Quick answer
Wool and pashmina need cold water, a mild wool wash, no wringing and flat drying in the shade, or professional dry cleaning for shawls, coats and structured pieces. Clean them only when needed during winter, but always before storing. Moths feed on dirty wool, so pack woollens clean and fully dry in sealed or cotton bags with neem leaves or cedar, and air them every few weeks.
Key takeaways
- Heat plus agitation felts wool; always use cold water and gentle handling.
- Pure pashmina is fine and delicate; dry cleaning is the safer choice.
- Brush and air woollens between wears instead of washing after every use.
- Moths and their larvae are drawn to sweat and food residue, so store only clean wool.
- Check and air stored woollens every few weeks through summer and the monsoon.
Why does wool shrink and felt?
Wool fibres are covered in tiny overlapping scales. In warm water with rubbing or tumbling, the scales lift, catch on each other and lock together. The fabric shrinks, thickens and becomes stiff. This is felting, and it cannot be reversed. A sweater does not need to be boiled to felt; lukewarm water and a normal machine cycle are often enough.
Pashmina, the fine undercoat fibre from Himalayan goats, behaves the same way but is far thinner and more delicate, so it felts and pills even more easily.
How do you hand wash a wool sweater?
- Check the care label. If it says dry clean only, or the garment is lined or structured, do not wash it.
- Fill a basin with cold water and add a small amount of wool wash or mild, pH-neutral liquid detergent.
- Turn the sweater inside out and press it gently under the water. Let it soak for 10 minutes.
- Squeeze the suds through gently. Do not rub, twist or scrub.
- Drain and rinse in cold water of the same temperature. A sudden change of temperature also encourages felting.
- Press out water against the side of the basin, then roll the sweater in a dry towel and press.
- Lay it flat on a fresh towel, reshape it to its original size and dry in the shade, away from heaters.
Never hang a wet sweater; the weight of water stretches it out of shape.
How should a pashmina shawl be cleaned?
Pure pashmina, and shawls with Kashmiri embroidery such as sozni or tilla work, are best dry cleaned. Water risks felting, colour bleeding from embroidery threads and distortion of the weave. If you must refresh a plain pashmina at home:
- Air it outdoors in the shade for a few hours to remove odours.
- Spot-clean only with a cloth dampened in cold water and a drop of mild shampoo, then blot.
- Steam it lightly from a distance to relax creases. Do not iron pashmina directly.
Pashmina pills where it rubs, at the shoulders and under the arms. Remove pills by hand or with a fabric shaver on its gentlest setting rather than pulling them off.
How often should woollens be cleaned in winter?
Less often than cotton. Wool resists odour and sheds surface dirt well. Through a Chandigarh winter, from December to January when woollens are worn daily, the practical routine is:
- Wear a cotton layer underneath so sweat does not reach the wool directly.
- Brush coats and shawls after wearing, and air sweaters overnight before putting them away.
- Clean a sweater after every five or six wears, or when it is visibly soiled or smells.
- Clean coats and shawls once or twice in the season, and always before storage.
- After Lohri bonfires or wedding functions, air woollens straight away; our guide on removing bonfire smoke smell covers this.
How do you store woollens so moths cannot reach them?
Fabric moth larvae feed on keratin, the protein in wool, and are drawn especially to fabric with sweat, food or body oil on it. That is why storage starts with cleaning.
- Clean everything first. A sweater worn once and put away is the most likely to be eaten.
- Dry completely. Any dampness invites mildew as well as insects, especially in the July to September monsoon.
- Pack in clean cotton bags or sealed storage bags. Wrap pashmina in plain white cotton or muslin.
- Add natural repellents: dried neem leaves, cedar blocks, cloves or lavender sachets. Replace them each season. If you use naphthalene balls, never let them touch the fabric directly and keep them away from children.
- Store in a dry, dark cupboard, not against an outside wall that gets damp in the rains.
- Check every few weeks. Shake out and air woollens on a dry day. Moths dislike disturbance and light.
How can you tell if moths have been at your woollens?
- Small, irregular holes, often in hidden areas such as under collars and along seams.
- Thin, bare patches where the surface has been grazed.
- Fine silky tubes or webbing on the fabric, and tiny grain-like droppings in folds.
- Small beige moths that flutter away from light rather than towards it.
If you find signs, separate the affected garments, clean everything nearby, vacuum the cupboard and wipe it down before refilling it. A professional clean kills eggs and larvae in the garment itself.
How do you remove pilling and creases from woollens?
Pilling, the small balls of fibre on sweaters and shawls, comes from friction, not poor quality alone. Remove pills by laying the garment flat and using a fabric shaver or a sweater comb with light strokes; avoid pulling them, which draws out more fibre. Wash knitwear inside out and wear a smooth layer underneath to reduce rubbing.
For creases, hang a wool coat or shawl in a steamy bathroom for 15 minutes, or use a handheld steamer held a few centimetres away. If you iron wool, use the wool setting with steam and a damp press cloth between the iron and the fabric, pressing and lifting rather than sliding. Never iron pashmina directly.
When should you hand woollens to a professional?
Coats, blazers, pashmina, embroidered shawls and any woollen with a stain or felting risk are best professionally cleaned, and a full clean before summer storage is the single best protection against moths. Swan Clean’s woollen and winter wear cleaning covers sweaters, coats, jackets and pashmina, with free collection across the tricity. The price list shows per-piece rates, with pashmina shawls dry cleaned from ₹200.
