How to wash a cashmere sweater without ruining it

Cashmere has a reputation for being impossibly delicate, which is why so many good sweaters end up either never washed or sent off to a dry cleaner at the first mark. In fact, most cashmere can be washed at home, carefully, and many people find it comes out softer than it went in. Here is how to wash a cashmere sweater without shrinking, stretching or felting it, and when you should leave it to a professional instead.

Start with the care label

Before anything else, read the label. It is the only instruction written for that particular garment.

• “Hand wash” or a symbol of a hand in a tub: follow the method below.
• “Machine washable” or a wool or delicates symbol: you can use a machine on the cycle shown, though hand washing is still gentler.
• “Dry clean only”: take it seriously, especially for structured, lined, embellished or blended pieces. Some garments are labelled this way for good reason: linings, interfacings, dyes or trims that do not survive water. Others are labelled cautiously. If the piece is valuable or you are unsure, use a professional cleaner.

Check the fibre content too. A 100% cashmere knit behaves differently from a cashmere blend with silk, wool, nylon or other fibres, and a blend’s label may give different instructions.

How often to wash cashmere

Less often than you think. Cashmere, like wool, resists odours, and washing after every wear wears it out faster and encourages pilling. For a sweater worn over a top, washing every few wears, or when it actually looks or smells like it needs it, is usually enough. Between washes, air it on a flat surface or the back of a chair, and brush off any marks.

Wash it before storing it for the season, though. Moths are drawn to fibres with traces of skin oils and food on them.

How to hand wash a cashmere sweater

1. Turn it inside out. This protects the outer surface and reduces pilling. 2. Fill a clean basin or sink with cool or lukewarm water. Not hot: heat combined with movement is what makes wool fibres felt and shrink. Aim for water that feels barely warm to your hand, and follow the label if it gives a temperature. 3. Add a small amount of gentle detergent made for wool or delicates, and swish to dissolve it. Avoid biological detergents with enzymes that break down protein, unless the product says it is safe for wool, since cashmere is a protein fibre. A mild, gentle shampoo is a common substitute. 4. Submerge the sweater and press it gently under the water. Do not rub, twist or scrub. If there is a mark, work the soapy water through it lightly with your fingertips. 5. Let it soak briefly, around ten minutes is plenty. 6. Rinse in water of the same temperature. Drain the basin, refill with clean water and press the sweater gently until no more suds appear. A sudden change of temperature can shock the fibres, so keep it consistent.

How to dry cashmere

Drying is where most cashmere is ruined.

1. Never wring it. Lift the sweater out supporting its whole weight, because wet knitwear stretches under its own weight. Press out water against the side of the basin. 2. Roll it in a towel. Lay it flat on a clean, dry towel, roll the towel up with the sweater inside and press down to absorb more water. Repeat with a second towel if needed. 3. Dry it flat. Lay it on a fresh towel or a flat drying rack, out of direct sunlight and away from radiators and heaters. Reshape it gently to its original measurements: pat the sleeves, shoulders and hem into place. 4. Turn it once as it dries, and leave it until it is completely dry, which can take a day or more.

Never hang wet cashmere, which stretches the shoulders and lengthens the body, and never put it in a tumble dryer.

Can you machine wash cashmere?

Some cashmere can, if the label allows it. If it does:

• use the wool or hand-wash cycle and a cool temperature;
• put the sweater in a mesh laundry bag;
• use a gentle wool detergent;
• choose the lowest spin speed;
• dry it flat as above.

Even then, every wash in a machine involves more movement than hand washing, so the safest choice for a sweater you love is still the basin.

Removing pilling and marks

Cashmere pills, especially in the first few wears and where it rubs: under the arms, at the cuffs, at the sides. That is normal and does not mean the sweater is poor. Remove pills gently with a cashmere comb when the sweater is dry, never wet; our guide to removing pilling from clothes covers which tools suit which fabrics.

For a small spot, treat just that area with a little wool detergent and cool water rather than washing the whole sweater.

Storing cashmere

• Fold, never hang. Hanging stretches knitwear out of shape over time.
• Store it clean and completely dry.
• Protect it from moths with breathable cotton bags or boxes, cedar blocks or lavender, and check stored knitwear now and then. Avoid sealing knitwear in plastic for long periods, which can trap moisture.
• Give it space. A crammed, damp cupboard leaves knitwear smelling stale; the same steps that clear a musty wardrobe help here.

Is it worth the effort?

Good cashmere looked after properly lasts for many years, and it gets softer with gentle washing. It is worth buying carefully in the first place: our guide to telling whether a sweater is good quality covers what to check before you buy. Then wash it rarely, gently, cool and flat, and it will reward you.