Caring for cotton-linen blend crochet sweater
I bought online a 64% linen - 36% cotton sweater from Agnona, and misread the care instructions. When it arrived the care label says “Do not clean - Dry clean only”.
From what I’ve read online, cotton tops that say “Dry-clean only” should be safe to throw into the washer in a delicate setting, but I’m unsure when linen and crochet are thrown into the equation.
It also has a metallic tag at the back. I suppose I should try to remove it before washing?
Also, does anyone know how careful has one to be with something like this? I wanted to wear it with nothing underneath and maybe also when lazing at the sofa.
Thanks in advance!
7 Replies
In general you should follow the instructions on the tag from the manufacturer, since this is based on the specifics of the material, dye, and construction.
If you didn't want to dry clean this, the safest thing would be to hand wash in cold water and flat dry. I wouldn't put anything crochet in the washing machine (Maybe if it's acrylic since that's less stretchy). Be careful with how it's laid out while drying, since a lot of crochet fabrics can set into a stretched out shape when they dry.
please don't machine wash a $1000+ crocheted sweater, no matter how delicately you set it to. the steps above are absolutely what i would do if dry cleaning is completely out of the question, but if possible I would opt to dry clean.
I wouldn't wear a sweater directly on my skin. Generally the more clothes touch you the more they need to be washed/cleaned, and this is dry clean only
Thanks! You've confirmed my fears
What kind of damage can I expect if I were to handwash it in cold water appart of shrinkage? Would the crochet come undone or something like that? Or would the fibers of cotton and linen shrink differently and deform it?
you shouldnt expect shrinkage, i dont think, but the loosening and deformation of the crocheting is what I would be weary of. That is why it would have to be laid flat to dry.
Shrinkage could happen with linen in a washing machine, depending how it was treated beforehand. Also the agitation of the washer might cause the yarn to fray.
In addition to what sly said
It's unlikely to come undone just because you put it in the washer, but since you asked about that don't cut any loose threads.
Thanks guys!