Washing and drying

The nature of our knitwear — or any knitwear for that matter — is that it’s soft and comforting. Maintain this by only hand washing your knitwear, ideally using a gentle cleanser, and not your regular detergent. Gently knead the piece in a basin of lukewarm water, and leave it to soak for 10-15 minutes. When done, gently wring out the piece, and lay on a dry towel. Roll the towel to absorb as much liquid as you can, and then lay the piece flat to air dry. By laying the piece flat, you’re able to gently reshape the piece, whereas hanging will stretch the garment out in an undesirable way.

Restoring

When wearing clothing made of natural fibers, it’s normal for some pilling to occur — it could be where your arm brushes against your side, or on the seat of your trousers. We recommend using a pilling comb to carefully remove any unwanted bobbles on the surface of the fabric, to get it looking brand new again. Should you have any snags or holes after years of wear, it's easy to darn the holes yourself, or take it to a repair shop -- small holes are easy to fix, and can make your piece look new again.

Bertille Merino Trousers in Prune, worn with our Adele Bralette.

Storage

Just like you wouldn’t hang your knitwear to dry after washing, you shouldn’t hang it to store it. Regardless of whether it’s a chunky knit or a fine weave, hangers and rails can cause the piece to loose its shape, which is hard to bounce back from. Always store your knitwear folded on a shelf or in a drawer, and never on a hanger. When the piece is out of season, or you’re packing it away for any reason, be sure you use protective bags to prevent against harmful moths and dust pile-up.

Avoid washing when possible

A good rule to follow to keep all of your clothes looking brand new and in top shape is to only wash them when they’re truly dirty. Often times, it’s better to spot clean or air out a piece instead of tossing it in the machine, or even washing completely by hand. One of our favorite methods is to air out for a day, and then put back in the drawer with a lavender sachet.

Lavender sachet, perfect to keep in your knitwear drawer, from Goop.

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