Cashmere Sweaters

Every woman should have at least one cashmere sweater in her closet. They are beautiful and show class and style. Cashmere is a wool derived from cashmere goats. Unknown to most there are actually several goat breeds that can make cashmere wool. China is a large producer of this wool because of their large producing goat population. This wool is extremely fine and is also extremely warm. Cashmere wool is much warmer than sheep wool, however it remains light and very wearable. If you own one or more cashmere sweaters, you need to know how to care for them properly.

Cashmere apparel tags may read dry clean only, however you can hand wash them. Many people actually prefer to hand wash their cashmere items because it is cheaper and results in softer wool over time. Fill a sink, tub or basin with water that is cool to lukewarm in temperature. Add a small amount of delicate apparel wash or even shampoo for hair to the water. Swirl the detergent around until it dissolves in the water before putting the sweater in to be washed. After placing the sweater in the water, swirl it around a bit then let it soak for approximately twenty minutes.

After draining the soapy water, rinse your sweater until all the suds have been removed. Do not put your sweater in the dryer, instead gently press and wring the excess water out. Then, lay the sweater flat on a large towel. You may even want to roll up the towel with the sweater inside, then press to extract more water. Lay the sweater flat on a new dry towel until it is completely dry. As your sweater dries, smooth it into shape with your hands as you would if you were ironing it. When your cashmere sweater is dry, it is ready to be folded and stored. Do not hang cashmere as this may damage the shoulder area and stretch the sweater out of shape.

When storing cashmere sweaters they should be kept away from sunlight and moisture. If you find that your cashmere develops pills, which are tiny fuzzy balls, you can buy a depilling comb available at most any store that sells fabrics and fabric accessories. Using one of these plastic devices is far easier than picking each tiny fuzz ball off by hand. Do not be alarmed if your cashmere has pilling, this is normal and does not mean your apparel item is of inferior quality. Pilling develops from repeated wear or even exposure to certain surfaces, and can be easily removed.