Now that it’s time to get reacquainted with our woolens, we’re wondering: how best to keep them clean and in good shape? We posed the question to Kellen Tucker, owner of Sharktooth, a Brooklyn store specializing in vintage blankets, textiles, and rugs.
1. Often ventilating wool is enough: Shake it with oomph; hang it somewhere where the air moves.
Photograph via Sharktooth
2. Spot clean by spraying.
Use vinegar diluted with water (1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water), and start slowly.
Photograph via M. Crow
3. Bathe with just a hint of mild, ideally pH neutral soap—Woolite is tried and true. Do not scrub or agitate; just soak it and let the mixture do its thing.
Photograph via J.M. Generals
4. Roll, don’t wring.
Photograph via Schoolhouse
5. Air dry.
Hang the blanket to dry. Best is to set up two clotheslines with a few feet between them—draping the blanket over the pair relieves a lot of the weight.