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Washing Fleece - 10 Steps for Fantastic Results
by Debby McCandless

Description: Easy tips for washing and caring for sheep and alpaca fleece.

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Washing fleece from fiber animals is really not hard. Are you afraid of ruining your fleece? Worried about felting it? You CAN wash your fleece and get fantastic results by following the 10 steps below.

1. Pick out vegetable matter before washing and wash your raw fleece as soon as possible after it has been removed from the animal. Leaving dirt in a fleece will attract bugs.

2. Use lingerie bags. The bags keep your fleece together when moving it from bath and rinse water. Don't overstuff the bags, though. Water won't be able to circulate through all the fleece. Put the fleece very loosely in the bag. Better to have less than too much in the bag. The bags will, also, help to minimize any agitation which helps to keep your fleece from felting.

3. Use VERY HOT water. As hot as possible. Don't worry, hot water alone will not felt your fleece.

4. Use detergent, not soap. Soap will felt your fleece. Soap is alkaline and will open the scales on your wool actually helping it to felt. Dawn dish washing liquid is a favorite for washing fleece. Another possibility is a product called Basic H by Shaklee. It is a biodegradable (all natural) product. It isn't cheap, but you will probably only have to wash your fleece once.

5. Do not put your fleece in the sink or bathtub (or whatever container you are using to wash) while it is filling with water. This will agitate the fleece and cause it to felt. No swishing either.

6. Gently push the bag in the water. Let soak for 20 minutes. If your water significantly cools in 10 minutes, then remove the bag, refill the sink, and soak for another 10 minutes for a total of 20 minutes soaking time.

7. Take the bag out and drain. Repeat a second and third wash if necessary to remove all the dirt. Drain.

8. Rinse in cool water with a dash of vinegar. Drain.

9. Use a salad spinner or washing machine to spin out excess water.

10. Remove the fleece from the lingerie bag and spread out to dry on a screen or towel. Pull clumps apart to allow for thorough drying. Keep checking periodically and spreading to completely dry.

See washing fleece is simple! Use a lingerie bag, hot water, detergent, no agitation and you will have fantastically clean fleece.

Read more about washing fleece at the owning-alpaca website. Debby McCandless raises alpacas and uses the fleece to needle felt three dimensional art dolls.

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