tips

[GlassMan]

I recently used Dryel in the dryer to freshen up a wool kilt. Prior to that treatment, I re-basted the pleats. When it came out of the dryer, it not only was better smelling, but it only required touch up ironing and the pleat creases were where they were supposed to be.

I've used Dryel for my kilts and just used my steamer to touch up the creases afterwards. I didn't bother to rebaste the pleats and it still came out looking great.

[Barb T]

Felting happens when wool is agitated in water, particularly if you start in hot water (which opens up the little plates along the wool fibers), agitate, and plunge the fabric into cold water, which clamps the little plates down again. It's quite possible to reduce a wool garment to half its size and double its thickness this way. Felting is also why wool socks get that "biscuit texture" when you wear them a lot and sweat in your shoes. It's also how Dachstein mittens are made - the mittens are knitted about 2 feet long and big enough for the Cardiff Giant and then felted to size.

Yes, you could wash a wool kilt very carefully in cold water (in fact, I know people who take a kilt out, hang it on the line and more or less pressure wash it with a hose...). if you do, be sure not to agitate and wring. Lift it very carefully out of the water and roll it inside towels to get most of the moisture out before picking it up.

The "hand" of the fabric will be different after washing, and it's likely to be fuzzier. Wool is also very stretchy fabric, and you need to be really careful about a heavy, wet kilt stretching out of shape if you handle it while it's wet. You also need to be very careful how you press it back into shape. Honestly, I wouldn't wash a kilt any more than I would wash a $500 suit, but there are those more intrepid than I!!!

Barb