because the fibers weaken and stretch out of shape. To prevent this, handle wet garments carefully, never wring or twist, and try Martha's blocking method to restore them to their original shape after washing.

1. Before washing, measure the sweater in the following four places: from shoulder to shoulder, down the length of the sleeve, across the bustline, and across the bottom edge. Write down the measurements so you can refer to them later.
2. Swish the sweater in cool, sudsy water, gently squeezing the suds through. Let soak for about three minutes, then drain the water. Run clean water into the basin to rinse the sweater until the water runs clear. Carefully press out excess water from the sweater.
3. Taking care to support the weight of the wet garment, lift the sweater onto a dry towel. Pat the sweater into shape, and roll it up in the towel, pressing to remove excess water. If the sweater is heavy, you may want to repeat this step with a second towel.
4. Lay the sweater on a dry towel, and reshape, referring to the measurements you recorded earlier. If a sleeve is too long, carefully pull it out widthwise to adjust the length. Allow the sweater to air-dry on the towel for several hours.
5. Once the sweater is dry, fold it carefully by laying it face-down, folding one sleeve straight across toward the opposite shoulder, then the other sleeve. Fold one side in so the corner of the sleeve is at the center of the sweater, then repeat with the other side. Fold the bottom up once. Never hang a sweater, as it will stretch out of shape.

Moth holes...

You gotta hate 'em. They're so annoying - especially when you discover one in your favorite sweater just as you left the house. Well, there's some hope. But first, let's try to figure out how it got there in the 1st place.

1) It was made by the larva of a moth - not the actually moth.
2) The larva don't really crave cashmere (or wool, angora, silk, alpaca, or camel hair for that matter). What they do want is what we humans leave behind - sweat, skin flakes, food crusties, some makeup... sorry to be so gross.
3) The larva also prefer the dark and don't really want to be disturbed (by movement, air flow, etc.)

So, say you wore that favorite sweater out to dinner last night - to a fancy restaurant so you put on makeup, perfume, hairspray - you know, got all dolled up. At dinner you dripped a little sauce from your Boeuf Bourgogne - you dabbed it up right away so it didn't stain. Then, after dancing until 1am (rmember this was a fancy dinner and your date was hot!), you got home, folded up your sweater carefully & neatly (it's expensive afterall) and put it back on the shelf in the back of the closet. Fast forward to the company Christmas party (not the black tie one, the less formal office get together), and you get out your cashmere again. Again, you get all dolled up (see above), throw on your coat (because you are running late), hop in a cab, and rush to the bar where everyone has already arrived. As you struggle taking off your coat, you look down and notice that pesty little moth hole, right at belly button level. And everyone is staring at it, since your skin is porcelain white underneath. Why you? What did you do to desserve this?

Let's review in reverse order, just for excitement:
1) You stored your sweater in a dark area that gets virtually no attention (or airflow).
2) You sweated in your sweater and didn't wash or dry clean it to get the sweat out.
3) You spillt food on it (and didn't wash or dry clean it).
4) You got makeup, perfume and hairspray on it (and didn't wash or dry clean it)

What's the lesson here? Only store CLEAN cashmere in an area that gets light and air. (like an open shelf). Can holes be fixed? Often times yes. Will you get more holes? Sometimes. Do you have to throw your sweater away? No, if you are too embarrassed to wear something with a mended hole in it, have a scarf made out of it!

That said - I will offer a special deal to those who took the time to read to the bottom of this very long post. Mail me your old cashmere sweater (assuming that it doesn't look like swiss cheese), and get $5 off a scarf + free 1st class shipping. You can email me through my etsy shop (the "contact hautegoat" link is on the right).

Pilling...

Those frustrating little balls of fluff that always appear and emphasize the areas of your body that rub when you do ordinary activities (like swinging your arms when you walk) - these are the areas that scream "Take me to the gym and concentrate here!"

Good news though. Cashmere pilling is temporary! They only appear on new fibers (or so they say). Before washing your garment, remove the pills. Now, pulling the pills off is stretching more fiber out that will pill on the next wearing. Using an old disposable razor (my favorite method) can be tricky because, let's face it, razors are sharp and can cut what you didn't intend to cut (happened to me only once many, many years ago). Sweater (pumice) stones are too rough on cashmere - and I've noticd that sometimes they leave "sand" behind. Ideally, you want a "Comb". I think these went under th brand name "De-Fuzz-It" for a while, but all I found here in the states so far was the batter operated kind.

Once your knitted cashmere item (scarf, sweater, etc) has been washed a few times, it shouldn't pill anymore! :)

mountains of cashmere

So here's a windfall of cashmere sweaters fresh from the thrift stores and ready to process.

1. First I remove all the price tags (wouldn't want them gunking up my washing machine).
2. Then I wash them all with warm water on normal cycle with laundry soap - most of the time I use lavender laundry soap, but I recently ran out and haven't had the time to go buy more. Ok, it's on the to-do list.
3. The dryer. Traditionally used in our house to shrink my favorite clothes, I use it here to give the cashmere one last chance to shrink (or full) if it wants. 99% of the time it does not. I do receive a few fulled sweaters, but in general there is very little shrinkage. Oh, I use medium heat - as I am sure the majority of you would also.
4. Off to the cutting board - and since this is where you may get bored, I will make it brief. I cut the pieces out for the scarves.
5. Then I sew them.
6. Then I press them with my Rowenta Steam Iron - with the steam on MAX. Cashmere loves steam - and it wrinkles easily. Steam = no more wrinkles (until you wad it up in your bag because you went in to a store that had the heat turned up too high and your neck started sweating. Then when you went back out into the freezing weather and you pulled the scarf out of you bag to put it on and you realize it looks worse than a discarded draft to a cheap novel. That's when you need a little steamer to pick you up. [editors note: don't google "steamer" - you may end up with alternative definitions that are so far from what I intended that it may scare you. Suffice it to say that I am talking about an electronic gadget that heats water up to the point that it produces steam and is used for removing wrinkles from clothing.])

And there you have it.