How to Wash Merino and Cashmere Sweaters

I get asked this more than almost anything else: how do you wash a hand-knit sweater without ruining it? So here's exactly how I do it — the same steps I use on every merino and cashmere piece before it leaves my hands.

A note on the Spring/Summer collection: if your piece is from SS26, skip washing altogether. To preserve the texture and shape, air it out or spot clean only.

For everything else, here's the process.

Before you start

Measure the sweater flat — length and width — while it's dry. Write the numbers down. This is how you'll reshape it later, and it's the step people skip and regret.

If there are buttons, wrap them in a bit of aluminum foil. Horn buttons don't love water.

The wash

Fill a basin with cold water. Add a wool or baby shampoo — nothing else, no regular detergent.

Submerge the sweater and swirl it gently for about 30 seconds. Let it soak for up to 30 minutes. Don't wring it, don't agitate it — wool and cashmere fibers are strongest when wet is treated gently.

Drain the basin and rinse with cool, clean water until it runs clear.

The dry

Lay a clean white towel in the basin, roll the sweater into it, and press gently to push out the water. Unwrap it onto a fresh dry towel.

Now reshape it to the measurements you took at the start — this is what keeps it from stretching out of shape as it dries. Let it air dry flat, away from direct heat or sun.

Keeping it that way

Store clean, dry sweaters in a fabric bag, never plastic — wool needs to breathe. A few cedar balls in with it will keep moths away.

If it wrinkles, soak a small towel in cold water, lay it over the wrinkled spot, and press with an iron on the wool setting for 3–5 seconds. That's it.

Pilling happens — it's part of what real wool does. A wool comb will take care of it in a few passes.

---

Full care instructions for every piece are always here: givehgiveh.com/pages/care

xx Parinaz