This marvel of warmth and softness was calling you from the other side of the shop, and you obediently followed its call, knowing immediately that resistance was futile. So you cracked and bought it, but the problem is that the item of clothing in question loses its fleecy hairs at an alarming rate, leaving a trail of fluff after you on armchairs, car seats and the clothes of anyone you have hugged. To keep your wool garments in ship shape and to make them stop shedding hairs, try out these tips to put a definitive end to the problem.
And if your problem is pilling, find all our solutions in this article.
1) The cold
Place the garment that is losing its hairs or thickness into the freezer in a plastic bag. Leave it there for two hours or even overnight. The cold will freeze the wool fibres and ensure that the garment stops losing its pilosity. This will also reduce electric static which attracts your body hairs and other materials you are wearing. But leave it in the freezer for a good few hours for best results.
2) Hair spray
Spray hairspray on to the jumper from thirty centimeters away. It will work as an invisible glue which will fix the wool fibres in place. Avoid using too much and make sure you don’t hold the spray too close to the material, to make sure it doesn’t make get too rigid or that the fibres do not become saturated.
3) Go over it with a razor
On certain materials or garments, giving them a gentle rub of a razor, from top to bottom (following the direction of the knitting) can remove excess fibres that are about to come off. If you are too nervous to use a razor, giving it a rub of a brush with very soft bristles could also do the trick for removing the excess.
Granny’s bonus tips:
- Avoid hanging wool garments on hangers at all costs, as they can lose their shape. Fold them carefully and store them in plastic bags, to keep your clothes as good as new.
- Hand wash wool clothes with baby shampoo or a special detergent for delicate fabrics, using lukewarm water. Act quickly, because it is best not to let the material to soak for too long. Rather than twisting it and wringing it out (running the risk of deforming the garment), place it on a flat surface on a very absorbent towel.
- Washing can also solve the problem of a garment that is losing hairs!
- Never dry wool out in the sun, in order to preserve its colour.
- Give any mohair pieces of clothing a blast of your hair dryer (with cold air) to boost its volume.