How to wash knitwear in the machine and by hand

Knitwear in our country will never go out of fashion. They are worn at any time of the year, as they are practical, comfortable, beautiful and pleasant to wear. But knitted products have one significant drawback — few people know how to properly care for them in order to maintain their aesthetic appearance, so that they do not stretch, sit down, or become covered with spools. From this material you will learn how to properly wash knitted clothes made from natural and artificial materials. You will also learn how to properly dry things from yarn and whether they can be ironed.

Can knitwear be washed?

Yes, the vast majority of knitted wardrobe items can be washed both in an automatic / semi-automatic type washing machine and by hand. If the product cannot be washed, there is a corresponding icon on its tag — a schematically depicted basin of water crossed out with two lines. In other cases, washing is allowed, but taking into account the type of yarn from which the item is knitted.

What to do before washing

The first thing to do is to examine the tag on the knitted item. It should indicate the composition of the yarn of the product, as well as recommendations for care (in the form of special icons). Some people cut off the tags as they get in the way and scratch the skin. If you also cut off the tag, do not throw it away, it can come in handy if you later forget the rules for caring for the product, or if you need to take the item to dry cleaning. Tags may be completely absent if you have a handmade product. In this case, and also if the tag is simply cut off, washing always takes place in the most gentle and delicate mode — at a temperature of 30-40 degrees, with minimal mechanical impact, without spinning or with a slow centrifuge mode, with a quick rinse.

Having determined the type and composition of the yarn, you can decide on the detergent. If the thing is made of natural wool, it is washed with a powder for delicate fabrics. If made of synthetic material, the powder can be anything. In general, all knitted wardrobe items are recommended to be washed using special products. On the bottles of such gels it says “Wool” or “Wool”. There are not only gels, but also dry powders, for example, “Luxus Professional” or “Villus”, however, it is recommended to give preference to liquid detergent. It has advantages:

1. A safer composition for both nature and human health.

2. Increased efficiency.

3. Rapid and complete dissolution in water, even cool.

4. The gel does not contain particles that can get stuck between the fibers, it rinses out perfectly.

5. Economic consumption.

After choosing a detergent, we prepare things for processing. Separate light and white from dark and colored. Black is generally recommended to be washed separately from everything else. We fasten all fasteners and zippers, buttons. If there are any removable decorative elements on knitted items, they must be removed. If the elements are not removable, that is, if they are sewn on, but not tightly and can come off during the washing process, you need to either tear them off or sew them on more tightly. Be sure to check the contents of the pockets, if any solid objects remain in them, the knitted item may deteriorate during active torsion in the drum of the washing machine.

How to wash knitwear in the machine

There is nothing complicated in this process:

1. We put the thing in a special bag or mesh for washing, put it in the drum of the washing machine. If you intend to process several wardrobe items at the same time, consider the possibility of loading the drum and the fact that knitted products can become 3-4 times heavier after getting wet.

2. We set the desired mode — “Wool”, “Delicate wash”. Or simply set the washing temperature to 30 degrees, spin — up to 400 revolutions or no spin, additional rinse — if desired.

3. Pour detergent into the powder compartment, if necessary, you can additionally use conditioner.

4. We turn on the washing machine and wait for the end of the cycle.

After the process is completed, we take out the knitted items, shake them lightly, lay them out on a horizontal surface to dry (you can put a terry towel that will absorb excess liquid). Hanging knitted clothes on a rope is dangerous, especially if it is made of natural wool, has a large knit and wide loops — the product can stretch under its own weight and deform. Drying on a battery or in an electric dryer is not recommended. The thing is removed for storage only after it has completely dried, because if it is damp in the closet, it may begin to smell musty.

How to wash knitwear by hand

Hand washing for knitwear is perhaps even better than washing in a typewriter. By hand washing, you control the degree of impact on the product, so the likelihood that it will stretch or deform tends to zero. The only problem may be that after getting wet, the knitted item can become very heavy and difficult to rinse thoroughly. But if we are talking about small or light, thin products, such difficulties will not arise.

So, the processing of knitted things manually:

1. We take the container in which we will wash the products, fill it with warm water.

2. Add detergent. In manual processing, it is important to use a gel, and not a dry powder. Beat the water with your hand until foam forms.

3. Things turned inside out are immersed in water, which should completely cover the clothes.

4. We wash things with crumpling movements, as if we were kneading dough, only very carefully and delicately.

5. We leave the products for half an hour so that the dirt moves away better, then wrinkle again, drain the dirty water.

6. Rinse several times in cool water. To make the thing soft and gentle to the touch, you can rinse it in hair conditioner.

After washing, you need to tilt the container and drain the water without removing the item. Holding the pelvis tilted to the side with one hand, with the other hand lightly press the product against the wall and bottom of the pelvis to squeeze out the maximum possible amount of liquid. It is not necessary to twist clothes in order to wring out water. Drying takes place in the same way as after a machine wash.

How to refresh knitwear without washing

The less often you wash your yarn products, the longer they will retain their aesthetic appearance and last longer. Therefore, if you put on a thing several times, it is not very dirty and requires only refreshment, you can use the folk method. Take a wardrobe item, put it in a plastic bag, pour a few tablespoons of soda into it, shake the bag so that the soda is distributed throughout the product. After an hour, remove the thing, shake off the soda and ventilate in the fresh air.

Is it possible to iron things

The possibility of ironing depends on the composition of the yarn from which the item is knitted. If it is natural wool, the product cannot be ironed at all. To prevent wrinkles or creases from forming on the product, it is enough just to dry it correctly, completely straightening it on a flat horizontal surface. If wrinkles do appear, they can be removed with a steam generator. Only you need to steam the knitted thing through several layers of gauze, holding the device at a distance of 10-15 cm from the product.

Knitted items from mixed yarn can be ironed, but through gauze and from the wrong side, setting the minimum power on the iron. If the appliance has a steam function, it is best to use it.