# How to wash and store wool knitwear

> Wool needs far less washing than you think. How to clean a sweater when it does need it, dry it without stretching it, and keep moths away all summer.

- Page: https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog/how-to-wash-and-store-wool-knitwear
- Shop: [Atelier Nord](https://demo.sellercart.shop/), summed up in https://demo.sellercart.shop/llms.txt
- Markdown: every page of this shop has a copy like this one at its address plus `.md`
- Published: 2026-10-29
- Category: [Care guides](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog?category=care-guides)
- Blog: [All articles](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog)

![A wool sweater drying flat on a towel beside a wooden brush](https://media.sellercart.shop/ae696a33-bc5e-4582-8b10-0c7a065856ff/6accb516-1741-4fbe-94e9-0e9e4e3bb8fb/journal-care.webp)

Wool is the most forgiving fibre we work with. It resists odours, sheds dirt and recovers its shape overnight — which is why the best thing you can do for a good sweater is to wash it as rarely as possible.

## Air it first

After a day's wear, hang your sweater over a chair back near an open window. Most smells are gone by morning. Brush it gently with a soft clothes brush, working downwards, to lift dust and keep the surface neat.

## When it does need a wash

Use cold water and a wool detergent, never ordinary washing powder: its enzymes digest wool the way they digest stains. Press the sweater gently in the water — no rubbing, no wringing — and leave it for ten minutes. Rinse in water of the same temperature; a sudden change is what shrinks wool.

Many machines now have a wool cycle that is gentler than most hands. If yours does, use it, at 30°C at most and with the spin turned low.

![Folded knitwear stored in a cedar drawer with lavender sachets](https://media.sellercart.shop/ae696a33-bc5e-4582-8b10-0c7a065856ff/0873c1db-95f5-470d-bc9a-73000ffc1e25/journal-care-2.webp)

Folded, never hung: a hanger stretches the shoulders of a sweater.

## Dry it flat

Roll the sweater in a towel to press out the water, then lay it flat on a dry towel and ease it back into shape. Keep it away from radiators and direct sun.

## Store it for summer

Moths are drawn to the traces of skin and food on worn wool, so store sweaters clean. Fold them into a drawer or a breathable cotton bag with cedar blocks or lavender, and take them out to air once or twice over the summer.

## Knitwear to look after

- [Cable Knit Cardigan](https://demo.sellercart.shop/products/cable-knit-cardigan): $134.40 (on sale until 2027-02-28, regular $168.00)
- [Moss Stitch Wool Vest](https://demo.sellercart.shop/products/moss-stitch-wool-vest): $78.40 (on sale until 2027-02-28, regular $98.00)
- [Ribbed Merino Turtleneck](https://demo.sellercart.shop/products/ribbed-merino-turtleneck): $110.40 (on sale until 2027-02-28, regular $138.00)
- [Fine Merino Crew](https://demo.sellercart.shop/products/fine-merino-crew): $102.40 (on sale until 2027-02-28, regular $128.00)

## More articles

- [Why linen gets better with every wash](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog/why-linen-gets-better-with-every-wash): 2026-10-29. Linen starts stiff and ends up the softest thing you own. What happens to the fibre as you wear it, and how to wash it so it keeps improving.
- [Visiting the mill that spins our wool](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog/visiting-the-mill-that-spins-our-wool): 2026-10-29. Three generations, one valley and a lot of sheep. A day at the family mill in the Serra da Estrela that spins the yarn for our knitwear.
- [A ten-piece autumn wardrobe](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog/a-ten-piece-autumn-wardrobe): 2026-10-29. Ten pieces, thirty outfits. How we put together a small autumn wardrobe where everything goes with everything else.