How to Wash Wool by Hand and in the Machine – and Keep Your Knits Beautiful

Washing wool is easier than many people think: with lukewarm water at around 30 °C, a mild wool wash, and as little friction as possible, sweaters, hats, and shawls stay soft, keep their shape, and don’t felt. In this guide, you’ll learn why wool felts in the first place, what the care symbols on the label mean, and how to wash your knits step by step, by hand or in the machine. We’ll also show you what to keep in mind with merino wool, alpaca, mohair, and blended yarns, and how to dry and store your woolens properly.

Why does wool felt in the wash?

Every wool fiber is covered in a fine layer of scales that overlap like roof shingles. In warm water, the fibers swell and the scales lift up. Add movement, and the fibers slide past each other and catch on one another like tiny barbs. They can’t slide back: the fabric becomes dense, hard, and much smaller.

So felted wool is rarely the result of a single mistake – it comes from a combination of these four triggers:

• Heat: Hot water opens up the scale layer.
• Friction and agitation: Rubbing, kneading, wringing, and a fast-spinning drum make the fibers tangle with each other.
• Temperature changes: Warm wash water followed by cold rinse water puts extra stress on the fibers.
• Alkaline solutions: Heavy-duty detergents and laundry soap have a high pH and make the fibers swell even more.

Synthetic fibers such as polyamide and acrylic don’t felt. That’s why the higher the share of animal fibers in a yarn, the more important a gentle wash becomes. Our Virgin Wool Ronan, 160 m / 100 g, for example, is made of 78% virgin wool and 22% polyamide. The high wool content makes hats and sweaters warm and elastic – but it also means you wash these pieces by hand.

Care symbols: what the label tells you

Before you wash a store-bought wool item, it’s worth checking the care label. The symbols are standardized across Europe, but hardly anyone knows them all by heart. These are the most important ones for wool:

Symbol	Meaning
Washtub with a hand	Hand wash only, max. 40 °C – for wool, lukewarm at around 30 °C is better
Washtub with 30 and one line underneath	Machine wash up to 30 °C on the gentle cycle
Washtub with 30 and two lines underneath	Machine wash up to 30 °C on the extra-gentle wool or delicates cycle
Crossed-out washtub	Do not wash
Crossed-out triangle	Do not bleach
Crossed-out square with a circle	Do not tumble dry
Square with a horizontal line	Dry flat
Iron with one dot	Iron at max. 110 °C, without steam
Crossed-out iron	Do not iron or steam

Hand knits don’t come with a label. So make a note of your yarn’s care instructions – for our yarns, you’ll find them in the product description under “Care.” If you give a knitted piece as a gift, include the instructions on a small card.

Washing wool by hand: step by step

Hand washing is the safest method for wool. All of the yarns at RABBY Wolle are meant to be washed this way: we recommend hand washing at a maximum of 30 °C for every one of our yarns, and we don’t list machine washing for any of them. The right temperature for washing wool feels just barely lukewarm on your hand. Here’s how to do it:

1. Prepare the water: Fill a sink or a large bowl with water at about 30 °C and stir in the wool wash according to the dosing instructions before you put the knitted piece in.
2. Soak: Turn the item inside out, gently press it under the water until it’s completely soaked, and let it soak for 10–15 minutes.
3. Wash gently: Carefully squeeze the fabric in the water a few times. Don’t rub, scrub, or knead.
4. Rinse: Lift the piece out in one go, supporting it with both hands, so it doesn’t stretch under its own weight. Drain the wash water, run fresh water at the same temperature, put the piece back in, and gently squeeze it through. Repeat until there are no more suds.
5. Press out the water: Carefully squeeze out the water by pressing the piece into a ball in the empty sink. Never wring.
6. Roll in a towel: Lay the piece flat on a large, dry towel, roll them up together, and press down firmly. The towel absorbs most of the moisture.
7. Dry flat: Spread the piece out on a fresh towel or a drying rack and ease it into shape.

Drying your knits properly

Always dry wool flat. On a hanger or a clothesline, the weight of the water drags the fabric down, the shoulders get stretched out, and the sweater grows longer. It’s best to measure the length and width before washing and ease the damp piece back to those measurements when you lay it out.

Choose a well-ventilated spot, but not on a radiator and not in direct sunlight: direct heat can make the fibers stiff, and sunlight fades colors. Turn the piece over after a few hours and swap the damp towel for a dry one. That way, it dries faster and more evenly.

Washing wool in the machine: when it’s okay

Whether you can wash wool in the washing machine depends entirely on the care label. If it shows a washtub with a temperature instead of a hand, machine washing is allowed – for wool, usually with one or two lines underneath for the gentle or wool cycle. This applies mainly to superwash wool: its scale layer has been chemically smoothed or coated with an ultra-thin resin film, so it hardly felts at all. Some blended yarns can also go in the machine, according to their labels.

If machine washing is allowed:

• Choose the wool or hand wash cycle, cold or at max. 30 °C.
• Set a low spin speed, no more than 600–800 rpm.
• Turn the piece inside out and put it in a mesh laundry bag.
• Wash only a few items at a time so they don’t rub against each other.
• Use a wool wash and no fabric softener.
• Take the piece out as soon as the cycle ends, ease it into shape, and let it dry flat – not in the dryer.

What if the label says hand wash?

Some modern washing machines have an especially gentle wool or hand wash cycle in which the drum just rocks slowly back and forth. Many people use it for wool that is actually meant to be hand washed. But it’s still a risk, because every machine and every yarn reacts differently.

If you want to try it anyway, test it on your gauge swatch first – never on the finished sweater. Measure the swatch before and after washing: if it has gotten smaller or firmer, stick with hand washing. We explain how to knit and measure a gauge swatch in How to Knit a Gauge Swatch Correctly. For our yarns, our recommendation stands: hand wash at 30 °C.

Which wool wash is the right one?

Wool is made of keratin, a protein – just like your hair. That’s why it needs a different detergent than cotton. A good wool wash is:

• mild and pH-neutral, so the fibers don’t swell unnecessarily,
• enzyme-free, with no proteases: these enzymes break down protein stains, but they also attack the protein in the wool fiber,
• ideally enriched with lanolin, the natural wool grease that keeps the fibers supple.

Heavy-duty detergents are off-limits, because they’re alkaline, usually contain enzymes, and, in powder form, bleach as well. Many delicates detergents also contain enzymes, so look for the words “for wool and silk.” Skip the fabric softener: it coats the fibers with a film, and properly washed wool stays soft without it.

Use it sparingly, because too much detergent is hard to rinse out. If you don’t have any wool wash at home, a mild shampoo will do in a pinch.

Washing merino wool

Merino wool comes from the merino sheep and is especially fine. Precisely because its fibers are so fine, merino felts easily and deserves extra care in the wash. What matters most is whether the yarn is untreated or has a superwash finish:

• Untreated merino wool: hand wash at about 30 °C with wool wash and let it dry flat, exactly as described above.
• Superwash merino: usually allowed in the machine on the wool cycle at 30 °C, according to the label. Treated merino often stretches more when wet than untreated merino, so here, too: dry flat.

A wool wash with lanolin is a good match for merino. Lanolin is the natural grease of sheep’s wool, and most of it is washed out when the wool is processed. Washing with it gives the fiber a little of it back and keeps it supple.

Our Merino Wool Bonny, 350 m / 100 g, is made of 93% wool (merino), 5% polyamide, and 2% elastane and is knit on 3–3.5 mm needles. According to its care instructions, you hand wash it at 30 °C without rubbing or wringing, let it dry flat, and store it folded. You’ll find more fine yarns in our Merino Wool category.

Merino wool is a popular choice for baby clothes, which need washing more often. So factor in hand washing when you choose your yarn. Read our guide Yarn for a Baby Blanket to find out which yarns are right for a baby blanket.

Washing alpaca, mohair, and kid mohair

Washing alpaca

Alpaca fibers contain no lanolin, so a wool wash with lanolin isn’t a must – a mild wool wash is enough. Something else matters more: alpaca gets heavy when wet and is less elastic than sheep’s wool. If you hang up a wet alpaca knit, it can stretch out considerably. So always dry it flat, and only lift it with both hands when it’s wet.

Our Alpaca Wool Bafina, 450 m / 100 g, is made of 60% alpaca and 40% polyamide and comes in white, brown, and gray. The polyamide helps it keep its shape, but the rules still apply: hand wash at 30 °C, don’t wring, dry flat. Between washes, you can freshen up knits made from it with steam. Learn more about the fiber in Alpaca Wool: Properties and Care, and find more yarns in our Alpaca Wool category.

Washing mohair and kid mohair

Mohair comes from the Angora goat; kid mohair comes from young Angora goats and is even finer. Its hallmark is the halo, the fluffy haze around the strand. To preserve it, wash mohair especially gently: soak it briefly, squeeze it only lightly, and never rub it. Once it’s dry, give the piece a gentle shake or brush over it very lightly with a soft brush, and the halo will fluff up again.

Block shawls after washing: lay the damp shawl on a blocking mat or a thick towel, ease it into shape, and pin the edges with rustproof pins until it’s completely dry. This really shows off a lace pattern.

Our Kid Mohair Wool Schnee, 400 m / 100 g, contains 60% mohair (kid mohair), 25% wool, and 15% polyamide and is knit on 4–4.5 mm needles. It’s also hand washed at 30 °C and dried flat. You’ll find more fluffy yarns in our Mohair Yarn category.

Acrylic blends: be careful with heat

Many popular yarns combine wool or alpaca with acrylic. The synthetic content makes them light and helps them hold their shape, and because acrylic doesn’t felt, they’re a little less delicate than pure wool. Because they contain wool or alpaca, though, you wash them the same way: by hand, lukewarm, and dried flat.

The real difference is heat. Acrylic is heat-sensitive: a hot iron or steam at close range makes the fibers go limp. The fabric flattens, turns shiny, and loses its bounce – and there’s no undoing that. So don’t iron acrylic blends; just steam them very lightly from a distance.

That’s why the care instructions for our Chunky Yarn Crush with Alpaca, 180 m / 100 g specifically say: “Steam lightly from a distance only.” It’s made of 15% alpaca, 15% wool, and 70% acrylic, is knit on 5–6 mm needles, and comes in burgundy, olive green, turquoise, green, and dark denim. Hold the steam iron a few centimeters above the fabric and never set it down on it.

How often do you need to wash wool?

Less often than you think. Wool naturally repels dirt, and odors often disappear with a bit of fresh air. Instead of tossing a worn sweater straight into the wash, drape it over the back of a chair by an open window overnight to air out. A sweater you wear over a shirt often only needs a few washes per season.

Spot-treat small stains: dab them with a little lukewarm water and a drop of wool wash without rubbing, and let the spot dry flat. Hats, scarves, and baby clothes that are worn right against the skin need washing more often than a cardigan you wear over a blouse.

Removing pills and storing woolens properly

Little fuzz balls, known as pilling, form wherever the fabric rubs: under the arms, on the sleeves, or where a bag chafes. This isn’t a defect – it’s completely normal with soft yarns. Don’t pick the pills off, or you’ll pull out more fibers. Here’s a better way:

• Fabric shaver: Lay the piece flat and move the shaver over the pills in small circles without pressing.
• Sweater comb: With a fine sweater comb, brush the pills off in one direction. This is especially gentle and works well for delicate yarns, too.

To store your knits, fold them rather than hanging them, because on a hanger they stretch out over time. Wash woolens before putting them away, since moths are attracted to traces of sweat and food. Store them only when they’re completely dry, in closed boxes or bags. Cedar wood or lavender sachets help keep moths away, too. Refresh the scent regularly, or it will lose its effect.

Examples: caring for wool at home

This is what proper care looks like – from washing to drying and blocking to storage.

Note: The images in this section are AI-generated examples for inspiration.

Frequently asked questions about washing wool

Can you machine wash wool at 30 degrees?
Only if the care label allows it, meaning it shows a washtub with 30 instead of a hand. In that case, use the wool cycle with a low spin speed. Wool labeled hand wash only – which includes all of our yarns – is better washed by hand.

How do I make felted wool soft again?
Fully felted wool can’t be saved, because the fibers have tangled permanently. If a piece has only shrunk slightly, a bath in lukewarm water with a little hair conditioner sometimes helps: soak it, carefully stretch it back into shape, and dry it flat. There’s no guarantee, though.

Which detergent should I use for wool?
A mild, pH-neutral wool wash without enzymes, ideally with lanolin. Heavy-duty detergents, bleach, and fabric softener aren’t suitable for wool.

How long does a wool sweater take to dry?
Laid flat, usually one to two days – a thick sweater may take longer. It goes faster if you press it in a towel first and move it to a dry towel after a few hours.

Can I put wool in the dryer?
No, unless the care label explicitly allows it. The heat and tumbling in a dryer make wool felt and shrink. For all of our yarns: no tumble drying.

We’ll ship new balls of yarn for your next project from Görlitz, free within Germany. With these tips, your favorite sweater will stay beautiful for many winters to come.