Washing vintage wool flannels?
How do you guys wash your wool flannel shirts? I’ve got some vintage Pendleton and Woolrich that don’t have any care instructions. I’m assuming a cold, gentle cycle in the machine and a line dry would be alright? I like to avoid dry cleaning when I can because I’m not a fan of using all those harsh chemicals.
8 Replies
For me it's depended on just how vintage. Have had some 50s stuff that I washed cold that felted and shrank comically. 70s stuff has been way better cold/hang dry ime
yea, if it's particularly fragile or i'm worried about shrinking at all, i'll just soak it in cold water with a little woolite and agitate by hand to minimize any effects. but typically i do the delicate cycle cold water extra rinse.
never dryer
if it's heavy or knitted, dry flat. knitted is also much better to soak instead of running any water on it, but most flannels aren't knitted.
Dryers are awful just line dry things
I have some plaid Woolrich pants made from pretty thick wool flannel that came with this paper tag with care instructions:
No idea if that helps. Personally when I wash anything woolen I fill my baththub or some suitable container with lukewarm water (30°C or so) and some wool detergent. I then carefully submerge the garment and just let it sit for 2hrs. I do not agitate in any way. Then i let the water run off, rinse with cold water till the water runs clear and roll the garment between two towels to absorb excess water. After that I line dry, usually flat which takes a while.
Never had any shrinkage or felting.
Imo its absolutely key to avoid as much agitation as possible.
i've hand washed my pendleton with dr bronners and it's worked well
i mix a little of the suds in warmish water, let it soak for an hour, rinse, and then dry flat on a thick towel
using a spray bottle of vodka can help with any odors in between washing
It really is magical how well modern detergent works imo
Like a friend of mine worked in a lab that developed new enzymes for detergent
Yeah I line dry most things, they last much longer that way
Thanks for all the tips gang! I’ll avoid the machine and go with Leo’s method.