By following the care instructions below, your cashmere and yak wool garments will maintain their quality and luxurious feel for years to come. Be sure to also check the care label for any additional style-specific instructions.
PILLING TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
Pilling occurs when the short fibres in the fabric start to break and form small balls on the surface and is common in most natural fibres. It’s perfectly normal to see a small amount in your new cashmere or yak wool garment, and this is not a reflection of the quality of your knitwear.
Pilling is typically seeing in areas of friction like under the arms or where, for example, a bag, belt, or item of jewellery may rub. We would therefore suggest you keep this in mind when wearing your items. To help you treat pilling, we include a complementary cashmere comb with every purchase. Alternatively, you can use a fabric shaver. When combing, it's important to lay the garment flat and work carefully and lightly.
Proper washing – as recommended below – can also minimize pilling. We also recommend you give your cashmere garments rest between wears to allow the fibres to recover.
PRE-TREATING STAINS
Treat any stains immediately. However, first carefully read the product label on any stain remover to make sure it can be used on cashmere wool. It’s best to test stain-removal products on an inconspicuous spot, such as an inside seam.
NEVER use bleach, or any other chlorine-based stain remover.
If the stain is fresh, blot it with a clean cloth. Work the stain remover in by gently rubbing the stain remover on the fabric with your fingers. Don't scrub with a brush, which can mark the fabric.
WASHING
Both cashmere and yak wool are breatheable and have antimicrobial and moisture-wicking properties that help prevent odours, reducing the need for frequent washing. Washing your garments too often can cause unnecessary damage to the fibres, despite their inherently robust nature. Our recommendation is that, unless your item becomes excessively soiled or stained, one wash per season is sufficient.
Cashmere and yak wool are sensitive to excessive heat, abrasion and harsh chemicals, so the golden rules of washing are:
- ALWAYS use cool water
- NEVER rub or wring your garment
- ONLY use a small amount of mild detergent, specifically formulated for knitwear. Baby shampoo also works quite well.
- AVOID fabric softeners. Your wool is naturally soft and doesn’t need any chemical assistance!
Although they’re towards the delicate end of the textile spectrum, it is possible to machine wash cashmere and yak wool, provided you use the delicate cycle, a cool temperature (max 30°C) setting and a slow spin cycle. If you go this route, we recommend that you put the garment in a mesh bag to protect it from agitation.
However, we strongly recommend gentle hand-washing in cool water as the best option, using minimal agitation and leaving your garment to soak for 30 minutes.
After washing, rinse well and gently press out excess water without wringing. Don't worry if some excess dye is released into the water – you’re unlikely to notice any colour loss once the item is dry.
Specialist dry cleaning is a good option for cases where there is staining, for structured garments, such as outer coats, or loose-weave knitwear. One benefit of dry cleaning is that it can help protect against moths, which are repelled by the residual odours of the cleaning products.
DRYING
Reshape the garment while damp and lay it flat on a towel to air-dry, away from sunlight, radiators, or other sources of direct heat.
If you’ve read this far, it should go without saying, but please NEVER use a tumble dryer!
IRONING AND STEAMING
We recommend using a steamer to get rid of any creases or wrinkles in your cashmere or yak wool garments. If you wish to use an iron, please DO NOT IRON YOUR GARMENT DIRECTLY as the fibres can be damaged by the high heat! Instead, turn the item inside out and use a pressing cloth over the wool. Apply a low, moist heat to the pressing cloth for no more than 10 seconds at a time.
STORAGE
Pests such as moths and silverfish lay eggs in and nibble on wool and cashmere fibres. They can be kept at bay by storing in cedar chests or other bags/bins with natural moth repellents. Otherwise, you can use cedar balls or herb sachets that contain lavender, mint, rosemary, thyme, or cloves.
Every purchase with Unur Cashmere comes with a bag which is breatheable and moth-repellant, and is made from recycled materials . We recommend you retain the bag for storage and the long-term protection of your product.