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Finding a wool-and-cashmere form-fitting sweater makes all those hours of searching for the perfect item worth it. Wool blends help retain heat, so you’ll stay warm even in nose-crinkling temperatures. Cashmere blends make your clothing feel velvety against your skin. Knowing how to properly care for wool-and-cashmere-blend clothing can save you the heartache of witnessing your sweater or top shrink before your eyes.
Blend Ratios
You may have hoped that you would never have to use math again after graduation. However, when dealing with blends, you need to know that wool-and-cashmere-blend clothing typically have one material in a higher ratio than another. For instance, that cream-colored sweater may be made from 70-percent wool and 30-percent cashmere. Keep in mind that the higher the cashmere ratio, the more expensive the price, unless you were able to score a vintage piece for cheap at a secondhand shop. Check the label on the inside of your clothing to find out what ratio of cashmere was used to create the garment versus wool.
Normal Laundering
When deciding how to launder your wool-and-cashmere garment, keep in mind the highest material ratio. Since this will typically be wool, use a delicate-laundry detergent or a wool-cleansing formula to wash your blended garment. Hand washing your garment will decrease the chances of bruising the wool or cashmere fibers, which can happen even if you use the delicate cycle on your washer. High heat can cause wool-and-cashmere blends to shrink. So unless you’re trying to find motivation to lose a few pounds, stick with colder water and boycott your clothes dryer.
Stain Removal
Getting a stain out of blended garments may take some finesse and patience. If the stain has set in and deeply contrasts with the color of your clothing, like a red wine stain on a white shirt, you may want to enlist the help of your local dry cleaner. Small, barely noticeable stains may be able to be lifted out of the fibers by using a wool-cleaning formula to spot-treat the stain before laundering.
Considerations
If you bought a secondhand item that appears to be a wool-and-cashmere blend, but the label is missing, don’t panic. Take the garment to a dry cleaner or alteration specialist, who should be able to tell you the primary material component. When in doubt, you may want to cough up the extra cash to get your wool-and-cashmere blend cleaned by a professional. Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to clean a blended sweater, shirt or coat after every wearing unless you managed to stick your elbow in your marinara sauce.
