f
What's New Knitting Patterns and Kits Yarn Knitting Needles Machine Knit Socks Custom Carding and Spinning Home

We can wash your wool

(or teach you how to do it yourself)

We have limited washing facilities and therefore encourage people to wash their own wool. Further down this page we provide washing instructions using your favorite laundry detergent.

For those of you who do not want to wash your own wool, we can wash it here. We use hot water and a detergent which is gentle on the wool and do not use an acid bath as is used in some scouring processes. You can save money by removing any wool containing manure tags before shipping it to us to process. This reduces both your shipping and washing costs. Wool can lose up to half its weight during the washing process, so please consider this when sending grease wool for a project.

IMPORTANT

 It is important NOT to aggitate or abruptly change the temperature of wet wool. If either occurs, the wool will become felted (matted) and will be impossible to process further.

To wash your wool with your favorite laundry detergent and Ammonia, you will probably not be able to wash as much at one time.

For the first wash place 7 lbs. of wool (regular washer), or 10 lbs. (extra large capacity washer), fill your washing machine with HOT water and dissolve 3 times the amount of detergent you'd usually use for your home laundry and one cup of ammonia. Turn the machine OFF and place the wool in the washer. Submerge it, and allow to soak for one-half hour (longer doesn't hurt if the water doesn't cool down). Turn the washer to SPIN and spin the water from the wool.

For the second wash (and third wash if necessary) remove the wool from the washer and refill, dissolving the same amount of detergent as in step one, but adding NO ammonia. Submerge the wool for one-half hour before repeating the SPIN cycle. For breeds with heavy grease such as Rambouillet or Corriedale, it is recommended that you repeat this washing step another time.

To rinse the wool, don't remove the wool from the machine. Refill the washer with HOT water, being careful to shut the machine off when it is full and before aggitation starts. After a one-half hour soak, spin the water out and repeat the cycle for one more rinse or until the rinse water is no longer cloudy. Two rinses are usually enough. Dry the wool on a mesh-type surface which allows air circulation.

3776  Forshaug Rd, Mount Horeb WI 53572, 608-437-3762

Please direct comments or questions to: Anne@blackberry-ridge.com