We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
We love wearing knitwear and jumpers in the cooler months. But washing them? Not so much. Whether your jumper is made of wool, cashmere or even cotton, cleaning it can feel like a game of roulette. Will it shrink to an unwearable size? Will it get fluff all over everything else in the wash? Will it get weirdly stretched out?
For all of these reasons and more, washing a brand-new jumper can feel super stressful. But it doesn’t have to be! To help us with our sweater-washing anxiety, HuffPost consulted professional dry cleaners and laundry experts to get their best tips and product recommendations.
Read the label
When it comes to washing knitwear, throwing them in the washing machine with all your other clothes and hoping for the best isn’t the smartest idea.
“Knit sweaters are delicate due to the way the stitches come together as a series of loops,” says Alexandra Wojenski, a sustainable cleaning expert and Grove guide at Grove Collaborative. “Compared to a woven fabric, the knitted loops are often looser and can be easily stretched.” She adds that a washing machine can pull the fibres of knit sweaters, leaving them misshapen, stretched out and more quickly worn out. “For wool or wool-blend knits especially, heat from a washer can be dangerous and cause irreversible shrinkage.”
To help prevent laundry mishaps, the first step to cleaning a knitted jumper should be consulting the care tag – that little piece of fabric with symbols you’ve probably never bothered to look up.
“Read the garment care label,” says Zachary Pozniak, vice president of Jeeves New York, who also spoke on behalf of Jerry Pozniak, the dry-cleaning company’s CEO. In addition to telling you the best way to wash it, the label will also give the material of your jumper. “Wool, viscose, rayon and angora knits all need to be dry-cleaned due to shrinkage issues.” They added that some merino wool and most cashmere jumpers can be hand-washed and air-dried, and most cotton knits can be machine- or hand-washed and machine-dried. “Knits can be tricky, and if the sweater is expensive I would not risk hand-washing and ruining the garment,” Pozniak says. When in doubt, bring it to the dry cleaners.
As far as materials go, Wojenski notes that compared to cotton or synthetic materials, wool and cashmere are more sensitive to heat and movement because of their short fibres. “A tightly knit 100% cotton sweater will be more durable, and depending on the frequency of wear, is one that I may toss in the wash on a delicate cycle from time to time in a delicates bag to protect it from pilling and snags,” she says.
If a clothes tag says “dry clean only,” it’s probably best to heed that advice. “You risk colour fade, shrinkage, damage, stretching and many more issues if you don’t consider what appears on your sweater tags,” says Sanda Chun, owner and co-founder of Sanda’s Cleaners.
Hand-washing 101
Hand-washing is a more gentle way of cleaning your jumpers than the washing machine, but there are a few things to keep in mind for best results.
First off, don’t use regular detergent. “Detergent isn’t good for natural fibers. You should use soap or a special wool wash,” says Patric Richardson, also known as The Laundry Evangelist. Pozniak recommends using a detergent that is specifically formulated for knitwear and delicates.
“Follow the instructions on the bottle for the amount of detergent to use,” Pozniak says. “Please measure your water and detergent – do not guess.”
Wojenski lays out the general hand-washing process: “Fill a clean vessel (like a sink or bathtub) with lukewarm water and a small amount of a gentle laundry soap,” she says. “Mix the soap into the water and then lay in the sweaters, patting them in so they are submerged.” Once submerged, she recommends letting the jumpers sit in the water for up to 15 minutes, agitating the water every few minutes with your hands, then draining the water and rinsing them.
When squeezing the water out of your freshly washed jumpers, be gentle. That means no wringing or twisting, which can stretch jumpers and change their shape. To dry, Chun recommends placing each one on top of a dry towel, then rolling it up like a sleeping bag. “Give the roll some soft squeezes and taps, and allow the water from your sweater to absorb into the dry towel surrounding it.” Unroll your jumper, then place it on top of another dry towel to air dry fully. Laying jumpers flat to dry will prevent them from stretching or becoming misshapen.
Extend your time between washes
No matter how gentle you are, washing a jumper will inevitably cause some wear to the material. So if you’re hoping to extend the life span of your favourite knit, only wash it when necessary. If your jumper needs a refresh between washes, Richardson recommends spraying it with vodka. Yes, vodka. “It kills all odours and dries immediately,” he says.
One way to keep jumpers cleaner for longer is wearing an undershirt or T-shirt underneath. Jumper materials can also come into play. “Wool is moisture-wicking, so it can withstand a longer time between washes than cotton,” Wojenski says. For washing jumpers, her rule of thumb is to wash them when they begin to look or smell dirty, and before putting them away for the season so that stains and smells don’t set in.
“Off-season handling and storage of sweaters is critical,” Chun says. She recommends folding clean jumpers with tissue paper and storing them in breathable storage areas (like closets, drawers or dressers) with lavender pouches to ward off moths and prevent unfavourable smells or odours.
Shopping for some sweater-weather washing essentials? These picks are expert-approved.
