Clothes Worth Fussing For
Happy Sunday ladies. Clothes that pop out of the dryer looking brand new are without a doubt, my favorites. Luckily most of my wardrobe falls into that category but there is one thing I will do a little fussing for. It’s my cashmere. V-neck cashmere sweaters are a big part of my wardrobe during the winter. I reach for one 4 or 5 times a week.
You can pay a fortune for cashmere but the price is not always a guarantee of quality. I have a few that I paid dearly for that drive me crazy because they pill so badly every time I wear them. Then there are the ones from Cost-co that are terrific!
My favorite cashmere sweaters come from Everlane. I’m wearing the same V-neck pullovers for the 4th winter in a row and they’re holding up beautifully. The company prides itself on “radical transparency” and ensures ethical working conditions throughout its supply chain. On top of that, they’re priced well.
Most cashmere care tags insist you “dry clean only”. They say that to absolve themselves of any liability when people destroy shrink their sweaters. But I hate having anything dry cleaned because they never come home looking clean plus they reek of toxic chemicals. I wash all my cashmere knits and find they get softer each time.
Wash your Cashmere
I still use the washing machine – but differently. I wash my cashmere in lukewarm water in my bathroom sink with a mild shampoo (cashmere is hair after all). I say lukewarm because 100% cold water is miserable to put your hands in and adding a tiny bit of warmth doesn’t damage the fibers. I squeeze the water through multiple times then refill the sink to rinse.
I squeeze (don’t twist or wring) as much water out as possible then put into my washing machine. I usually wash several sweaters at a time so they balance out the machine. I set the machine on the final spin cycle which gets most of the water out.
Dry Your Cashmere
It’s the dryer that felts your wool and cashmere so never use it. I drape mine over the bars of a drying rack. They suggest you arrange your sweater into shape and let it dry flat but I don’t have that many flat surfaces in my house. They always end up with wrinkles anyway, so draped works fine.
Remove Wrinkles in Cashmere
When it’s dry I iron my cashmere on a medium setting, just the way I’d iron any shirt. I let it cool before folding or hanging. Lightweight cashmere does perfectly well on a felt hanger and gets worn more often because they’re easy to see.
Removing Pills
While on the ironing board I use a sweater shaver to remove pills. They usually show up under the arms, on the cuffs, and down the front.
I use this inexpensive little fabric shaver from Amazon which does a great job and leaves my sweaters looking brand new.
These days, I’m looking for cashmere in spring colors to lighten the gloom of winter.
Are you a fan of cashmere? How do you care for it?
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Hi there. I’m from NZ and hoping to buy a couple of Quince cashmere sweaters, however it appears they only ship around the US and Canada🥲
Hi Jennifer!
I have many pieces of cashmere sweaters and dusters. The best way I have found to clean them is to put them into a lingerie bag and wash on delicate cycle with cold water. A spin cycle with them in the bag and they come out beautifully. Hang/shape to dry. I don’t use a dry cleaner because of the chemicals.
I just bought 2 cashmere sweaters (for the first time!) after reading your blog and seeing how lovely they look on you. I just assumed I had to dry-clean them but I will try your method. It will save a little money on my dry-cleaning bill. Thanks!
I’ve never felt things got clean at the dry cleaner. Seeing the gray water turn clear as I rinse my sweaters makes me glad I’m really cleaning them.
I’m so glad I ran across this article. I’m traveling in a cold climate and brought two new cashmere sweaters that are labeled dry clean only. Obviously I didn’t pay attention to the label or I wouldn’t have brought them. I will launder them the way you suggested. Many thanks!
I too am curious about the cape/poncho; I’ve never seen one with a print lining like this one. Will you share where you found it? Thanks!
The print you see is a blouse I’m wearing under the poncho. Sorry.
I love your poncho in the first photo! Is it Halogen, from Nordstrom? I purchased one that looks identical, except in olive, this year. I’m in the Los Angeles area, so all of my cashmere, wool, etc. purchases are of lightweight fabric, as well as “billowy” and easy cut. Thank you for all of the hand wash tips in the responses.
It is Halogen from Nordstrom. Still going strong after several years and very reasonably priced.
My daughter has a cashmere sweater of mine that I wore in my graduation picture in 1956- do the math- and it still looks good. Nothing, except silk, feels so good next to your skin or makes you feel so special. It’s worth the work of taking care of it and the initial cost is easy to swallow when you consider the cost per wearing.
Have you ever tried a cashmere/silk blend? I have several Ralph Lauren sweaters in that combo and they are great.
I love merino wool, too and it lasts forever and holds it shape well.
I have never hopped onto the man-made fibre bandwagon. It seems worth the maintenance time to have clothes that feel so good. And I am willing to spend the time to iron 100% cotton and linen.
That’s amazing Penny. How lucky for your daughter too! I do not have cashmere combined with silk, but I need it now. What a fabulous sounding combination.
Hi Jennifer, I always look forward to your posts. I also love cashmere. You mention “Cost-co” offers cashmere. But I can’t follow their link from your posts and when I google it, the only thing I get is Costco warehouse. Could you clarify please?
I buy mine at the local Costco around the holidays. I can’t link for you but just keep an eye out around the holidays.
Living in Vermont, lucky me, I wear Everlane, J. Crew and LL Bean cashmere sweaters all the time! So glad to see a new way to wash them. Most of the time I just air them out and steam later. When washing, I’ve always rolled them after washing and then laid them flat on a dry towel. Like you, there just isn’t a lot of flat space, so I will try the spinner and rack method. I use a hand steamer and a defuzzer, but I think I’ll try your ironing technique, and shampoo too! This was a great post!
Ironing steams them nicely and smooths them more that upright steaming.
Cashmere is so great. I think people are afraid of caring for it so shy away from it. So thank you for this post. There are some great tips!
I wish I could wear it. My wool allergy extends to cashmere, too.
There are some cashmere I can’t wear. Too itchy. Same with most merino. Maybe my skin has changed over the years.
I love cashmere sweaters and have always hand washed them (and merino wool sweaters) in cool water with a mild detergent like Woolite, wrap in towels to get out the excess moisture, then lay flat to dry. Great suggestion to use shampoo – I will try that.
Sadly I am allergic to cashmere. I love the soft feel, but I start to itch immediately.
I have luckily found some acrylic sweaters that have a similar look, and no surprise –
they get washed the way you wash your cashmere in order to keep them looking new.
I just bought some alpaca yarn to knit an infinity scarf. If it doesn’t itch, I might try to
find alpaca sweaters that have that luxurious cashmere feel.
I can’t wear alpaca at all! It’s way too itchy. I knit a poncho with a merino/alpaca yarn and could never wear it.
I wash my cashmere by hand, squeezing out the excess water, then lay flat on a towel. When mostly dry, I hang on a hanger over a heat vent. The air dries them nicely without any wrinkles. I love the feel of cashmere.
That’s a brilliant idea! My vents are sadly on the ceiling
I live in North of England and until about 7 years ago man used to come down rom Hawick with knitwear either seconds or surplus stock that he sold at very reasonable prices so I bough lots of cashmere from him. I have always washed these in machine on lingerie setting and dried draped over a rack; I still have and wear every item I bought from him. Incidentaly for thos not from UK Hawick is town in Scottish borders home to several mills producing high quality knitwear.
Love all you scarves! I would love a column on different types of scarves and how you accessorize with them!
Great idea for a post.