Washing advice - cardigan sweater

[mikelz777]

I've taken yet another step closer to old manhood and bought myself a cardigan sweater to wear around the house. I really had a hard time finding one that I liked. I didn't want one of those thin, hipster type cardigans you see a lot of (young) guys wearing with skinny jeans and Vans. I also didn't want one of those super thick ones you'd see John Denver or Dan Fogelberg wearing on some Rocky Mountain album cover shot from the 70's. I wanted a nice, middle-weight cardigan that had a classic look that would last me years without going out of style. I also wanted something I could get in a store so I could see it, try it on and not have to worry about the hassles of potential returns through the mail. After several stores I finally found the perfect cardigan that looked great, fit great and was 40% off on sale. I quickly bought it and was on my way. As I was driving home I realized that I didn't look at what the cardigan was made of and didn't look at the care instructions. When I got home, I discovered that it was 70% acrylic and 30% wool and the care tag said, "dry clean". Bummer!! I never buy dry clean clothes! My brother once machine washed and dried a "dry clean", 100% wool sweater and it ended up looking like it would fit a pre-schooler.

Question: Do you think I would be able to get by cleaning this cardigan by gently hand washing it in cold water and then lying it on a flat surface to dry without it either shrinking or losing its shape? Has anyone out there had any success or experience with this type of thing? I seem to remember reading something about there being a difference between garment tags that said, "dry clean" and "dry clean only", that items marked "dry clean" could often be successfully washed by hand. I still have the receipt and the tags are still on it but I really like the cardigan and don't want to take it back.

 

[little Big feather]

I don't know....But I will suggest, Google "Woolite" they might have a site that will give you info. Good luck and let me know what you learn..

 

[rushchairman]

hand wash with woolite and hang or lay flat the sweater to dry.

 

[Jawaburger]

hand wash with woolite and hang or lay flat the sweater to dry.

I would recommend laying it flat. It will be less likely to stretch while drying. The wet sweater will be a lot heavier so it may sag. Ask me how I know.

 

[mikelz777]

I don't know....But I will suggest, Google "Woolite" they might have a site that will give you info. Good luck and let me know what you learn..

The Woolite site basically says that Woolite is suitable for all your clothes washing needs. (of course it is!) There's nothing that says that it is specially formulated for wool garments like the product name would imply. It advises that when you use Woolite, you should follow the garments washing instructions. If I did that, I wouldn't be using Woolite!

 

[mikelz777]

I would recommend laying it flat. It will be less likely to stretch while drying. The wet sweater will be a lot heavier so it may sag. Ask me how I know.

You have a sweater that hangs to your knees?

I'm hoping that since it's 70% acrylic and 30% wool that a gentle hand washing in cold water and lying it flat to dry will allow it to keep it's shape and not shrink. The deal for me at this point is that I have to decide now if I should keep it or not because the washing part wouldn't happen for weeks or months. (I'd always be wearing it over clothes so it will have little or no skin contact and it's very unlikely I would ever be sweating in it so it's not going to require frequent cleanings.)

 

[pdillon]

Don't dry clean it. Hand wash it with woolite. You will only need to do this a couple of times a season, and definitely before you store it once the weather warms up. I keep my wool sweaters in a plastic box.

http://putthison.com/post/1243826650/q-and-answer-how-do-i-wash-my-sweaters-conor

 

[Doc4]

My brother once machine washed and dried a "dry clean", 100% wool sweater and it ended up looking like it would fit a pre-schooler.

Question: Do you think I would be able to get by cleaning this cardigan by gently hand washing it in cold water and then lying it on a flat surface to dry without it either shrinking or losing its shape?

Okay, tossing something in the washer and then the drier is about as far away from a gentle, hand wash in cold & lay flat to dry as you can get.

IMHO, a lot of stuff gets marked "dry clean only" because otherwise clever sparks like your brother would toss it in the wash along with the Carhartts and such. Also, you should be able to clean this cardigan almost never. Really, unless you spill something on it (or it's a very pale colour and you like getting dirty) it should need a cleaning about once a decade or so. You ARE going to wear a shirt under it, right??

 

[shaveitoff]

I agree with Doc4. Most sweaters and cardigans don't need to be washed or cleaned very often. There is always another garment between you and the cardigan. I've had lots of sweaters over the years. I used to take them to the dry cleaners once a year, but I don't bother doing that any more. Unless you spill something on it you don't need to wash it or dry clean it.

 

[Jawaburger]

You have a sweater that hangs to your knees?

Strangely, only the sleeves! I now have to roll them up.

 

[mikelz777]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I'm going to keep the cardigan and when the time comes to wash it, (I'm pretty sure it will be sooner than 10 years. ) I'll be giving the cold water, hand wash, flat dry treatment a try.

 

[jhe888]

Hand wash. You shouldn't need to wash it more than once or twice a season.