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WITHIN · FIELD GUIDE · Revised November 5, 2026

How to wash cashmere and wool sweaters

A sweater is ruined by heat, a hanger or a moth, rarely by water. The routine a Scottish mill gives its own customers.

The wash, step by step

StepWhat to do
1. CombTake off any pills first, so the wash does not tangle them in
2. SoakLukewarm water and a small amount of wool or cashmere shampoo. Submerge and leave a few minutes
3. SqueezePress the suds through gently. No wringing, no stretching, no rubbing
4. RinseSeveral times, in water of the same temperature as the wash
5. Press outRoll the sweater in a dry towel and press the water out
6. Dry flatOn a towel, reshaped while damp, away from radiators and sun
7. Press, if neededA cool iron through a damp cloth, once dry

Temperature is the step people skip. Johnstons warns that water too hot or too cold can shrink or distort cashmere, and a sudden change between wash and rinse is what felts wool.

Read the label first

The tub on the care label gives the hottest wash; a hand in the tub means hand wash only. The iron's dots are temperatures, set by the ISO 3758 care symbols.

Iron symbolMost heatSetting
One dot110 °CLow, the cool setting Johnstons gives for cashmere
Two dots150 °CMedium
Three dots200 °CHigh
Crossed outDo not ironSteam it, or leave it

A circle with a P or an F means dry clean. Johnstons advises dry cleaning for woven cashmere, scarves and coats, and hand washing for knits.

Pilling, folding and moths

Pilling is loose fibre working its way out. Comb it off after the first few wears, flat on a table, in light strokes; on well spun yarn it slows and stops. How to judge cashmere explains what pilling that never stops tells you about the yarn.

Fold sweaters; a hanger pulls the shoulders out of shape. Store them clean and fully dry, because moths go for the body oils and food left in the fibre. Breathable cotton bags or a drawer with cedar or lavender keep them off, and Johnstons names both.

Checks before you buy a sweater you will keep

  • Read the care label in the shop. Hand wash or dry clean only is a cost you pay every season.
  • Ask the fibre content. A blend with nylon is tougher in the wash; pure cashmere wants the routine above.
  • Stretch the cuff and watch it spring back. Knit that recovers survives washing better.
  • Check the weight of the fibre, not just the price. The wool types guide sets out what each fibre is.

Sweaters on within

Cashmere, merino and wool knits in stock at the boutiques today, with their prices.

Common questions

Can you put cashmere in the washing machine?
Only if the care label allows it, on a wool or hand wash cycle with cool water and a slow spin. Johnstons of Elgin, a Scottish cashmere mill, recommends washing knitted cashmere by hand.
How many wears between washes for a cashmere sweater?
Johnstons of Elgin says every three to four wears for knitted cashmere. Airing it between wears does most of the work.
Why did my wool sweater shrink?
Heat and agitation together felt wool: the fibres lock and the knit tightens. A hot wash or a tumble dryer does it fast, and it cannot be fully undone.
Should you hang or fold sweaters?
Fold them. A hanger stretches the shoulders and the weight of the knit pulls it long.
How do you remove pilling from a sweater?
Comb it off with a cashmere comb or a fabric shaver after the first few wears, on a flat surface, with light strokes. Early pilling on good yarn settles; pilling that never stops is short fibre.

Sources

Sweaters in stock now, to check against this guide

UJOH, C.P. Company, Herno and more, from the boutiques on within.