How to Wet-Wash Wool & Silk and Skip Dry-Cleaning Chemicals
by Annie B. Bond | March 10th, 2009 | Comments (4)
topic: Green Living, Healthy Home | tags: laundry, non-toxic cleaning
Do you hang dry-cleaned clothes in your bedroom closet? If so, guess what you are breathing all night long: a probable carcinogen. Dry cleaning chemical fumes depress your central nervous system as they waft around the room. If this isn’t exactly your idea of a healthy sanctuary, try wet-washing as one alternative to conventional dry cleaning. Here’s how.
For most of the world, dry cleaning means that the clothes are cleaned with a solvent called perchloroethylene. Besides the health concerns mentioned above, it is also known to cause smog and air pollution.
What to avoid when washing wool and silk at home
The biggest dangers in wet-washing wool? Shrinking and felting. These are caused by two things:
- Agitating, twisting and wringing wet wool or silk causes the fibers to contract, causing the garment to shrink.
- Washing the fabric with an alkaline material that has a pH much above 8 (a neutral pH is 7) can harm wool and silk because they are acidic materials. Avoid borax, washing soda or ammonia; these are alkaline materials, as are some soaps.
How to safely wet-wash wool
Hand washing your wool and silk in water and a neutral-pH soap is called wet-washing, and it can be very successful. The pashmina shawl shown in the picture, above, was a gift to me and is made of 55 percent pashmina wool and 45 percent silk. This is just one of many wool and silk pieces of clothing I wet-wash.
- Use a laundry soap or detergent that has a neutral or acidic pH, such as Ecos Delicate Wash.
- The water temperature when washing wool and silk should be 100F.
- Gently swirl the wool in the water, then rinse and press water out.
- Block the wool (lay it flat and stretch it to the correct size and shape) before drying.
Get more nontoxic laundry secrets in this excerpt from my book Home Enlightenment on Gaiam Life.
Very helpful information.
[...] “Wet-wash” everything, even cashmere, instead of dry cleaning — using gentle shampoo or eco-friendly [...]
[...] sweater and an organic cotton and bamboo wrap dress. Every time I put them on, I feel fabulous. Washing in cold water and hanging to dry — another eco-step — also ensures that they don’t fade, shrink or [...]
As a cleaning service provider, we are all too aware of
the dangers involved with using chemicals. We always err
on the side of safety to protect our clients, their pets,
their plants, and our environment. We always go with the
safest, most effective cleaning substances available.
Other industries should do the same.