You have just treated yourself to a cashmere sweater and you are wondering how to maintain it without making mistakes? Charlotte Björklund, founder of Linnea Lund, a premium cashmere brand, demystifies everything: drying, ironing, storage and pilling, for a beautiful cashmere, season after season. And you will see, there is nothing complicated about it.
⭐ Cashmere care, Charlotte's 5 golden rules
- Contrary to popular belief, cashmere is not a fragile material and it is very simple to take care of.
- Wash it cold (20 °C maximum), with a suitable detergent.
- Dry it flat, away from a heat source (keep the drying rack away from the radiator).
- Store it folded, never on a hanger (hanging it is the guarantee of deforming the knit).
- Comb it from time to time (yes, yes, to eliminate pilling).
Cashmere loves water: how often should you wash it?
Charlotte, can we easily and regularly wash our cashmere clothes?
Yes, of course! It is even essential for it to keep its softness. In contact with water, cashmere revives and, by drying, the fiber regains all its suppleness. It's a bit like having a brand new cashmere after each wash!
How often should it be washed?
While you can wear a cashmere sweater 2 or 3 times before washing it, for a cashmere t-shirt, it is one day. The fiber does not like perspiration.
Which wash do you prefer?
In truth, both work very well! Personally, I wash by hand when I only have one sweater or t-shirt to wash. A basin of cold water, a little suitable detergent, I let it soak for 20 minutes and that's it!
👉 By hand or in the machine, the right temperature for each yarn, the spin, stains: find the full step-by-step method in our guide how to wash cashmere.
How to dry and iron your cashmere without deforming it?
What is your secret for hanging your cashmere without stretching it?
I always lay it flat, away from the sun and far from radiators so that the fiber dries naturally, at its own pace. This is the secret to keeping its softness and preserving its shape.
If we cannot wring out the cashmere, how to avoid it dripping everywhere?
I have a great infallible technique: the cotton towel! I place the garment inside then I roll the towel up while pressing so that it absorbs the water.
Can cashmere be ironed?
Yes, we can when we like the laundry to be perfect like I do. But we barely heat the iron and we slip a pressing cloth (a damp cloth) between the iron and the cashmere. Lots of steam, little heat, that's the rule. And if you have a steam steamer, it's ideal!
In what way should you store your cashmere?
What is your method?
I embrace my Marie Kondo side for cashmere. Sweaters, cardigans, vests, I fold them in a drawer or on a shelf. I never hang them so as not to deform them. Even for T-shirts like our Jeanette, I recommend folding them instead.
👉 Natural repellents, moth holes, Charlotte's freezer trick: everything you need to know is in our guide how to protect cashmere from moths.
Pilling: the nightmare of cashmere
How to avoid them?
It's impossible… Pilling is a completely natural phenomenon, notably because of repeated friction. It is inevitable, but it is manageable.
How to get rid of them?
I use a special cashmere comb. I brush the garment flat in the direction of the knit with short movements. It's radical and allows in the process to eliminate dust and hair.
3 frequent questions on cashmere care
How do you remove pilling from cashmere?
Pilling is natural and comes from friction. Lay the garment flat and brush it in the direction of the knit with short strokes, using a special cashmere comb. It also removes dust and hair.
Should cashmere be folded or hung?
Always folded, in a drawer or on a shelf. A hanger stretches the knit out of shape, even on a lightweight cashmere t-shirt.
Can we recover a cashmere sweater that has shrunk in the wash?
Yes! And we even have an infallible method to discover here.