Ask a Clean Person: Something Winter This Way Comes, Part Two

This is so very Cleaning 101, but, cashmere sweaters. Help? I want to know what is a good washing technique for a cashmere sweater. Specifically: what kind of soap? Is Woolite really bunk? I heard it was bunk. If so, what’s better? How long can and should it soak? Mostly: how the hell do I get all the soap out without rubbing or wringing and thereby doing something horrible to it? I don’t think I’m going to shrink it (cold water, right?), but I’m pretty worried about ending up with a nasty felted mess that’s still full of soap detritus. I’ve been sending them to the dry cleaner two or three times a winter, but I don’t think dry cleaning has a salutary effect on them — they come out less soft somehow. I would wear them much more if they were nice and soft and the cleaning part weren’t a gnawing uncertainty.

May I say that, for someone who just announced she’s being held back in cleaning class, I’m terribly impressed with the way in which you’ve asked exactly the right questions??

So, yes, while dry cleaning is an absolutely fine option for cleaning cashmere, it’s expensive and hand washing is actually a better way to care for your finest sweaters.

Technique-wise, the best approach is to fill your kitchen sink with cold or lukewarm water, add a gentle detergent, place the sweaters in the wash water and swirl them gently about for 3–5 minutes. You don’t want to wring them, or force running water though the fibers, which can result in stretching.

When you’re ready to rinse the garments, move them off to the side, drain the sink and refill with clean water, making sure that the cashmere isn’t in the line of, um, water. Then swirl the sweaters around in the clean water, sort of squishing them down — but not wringing them! — to help to force out the suds, repeating with another sinkful of clean water if necessary. Drain the sink and give each item one last squish to push out as much water as possible. Then lay them out flat on a clean towel, and roll the towel up, pressing gently to help extract as much moisture as possible. Then unroll the towel and lay the item out flat to air dry.

In terms of what to use, Johnson’s Baby Shampoo is your best option. A lot of people say terrible things about Woolite, which I don’t necessarily agree with, so if you’d like to use it go ahead, but if you’re worried, stick with No More Tears. There are also a whole host of fancy-pants cashmere washes, some of which I’ve listed below, that you might want to consider, although they can be quite pricey.

Eucalan Fine Fabric Wash
Iris von Arnim Cashmere Detergent
The Laundress Wool & Cashmere Shampoo
Pure Cashmere Wash
Tocca Fine Fabric Wash
White + Warren Cashmere Care

I’ve noticed my down jacket is looking a little dingy around the sleeves, but I’m unsure how to clean it. The tag says you can wash it in the washing machine and then put it in the dryer with tennis balls to fluff it up. I’m not sure about getting it soaking wet. Would surface cleaning or dry cleaning be a better option?

You go right on and get that parka soaking wet! Soak with abandon! Then fluff and fold! Wheeee!!!

Right, so just like the tag on your jacket indicates, machine washing is absolutely fine for your down parka. Using a cold water setting and a mild detergent (though if I’m being totally honest with you I just use my regular stuff and have never had a problem), wash the coat on the gentle cycle.

When it’s done in the washer it is — fair warning — going to look like hell. You might be tempted to freak out, except that your loyal and devoted Clean Person has prepared you well for this moment, and so instead you’ll stay calm, cool, and collected in the face of a terribly sorry looking heap of soggy outerwear. Put the coat in the dryer on a low to medium setting, along with a few towels (go ahead and wash those with the coat? As long as they’re similar colors!) to help balance things out and protect the coat from getting torn up (which can happen when you put too few items in a washer or dryer), and the aforementioned tennis ball.

Okay, now WHY a tennis ball? The tennis ball (or balls, if you’re feeling flush) will bounce around in the dryer and help to fluff and plump the down. If tennis balls feel too boring for you, you could also be darling, like this commentress’s mommy, and use a wee toddler sneaker.

Makeup on the collar of a winter coat. You know, the real warm kind with the collars that come up around your face. I’m not really asking how to clean this; what I really want to know is how can I make this not happen? Do I just have to wear a sacrificial scarf all the time?

What do you mean, you’re not asking how to clean this??? You’re Asking a Clean Person! What even???

Okay fine, FINE, putting aside the egregious insult to my entire reason for being, I do have some thoughts I can share with you on how to prevent the dreaded make-up transfer.

The first is the scarf approach. Which yes, yes, yes is the best way to keep from getting your face paint on your fine winter coat. Scarves can easily be hand-washed using the same method described for washing cashmere, and yes, yes, yes (LADIES!) you need to wash your scarves. Often. I know that every single one of you out there has, at one point or another, used your scarf to wipe your runny nose. DON’T EVEN LOOK AT ME AND LIE LIKE THAT. So please, for the love of the Nyquil you’ll be otherwise mainlining because you insist on inhaling your own germs rather than laundering a small item, wash your darn scarves.

Another thing to try if you just can’t abide having something wrapped around your neck, is a make-up setting product like Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix Spray. There are a number of similar finishing products out there — perhaps those of you who manage to be more of a success at being a girl than I have ones you’d like to recommend?

For anyone who is interested in how to clean makeup rub-off messes from your collars, the simplest answer is baby wipes. BABY WIPES. I know. So dumb easy and those things clean, like, everything.

You know how knits, when worn a lot (or perhaps you’re just sitting on some excessively textured surface, or something) get that nubby, ball-y texture? Are there any preemptive measures I can take to stop that? Or good clean-up techniques? Or anything else relevant? I know one of the options is to not buy as many knits (which I’m already doing), but I’ve already got quite a few. And they’re comfy. And I’d like to keep them presentable, preferably without hand-picking each little ball of fuzz off the garment.

I don’t have much for you by way of preemptive measures, but there are three common options for pill removal, and I have a STRONG OPINION about which one is best.

(1) Sweater combs/razor blazes.

Our Janie told me to get one of these when I went wailing to her about how I feel that my sweaters get more pill-y than other girls’ sweaters and WAAAAAAAAH!! The thing is, I’ve had those for years and have never felt that they do what I need them to do. But! If it’s good enough for our Janie I would be remiss not to mention it. Also some people use a straight up razor blade, for which I applaud them, but you have to be so so so so so careful that I don’t feel like it’s something I want to recommend to you. That said: they are both options and you have free will.

(2) Sweater stones.

I have another friend who swears by the sweater stone. And by that I mean swearing up, down, and sideways that this is the best thing since sliced bread while we sat poolside in the Turks & Caicos so, like, you know she must mean business. Who wants to think about sweaters while poolside? Someone who feels really strong love for a sweater-keeping product, that’s who.

(3) Lint shavers.

Oh man, lint shavers. Lint shavers make me want to be a better woman. There is not enough time in the world for me to sing to you the gospel of the lint shaver, so instead let’s just get right into it: the one I have is from the Hollywood Fashion Secrets line and they don’t have it listed on their site, but it looks like this, except it’s pink. I bought it at the Duane Reade. It was not expensive. It is AWESOME. You guys. No but really you guys. This thing CHANGED MY LIFE. It perfectly depills sweaters in no time, and it collects all the furry detritus in a sealed off little compartment that can be emptied directly into the wastepaper basket and it even comes with a wee brush you can use to get all the last li’l pillies out of the compartment and alkshlkghdslkghlkfhglkdhfglkhslkfhalksfh BUY ONE FOR YOURSELF AND EVERYONE YOU LOVE AND EVEN THOSE PEOPLE WHO YOU JUST SORT OF TOLERATE. Oh my God. I love this thing so much I want to marry it. I need to go spend a minute alone now.

Previously: Winter, Part One (BOOTS).

Jolie Kerr is not paid to endorse any of the products mentioned in this column, but she sure would be very happy to accept any free samples the manufacturers care to send her way! Are you curious to know if she’s answered a question you have? Do check out the archives, listed by topic. More importantly: is anything you own dirty?

Photo by Antonio Abrignani, via Shutterstock