Washing wool is a DRAMA!
"How am I supposed to wash my wool, then, because I don't want it to shrink!"
Wool that has undergone a superwash treatment is actually the perfect solution for that, you might think. You can just wash it with your regular laundry, no hassle with special wash cycles or wool detergent. Throw it in the dryer? No worries. I-DE-AL!
Or is it?
To answer this question, it is important to explain how a wool fiber is structured, what superwash exactly is, and what the difference is between a natural wool fiber and one treated with superwash.
A wool fiber, how does that actually work?
You can compare a wool fiber to one of your own hairs. It is a hollow fiber, and it has scales. Because the fiber is hollow, it adapts to your body heat, and the scales ensure that your temperature is regulated. In warmth, the scales open, and in cold, they close. This is how wool keeps you warm in the winter and feels cooler in the summer. Sounds pretty logical, right?
Okay, a hollow fiber and scales: anything else?
Indeed, besides that hollow core and scales, the wool fiber has something else quite remarkable. Wool naturally has a greasy layer. Wool grease, also known as lanolin. This ensures that your wool is slightly "greasy." And, if something is greasy, it is water-repellent. It doesn't just repel water, but also dirt and bacteria. Furthermore, lanolin keeps your wool fiber supple and prevents it from drying out. For sheep, this naturally occurring lanolin is beneficial because it protects them against the elements, keeps their skin supple, and prevents them from getting sick. Ingenious stuff, that lanolin. Did you know that lanolin is also often used for all kinds of skin ailments? It is, for example, great for chapped skin or on baby bottoms when they have diaper rash, but that’s beside the point.
In summary: The lanolin ensures that your wool is slightly greasy, making it dirt-repellent and antibacterial. The scales ensure that your wool can "breathe," thus wicking away excess moisture (sweat).
In short: Wool is naturally self-cleaning.
Why would you even want to treat wool with something like "superwash" at all?
Isn't it so ingeniously designed by nature that washing wool is an unnecessary endeavor to begin with?
If everyone were to take our word for it just like that, without asking questions, then this blog would indeed be completely superfluous. You would faithfully hang your woolens outside or in the bathroom to air out every day, rotate them, and that would be that. A piece of cake, as they say. Unfortunately, it's a bit more complicated than that. In the 1950s, the material polyester hit the market. A cheap material, super durable (because it's plastic, and plastic doesn't decay), and a substance that is easy to process into textile fiber. Much easier and much cheaper than pure and natural materials like wool, silk, and cotton. But yes, polyester is not self-cleaning and, unlike wool, it does absorb bacteria and associated odors. At some point, it became practically impossible not to wash your (polyester) clothing. And this washing, wanting to have and keep everything as clean as possible—because GOD FORBID those terrible bacteria—is now baked into our laundry DNA. Admit it: we prefer to throw everything in the wash after one day of wearing it.
Hoppetee, 60-degree wash cycle, a big splash of detergent to combat odors: Off you go!
And if you then walk into a "goat-wool-sock" shop like ours, and a shop assistant is declaring that she doesn't wash her wool underwear, that’s quite a shock. And dirty, too. I get that. A little bit. Because we’ve simply forgotten that all that washing isn't necessarily a blessing. Because clothing that is washed a lot wears out faster, and synthetic fabrics leave a large stream of microplastics in our water... Pure materials, on the other hand, must be treated with care and don't need to be washed nearly as often. Especially wool or wool-silk underwear or clothing. After all, it is self-cleaning.
Nice story, but are we going to talk about superwash now?
Yes, certainly, because a major disadvantage of untreated wool* is that you run the risk of it shrinking. And that is due to those handy scales. Which open in warmth and close in cold. That’s how it goes in the wash as well. If you were to use a different wash cycle than the wool cycle, you run a big risk that your wool will shrink.
To understand how that shrinkage happens, I suggest you put yourself in the wool fiber's place.
No, wait... Try to imagine that you ARE a wool fiber...
One that is hollow on the inside, has a greasy layer, and has scales. You end up in a washing machine. And then the wash cycle starts. A wonderful splash of warm water pours over you. There you are, floating happily in a 40-degree bath. Quite warm, you feel. Hop, scales open, because you need to get rid of excess heat, and that’s exactly what you have those handy scales for. The washing machine starts to spin, and there you are, with your open scales, huddled together with other wool fibers. Due to the movement, the scales of your neighbor wool fibers hook into yours. Nothing wrong with that, quite cozy; the more entangled, the better: nothing but love! Everything is going as it should, you get a nice detergent poured over you, it feels like a rich cream on your body. Nice scent, too. Couldn't be better. BUT THEN! Disaster strikes. The washing machine starts the rinse cycle. Your warm bath is crudely disturbed by an enormous amount of cold tap water. SPLASH, all over you and your neighbor wool fibers. You get the fright of your life: and then it goes wrong......
You no longer have control over yourself, and your scales slam shut. With all your might, you try to hold onto that last bit of warmth, but even you are no match for such a violent rush of cold water. You look to the side and see that your neighbors' scales are also entangled with yours, and they are stuck. Stuck fast. There is no way to pull yourselves apart anymore: you are eternally entangled with your neighbors. The SHRINKAGE!
It’s a terrible story. I know, but it is good to know what that shrinkage exactly is and why it occurs. The movement and the sudden temperature differences from warm to cold water are the culprits. And because of those miserable scales, you are now left holding the bag... or rather, the shrunken garment.
And then there was SUPER-WASH!
Superwash is a chemical treatment of the wool, which allows you to just wash your wool at higher temperatures with the rest of your laundry without it shrinking. So far so good (except for the chemical part; most sustainable hearts don't exactly skip a beat over that...) In itself, that does sound like a great plan, because why make things difficult when it can be so much easier? Everyone who wears wool can recall a moment when their favorite sweater came out of the machine 6 sizes too small. Oops. Or that endless nonsense of sorting your laundry and having to run separate loads with matching detergent—inconvenient because: Busy, busy, busy. I get your point.
And yet, it is good to know that there is a story behind the wonderful world of superwash.
As I said, superwash is a chemical treatment of wool. During a superwash treatment, the wool is washed and treated with chlorine. Yes, you read that right. Chlorine. This causes the wool fibers to be, as it were, paralyzed, and people say that it makes the wool softer. The next step is that a layer is applied around the wool fiber. I spoke to a supplier and asked what this layer exactly was. "Synthetic resin" was the answer. Synthetic resin? What exactly is that? I mean, resin; that sounds like a natural substance. Because resin comes from trees, and trees come from nature, that must be natural, right? Only that word "synthetic" in the word synthetic resin triggered me. Because synthetic fertilizer is also something different from freshly pooped manure straight from the stable, right? Besides, I find it important to be able to tell you the whole story, so I asked her the question behind this question.
"Synthetic resin: isn't that just plastic?"
You could see her thinking: Who is this woman who dares to question our marketing story about synthetic resin?
"She replied: "Synthetic resin is a synthetic form of resin." Look, I’m obviously not a chemist, but "synthetic" sounds to my ears like plastic or, at the very least, something that has nothing to do with "natural." (You understand that this lady and I didn't necessarily become friends) A simple Google search showed me that synthetic resin is a resin based on formaldehyde.
"Formaldehyde or methanal is a gas with a very strong, unpleasant odor. It is the simplest organic compound from the class of aldehydes."
And you should look up the question: "Is formaldehyde dangerous" for fun. Or rather, the answer. Then you immediately know that it is a substance that you would rather not have on your body or in your beloved woolens. So I always translate this very simplistically as: "Synthetic resin is a plastic layer around your wool fiber."
And now I can just hear you thinking: "But WHY, then?"
The answer is simple. You read a number of paragraphs above and experienced what it is like to be a wool fiber, right? Hollow, greasy, and with scales. These scales cause shrinkage during temperature fluctuations. And we don't want shrinkage, but we do want to wash. Preferably a lot, hot, and without too much fuss with wool wash cycles, special (expensive) wool detergent, and endless laundry sorting. And preferably quick-drying.
So, if you just seal that whole scale business with a layer of plastic: you’re immediately rid of all the hassle.
Absolutely true. It’s just a shame that these scales are exactly what provide all the fine qualities that our beloved wool possesses... And that the lanolin doesn't survive all the chemical washes that the wool undergoes during the superwash treatment. And then I haven't even mentioned the microplastics, the burden on nature caused by these chemical agents, the clean air, and so on, and so on... But you can wash it without problems...
In case you are wondering why I have "something" against superwash: then this is my answer.
Sure, untreated wool* also has disadvantages. It is more difficult to wash because it is more sensitive to shrinkage, it can feel itchier than superwash wool, you need a bit of patience because it can't go in the dryer, the chance that your wool will pill is greater (by the way, we have the GLEENER for that), it is more sensitive to wear and tear, you need a special wool detergent, it is often more expensive than conventional wool, and moths like it better (because they don't like plastic, but rather pure nature, just like us).
On the other hand, organic wool is so much more comfortable to wear than wool with a "plastic" layer.
It doesn't absorb odors (hello lanolin), it breathes and keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer (thanks, scales), and you actually don't have to wash it at all... But yes, then you have to get over your "Not washing, that’s filthy" conviction.
And if I were you, I’d just start with that!
I challenge you!
Tell me: what is your experience with superwash wool vs. untreated wool*
Thank you for your time, and see you soon!
Love, Vera
* Untreated wool: By this, we mean wool without superwash. Naturally, all organic wool is also "treated" before it ends up in our clothing. It is sheared, washed, carded, spun, and dyed. The difference lies in undergoing the chemical processes for superwash wool versus non-chemical processes for organic wool. Our wool is exclusively organically certified (IVN-best, GOTS) and that is a big difference from wool which, for example, is only Oeko-Tex 100 certified.
Wool that has been treated with superwash is by definition NOT organic wool
because it has been chemically treated. A supplier may choose organic wool (which is more animal-friendly than non-organic wool) and then treat it according to the superwash method. This wool and its final product may then actually no longer be called organic and also does not receive certifications such as KbT - IVN or GOTS. These types of superwash wool are usually, in the most favorable case, Oeko-Tex 100 certified.
