Caring For Cashmere- How To Protect Cucinelli Cashmere From Wear

Just got that cashmere sweater  you’ve been eyeing for the holidays? Well we’re here to give you some advice on how to keep that sweater looking brand new.

Even if the label says, “dry clean only”, there is a better way to keep your favorite Cucinelli cashmere sweater feeling soft and keeping its shape. The great news is that it saves you a trip to the dry cleaners!

Washing

The trick is to actually hand-wash the cashmere in a baby shampoo (like Johnson and Johnson) or with a mild detergent (like Woolite). You will just want to make sure the detergent or shampoo is even mixed with the water before you put the sweater into it. Then just put the cashmere piece in the water and gently wash it by letting it soak for a couple of hours.

Drying

To dry just lay flat on a towel and reshape the cashmere to how you wear it. Warning here! Make sure you reshape to how you wear it exactly, because it will dry exactly how you reshape it. So if there is a wrinkle while wet it will dry with a wrinkle (so leave it as pretty as it looks on you). Now make sure while it’s drying to keep the cashmere away from windows or heat.

Storing

Now you may know, but never hang cashmere, it can cause dimples and lose shape over time. Don’t fret because we’re going to let you in on a few great tips on how to store cashmere.

To avoid lines down the middle of the sweater fold it like the stores do by folding each side inward by a third. Then you will want to smooth the arms down and fold in half. Fold in a piece of tissue paper; the paper will help prevent wrinkles. Then to make sure your cashmere sweater will last the test of time you will want to store it in a breathable sweater bag.

Treating Stains

Now this is the time you may want to get a professional in to help you out. If you do want to try treating it on your own, below are a few tips.

Immediately after something spills on you try to gently blot up the stain then use cold water and gentle stain remover. Then you want to wash the sweater as normal without extra attention to the stain.

Some Tips from the Expert Brunello Cucinelli

Now we may know cashmere but that is nothing next to Brunello Cucinelli, he has been creating luxurious cashmere pieces for over 30 years. He even has a closet full of cashmere himself, so let us enlighten you with a few tips from the master of cashmere:

• Never dry-clean the cashmere unless you have a tricky stain
• Don’t put cashmere in the washing machine (it ages the cashmere fibers much faster)
• Fill a container full of water to wash
  • Warm water for solid cashmere pieces
  • For printed pieces or pieces with more than one color use very cold water
• Now for the soap, he recommends a tablespoon of gentle hand soap or a detergent that’s made for knitwear (like woolite) and dilute with 5 litres of water or about 1.3 gallons for Americans
• If you need to use a softener try a natural one like white vinegar (chemicals can alter the fabric of cashmere)
• Then let the cashmere soak for 2-3 hours in the water- don’t move it in the water!
• Then you want to gently squeeze out the water till all the soap and water are out
  • Don’t twist! It may take some to get it all out, so repeat as necessary
• Lay on a soft towel to dry
• If you need to iron the sweater (don’t let it touch the cashmere directly) use another piece of cloth between the iron and the cashmere
• Cucinelli prefers to store cashmere in a colorless cardboard box with cedar disks inside
  • A lightweight fabric bag also works, but a box he says gives material more room to breathe, and the cedar disks deter moths while adding a subtle scent

Miss any tips or tricks you have to keep cashmere looking great? Feel free to comment below!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2012 at 5:50 pm and is filed under Tips & Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Designer: Brunello Cucinelli