I shrunk a cashmere sweater to toddler size in the dryer. Once. It was a gift. I still feel bad about it fifteen years later. That expensive mistake taught me something: wool is not delicate — it is just different. Treat it like cotton and you destroy it. Treat it right and it lasts a decade.

Never Hang Wool Sweaters. Ever.

Hangers stretch the shoulders. The weight of the sweater pulling down against a hanger creates permanent dimples at the shoulder seams that never go away. Fold wool sweaters instead. Store them flat on a shelf or in a drawer. If you only have hanging space, fold the sweater in half and drape it over the bar of a padded hanger — shoulders hanging evenly on both sides.

You Do Not Need to Wash After Every Wear

Wool is naturally antimicrobial and odor-resistant. Wear a wool sweater three to five times before washing it. Between wears, hang it to air out for a day. If there is a small spot, spot-clean with cold water and a tiny dab of wool detergent. Full washing too often breaks down the fibers faster than wearing it does.

When you do wash it: cold water only. Warm or hot water agitates the scales on wool fibers, causing them to lock together — that is felting, a.k.a. shrinking. Use a detergent labeled for wool (Woolite or similar). Never wring or twist wool. Press water out between towels and lay flat to dry, reshaping gently. The dryer is the enemy.

Off-Season Storage

Before storing wool for summer: clean it first. Moths are attracted to the body oils and food particles in worn wool, not the wool itself. Store in a breathable cotton bag — not plastic, which traps moisture. Add a cedar block or lavender sachet as a natural moth deterrent. Do not use mothballs. They smell terrible and the smell never fully comes out.

Fold, do not hang. Wash rarely, wash cold. Store clean with cedar. My wool sweaters are going on six years now and they look the same as the day I bought them.