Old Harry’s Essential Care Tips for Your Lambswool Jumper

As we relaunch our super popular Charcoal Old Harry Lambswool we thought you’d like to know how best to care for it. Whether it’s your treasured Old Harry Lambswool Knit, or even (shock horror) another lambswool garment you sneakily purchased, the tips below will ensure it lasts year after year.

Lambswool comes in many guises, in its simplest form it is the soft, first fleece sheered when a lamb is roughly seven months old. It is beautifully soft, warm and naturally breathable. All Old Harry’s Lambswool is ethically sourced from the UK and Europe.

Hand washing is the safest way to wash lambswool and at Old Harry we recommend hand washing for all our lambswool items.

Step One

Turn your garment inside out and submerge in a solution of warm water and gentle wool wash product – not regular detergent. It’s important the water is not hot. Gently squeeze the suds through it. Do not rub, wring or stretch the garment.

Spot treat any problem areas with a squirt of neat wool wash and massage gently with fingertips.

Step Two

Rinse in warm water and repeat as necessary until the water runs clear. It’s important to keep the water temperature even throughout the hand washing cycle. Moving the garment from warm water to cold water will cause the fibres to constrict.

Step Three

Gently press the water out and place the garment lengthways on a clean, dry towel. Roll up the towel and press to squeeze out excess water – do not wring or twist. Unroll the towel and smooth the garment into its original shape. Button up cardigans, pull pockets straight and ensure that sleeves and hems are smoothed flat to avoid unsightly wrinkles. Lay it flat on a clean dry towel and allow it to air-dry, or use a flat drying rack if you have one.

Why Avoid Machine Washing Lambswool?

Lambswool has many more ‘scales’ than other materials (which can be safely machine washed), fibres that can lock together during the abrasive tumbling of machine washing. So, over time machine washed lambswool, even on a wool cycle will lose its soft appeal.

Pilling

Pilling is a natural process that happens to all natural yarns after a certain period of wear.

Pilling is the bobbling effect that occurs when fibres become knotted together. It’s caused by friction during wear or by the build-up of static electricity underneath other garments.

These bobbles – known as ‘pills’ – can either be picked off or shaved off using a wool razor or lambswool comb. These are cheap and can be easily purchased online.

Storing

Fold garments rather than hanging them which can create shoulder dimples and distort the shape of the garment. If you’re super diligent or storing for any length of time fold the garment around tissue and seal in a plastic storage box.

Clean your garment before storage, as fresh stains that may not yet be visible will oxidise and become fixed during storage. Using mothballs, lavender or cedar chips help protect against moths.

We hope these tips come in handy. Please feel free to get in touch at hello@oldharry.com for further assistance.