How To Wash Your Alpaca Sweater At Home?

High-quality is an adjective often used to describe clothing made from Alpaca Fiber. And while that usually refers to its unmatchable softness or the fiber's specific properties which allow the wool to trap and retain heat, it is often forgotten how naturally strong and durable it can be. 

Some of the more common issues with other fibers such as stains, pilling, and static electricity are minimal and even virtually eliminated with proper care and maintenance. With the right care and precautions, alpaca woolen garments can look as good as new for a very long time! 

First of all, you need to know that Alpaca Fiber is naturally an anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and odor-resistant fiber, so you actually don't need to worry that often about washing your alpaca wool clothing. There will be instances where you'll need to do so, and for those instances, we want to share with you some helpful information on how to wash alpaca wool clothes.

If you want to continue to enjoy the softness and value of your Alpaca Clothing for as long as possible, please take this into consideration:

For all of our Alpaca Coats, Jackets, Vests, we recommend cleaning with an eco-friendly dry cleaner. There's a great Wall Street Journal article, Finding an Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaner, that talks about alternatives to Perc, the known air groundwater pollutant and likely human carcinogen that's used by most traditional dry cleaners. 

INCALPACA/KUNA on how to wash alpaca wool garments: We recommend dry cleaning only, which includes as an alternative, depending on the type of article and its composition, adding any solvent except trichloroethylene.

INCALPACA uses Perchloro Ethylene as one of the main solvents, which effectively removes dirt and grease stains.

However, if you aren't satisfied with the results provided by dry cleaning  and you consider that the product definitely needs to be washed, we at Alpaca Collections recommend you follow this step-by-step guide(only for knitwear) on how to wash alpaca wool clothes and accessories:

Step 1: Let It Soak in Cold or Lukewarm Water.

To wash an alpaca woolen item, all you need to do for the first step is to let it soak in cold or lukewarm water. Add a dash of a very gentle detergent, baby shampoo, or conditioner. Let it soak for about 30 minutes to up to one hour. Don’t rub it, brush it, or agitate it in any way.

Step 2: Take It Out of The Water And Rinse It With Cold or Lukewarm Running Water

Alpaca fabric should not be twisted or wrung. What you can do is gently squeeze the excess water out. Also, make sure to support the garment to prevent the weight (that is now absorbed by the alpaca wool) from pulling it down and out of shape.

Step 3: Place It Between Two Towels and Air-Dry on a Flat Surface

Place your garment on top of a towel in its original form. Then, put a second towel on top of it and roll it up to gently squeeze out the water. While doing this, make sure not to stretch your piece.

Once most of the water is absorbed, let your garment air dry and make sure that it remains flat. As long as there is water in the fibers, the weight will deform your piece as soon as it is being hung out.

While there are tricks to reshape an alpaca woolen garment to its original shape, it is always better to prevent this from happening to begin with. 

Some additional tips to consider to prevent your favorite alpaca garments from deteriorating:

• Store them in a well-ventilated closet on cedar hangers, only after cleaning them. Food stains and body oils attract moths, and the cleaning will also kill any hidden larvae. We also suggest including some cedar chips or lavender.
• All knitwear, including Sweaters and Blankets, should be folded and laid flat. 
• If you feel like your favorite Alpaca Sweater can use a bit of airing, hang it in the bathroom while you’re taking a shower. Or, outside, on a misty day.
• When an alpaca woolen garment has shrunk, you can wash it with a conditioner to unshrink it. The conditioner will soften the fibers and help loosen up the garment. Stretching the garment into its original form when it is wet, will help. 
• Brush your alpaca garments often to remove surface soil and revive the nap. Brush lengthwise with a whisk or lint brush. This is especially important for heavily napped fabrics. For finer fabrics, use a damp sponge.

I hope you find this guide on how to wash alpaca wool garments helpful! If you follow these tips, gleaned from experts, your fine alpaca garment will be clean and in good shape for many years. If you have further questions on how to wash alpaca wool items, feel free to contact us at service@alpacacollections.com

Sources:

Chris McCue, Co-owner of Classic Alpaca: worldwide distributor, and manufacturer of fine alpaca fashions.

Eveline Vente, Founder of Yanatin Alpaca: a sustainable brand of alpaca woolen products made by women in Bolivia.