The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Your Wool Scarf
Woolkind Custom Chequerboard Scarf
It's that time of year again when the cold draws in and you look out your favourite wool scarf only to discover that it's looking rather worse for wear. Perhaps its started to show signs of bobbling or it has a stain from that time you decided to eat pasta while wearing it!
Whatever the issue, this ultimate scarf care guide will take you through all the steps (and tools) needed for some thorough wool scarf maintenance. This will give your wool scarf a refresh and make it look and feel good as new.
Contrary to wool's reputation for being difficult to clean, if cared for correctly, wool products can last for years and continue to look fresh and luxurious season after season. It really is a super fibre!
In this ultimate guide you will learn every tip needed to care for your wool scarf. We'll be taking you through each step using one of our Chequerboard Scarves that one of our customers bought over 12 months ago. This scarf has had been worn vigorously! It had oil and tomato stains; mud stains from their dog; a hole from where they had caught the scarf on something, and started to show signs of bobbling.
Step 1: Repairing Snags and Holes
A small moth hole in the wool scarf
The first step of any garment care process is to deal with any fibre repairs before cleaning it. This is to help prevent further damage to the fibres which can be exacerbated from soap and water.
There are usually two main steps we need to take to repair a wool scarf.
1.1 How to Handle Snags and Pulls in Knitted Fabrics
Sometimes our knitted items get caught on things. And sometimes this leaves a bad pull or snag in the fabric.
The easiest thing to do to repair a knitted scarf pull is start by teasing the fabric in all directions. In most cases this will actually help it resolve itself. If the wool fabric seems a little tight and the pulled yarn isn't moving much then try a little bit of steam from an iron and try again.
If, after teasing, there is still some loose yarn, the best thing to do is use a tapestry needle to pull the yarn further along the row of knitting. This may result in 2, 3 or more small looking pulls themselves. At this stage go back to teasing the fabric and it should all start to fall into place.
Repeat the above steps a few times and your scarf snag should be a distant memory.
Heres a quick video that shows the snag repair process.
1.2 Mending Small Holes
If your wool scarf has been caught on something (or has had a visit from a moth) then the yarn may have broken and caused a small hole. I noticed a hole on the reverse of this scarf and needed to fix it.
A simple way to repair small holes like this is by using the Swiss darning technique. This technique is used to create invisible mends and basically reinforces the knitting stitch for stitch. If the hole is larger you may need to use a different approach.
We used a piece of matching yarn (get in touch if you need some extra Woolkind wool) to do this. The Ministry of Mending is a great resource for finding matching yarns in various fibres. They also sell all the tools you might need.
Moth hole fixed after Swiss darning the wool scarf
There are many resources online on how to Swiss darn. Here's the best example we could find (might need to film our own though as they all seem rather complicated!)
This can be tricky if you are not used to knitted fabrics so you may need help from a repair service like The Restory or The Seam.
Step 2: Debobbling Your Wool Scarf
Signs of some light bobbling on the wool scarf
Bobbling (or pilling) is a natural part of wear and tear with knitwear. Bobbling can vary widely depending on the fibre type, quality of the fibres or how the item is cared for. Woolkind merino wool very high quality which means that bobbling usually takes much longer to appear compared to poorer quality fibres.
The good thing about bobbling is that once it has occurred it usually starts to settle down and doesn't reappear.
2.1 Why Wool Scarves Bobble
Bobbling occurs when fibres are slowly eased out of place in a yarn, and they start to poke out of the fibre. It usually occurs in high areas of friction or wear like under the arms of a sweater or the end of a scarf where you tie a knot. Stubble also doesn't help when you have a lovely fine knit scarf next to your skin!
Whatever the reason, it's usually an easy fix.
2.2 How to De-bobble Your Scarf Safely
This scarf was starting to show signs of bobbling. From the pictures you can see that there wasn't much on the surface but once we had completed the process we had collected quite a bit of woolly fluff!
Wool scarf after de-bobbling
Firstly, lie the knitting out on a flat surface - preferably something hard like a table. Then using a fabric comb or de-bobbling tool (we use a Gleener and love it), carefully comb along the knitting to remove any loose fluff of bobbles. Be careful and only use a comb appropriate to the yarn. The finer the yarn, the finer the comb.
Our Woolkind scarves are knit in very fine wool so we used the finest Gleener attachment. If you use something too coarse you may damage the fibres further and cause more issues.
We wouldn't recommend using a bobbling shaver - these can accidentally cut your knitted item and make things a whole lot worse!
Step 3: Removing Stains from Wool Scarves
An oil stain on the wool scarf before treatment
Once you have completed any repairs on your wool scarf, it's time to start spot cleaning the stains and marks.
3.1 Common Stains on Wool Scarves
Scarves often get stains from things like makeup, food and general dirt. Depending on the stain, they may need to be tackled differently.
We love Nancy Birtwhistle’s book - "Clean and Green" for lots of natural cleaning techniques for everyday items.
The scarf we were asked to clean had oil and tomato stains from Induja (a spicy Italian sausage meat). This is possibly one of the worst combinations of stain you could get! The scarf also had the odd patch of dried in mud.
It's normally best to tackle stains as soon as they occur but in this case the stains had been there for almost a year.
3.2 Stain Removal Tips and Techniques
3.2.1 Removing Oil Stains from Wool
Firstly we tackled the oil in the stains. The best natural approach to this is a combination of eco-friendly dish soap and bicarbonate of soda, mixed into a paste. Nancy has a recipe she calls "Cream Cleaner" which we used for this scarf and works a treat.
As wool naturally repels water, we poured some cold water on the stains for a few seconds to get the fibres soaked through. Once the stained areas were wet, we applied a generous amount of Cream Cleaner to each stain, rolled the scarf up so the stains were covered and left the scarf in a bag overnight so it didn't dry out.
Applying the Cream Cleaner generously to the wool scarf
In the morning we rinsed the scarf carefully in cold water to see the results. The oil stains had now reduced but there was still some leftover discolouration from the tomato.
3.2.2 Removing Tomato and Vegetable Stains from Wool.
Remaining tomato stain on the wool scarf after the oil was removed
Tomato and vegetable stains can be some of the worst to deal with. Whatever you do, DON'T use hot water to try and get them out as this will likely set the stain. If you do catch it early, a little eco friendly dish soap dabbed (not rubbed) on the stain with cold water can do wonders.
In this case, the scarf had been left for months so we needed a different approach. Another natural remedy - lemon juice and sunshine. Don't ask us about the science behind this but when in doubt about a stain on any natural fabric (cotton, linen, wool, silk etc), this combination of citric acid and UV is a miracle treatment.
We applied a few drops of the lemon juice to the remaining tomato stain and made sure it had soaked through. Then we left the stain in direct sunlight for a few hours and went back to check. After 2 hours the stain was almost gone so we added more lemon juice and repeated the whole process. By midday the stains were gone!
As citric acid is not actually a bleaching agent, this is fine to use on any coloured fabric although it's worth doing a spot test just to be sure.
Stain completely removed from the wool scarf after citric acid and sunlight
Step 4: Washing Your Wool Scarf Properly
Once all the de-bobbling, repairs and spot treatments have been dealt with, it's time to actually wash the scarf. Skip to this step if your scarf is in good condition but could just do with a wee wash.
4.1 When to Wash Your Wool Scarf
Wool is an amazing fibre and one of its many qualities is that is naturally self cleaning. Due to the lanolin oils which occur in the fibres, it naturally protects from dirt, dust and spills. This means that wool garments don't generally need to be washed as often as other pieces of clothing.
It's probably worth giving your scarf and annual wash before you pack it way for the summer, but other than spot treatments, it shouldn't need any other regular cleaning unless you wear it often with makeup on.
4.2 Best Practices for Washing Wool Scarves
Washing the wool scarf
When you are ready to wash your scarf follow these simple steps:
- Fill a basin or sink with cold water.
- Add a few drops of wool wash or non-bio laundry detergent and swish the water so it's dispersed evenly.
- Submerge your scarf in the water and squeeze it a few times to fully drench the fibres in the soapy solution.
- Leave the scarf to sit in the water for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Empty the water and squeeze out any excess liquid from the scarf. DO NOT wring the knitting as this could seriously damage the scarf.
- Fill the basin with more cold water and submerge the scarf again to rinse out the soap. Repeat this a couple of times till the water runs clear.
4.3 Drying and Steaming for a Fresh Look
Rolling the wool scarf in a towel to remove excess water
Once the scarf has been rinsed a couple of times in cold water, squeeze out the excess and lie it flat on a towel. Never wring woollen products as this will damage the fibres. Roll the towel tightly with the scarf enclosed to squeeze out the remaining water.
Now leave the scarf to dry on a flat surface. It shouldn't take too long - overnight will do it.
Once the scarf is dry, use a steam iron on a low setting to smooth out any wrinkles. The low heat will prevent the iron from damaging the wool.
This cleaning process is now complete and your wool scarf should be looking and feeling as good as new!
Steaming the wool scarf on a wool setting
5. Final Tips for Long-Lasting Scarf Care
Here are a few final tips to help keep your woollen scarf lasting year after year.
5.1 Storing Your Wool Scarf Properly
During thew winter, make sure you look after your wool scarf by folding it up neatly and storing it in a cool dry drawer or cupboard. It's best to use a moth repellant to protect the scarf while it's in use and out of storage, although moths don't like when things are moved around so the more you use your scarf the better. Whether you use some essential oils like lavender or peppermint, or opt for Woolkind Cedar Disc, make sure you keep them next to each other throughout the season.
At the end of the cold season, like any woollen clothing, it's important to store your scarf properly to prevent it from moth damage and further issues. You may have seen people use vacuum bags to do this but this can actually damage the wool longer term as the lack of air flow causes the fibres to dry out. Instead opt for a cotton laundry bag or storage box (ideally with a zip). This should keep the wool safe from moths while still letting some air through. And always to pop in your natural moth repellent too just to be safe!
Repaired and cleaned Custom Chequerboard Scarf
5.2 Quick Refresh Tips Between Wears
Throughout the season, you may need to give your woollen scarf a quick refresh between wears. This doesn't require a full wash but hanging your scarf on the line outside can do wonders for it. Another quick way to give your scarf a new lease of life is to give it a quick steam with an iron on a wool setting. This helps the fibres relax and will rejuvenate the scarf.
A well-cared-for Woolkind scarf is an investment that will continue to look beautiful for many years. Invest in one of our Custom Chequerboard Scarves - they really will last year after year.