We continue our article about how to care for wool throws.
What if my wool throw shrinks?
The most common issue people face after washing their wool throws & blankets is shrinkage. And this is really a problem. This happens when wool items are washed in too warm or even hot water, or dried outside in a direct sunlight. Your wool throws will also shrink if dried in a dryer.
It is a common problem and a very annoying one because wool blankets once shrunk, will stay this size forever. They cannot be resized back to their previous size.
The reason is wool fabric itself – there are overlapping scales on the outside of wool fibers that all run in the same direction just like roof shingles do. When affected by heat, toom much moisture or other kinds of agitation, these scales get closer together and interlock with each other. Trying to expand the wool fabric back to its previous size will result in weakening or even breaking your wool throw. Once your wool throw shrunk, it will be permanent.
The best advice is always washing any item containing wool in very cool temperatures and dry flat avoiding direct sunlight. Have this in mind and shrinking will never be a problem to you.
How to remove odor from a wool throw?
Means of removing odor from your wool throws & blankets vary and depend on the actual odor. Wool items absorb odors easily and most often it’s a difficult task to get rid of it. There are lots of things that leave a lasting odor in a wool item, e.g. cigarette smoke, cat urine, cleaning substance and things like that.
It is possible to remove the odor or at least lower its potency with a method called an ozone treatment. This treatment can be made at your dry cleaners or there might be a specialized place that will do it better.
To clean the odor out of your wool throw or blanket at home try a simple wash but add some vinegar, vanilla extract, flavoring or vanilla fabric softener.
One other simple way to try first is taking a wool throw out and hanging in a wind. Keep it there for some hours (beware of the rain though!) and most probably the odor will be gone or at least gotten weaker.