Your kitchen or bathroom sink should offer more than enough room to hand-wash a single sweater. If you don’t have a suitably-sized sink available, you could also run a few inches of water into your bathtub, or hunt for a clean plastic storage container or bucket.
It’s alright to use liquid laundry detergent, provided it’s a gentle variety that’s safe to use on delicates. Liquid soaps or shampoos made from all-natural ingredients can also do the job if you don’t have anything else on hand. You don’t want to get the water too soapy, as this could make it hard to rinse all of the suds out of your sweater later on. [3] X Research source
If you encounter any stubborn spots, try rubbing them lightly with the pad of your finger to provide a little extra friction.
Come back periodically and swish the sweater through the soap solution to release as much clinging dirt and debris as possible. If a long-set stain doesn’t come out after about half an hour, it may be beyond your ability to clean at home without harming the garment. Consider taking it somewhere to have it cleaned professionally.
Turn the sweater slowly under the tap to ensure that the water makes contact with each part of it.
If pills do happen to form on the outside of the sweater, getting rid of them is as simple as giving them a few light swipes with a disposable razor. Larger knots can be snipped off with a pair of scissors. [7] X Research source It’s also possible to buy handheld de-pilling devices designed to shave off pills safely and easily. One of these could come in handy if pilling is a frequent issue when washing knit and woven items.
Other, more forceful wash cycles could leave your favorite sweater looking battered and misshapen.
Be sure to check the tag on your sweater before you throw it in the washer. Some acrylic garments are safe to wash in warm water, while others aren’t.
The exact amount of detergent you use will depend on how much water there is in the washing machine and whether or not you’re laundering other items along with your sweater. Using too much detergent could lead to premature deterioration or buildup, which can leave clothes feeling greasy and trap bacteria inside the nooks and crannies of textured garments like sweaters. [11] X Research source
Many newer washing machines have “Low Spin” and “No Spin” options that make it easier to preserve delicate clothing items. If your machine has one of these options, be sure to select it. Whenever possible, it’s always better to hand-wash garments that are at risk of being damaged in the washing machine.
You may also need to give your sweater a good squeeze if you opted to take it out of the washer before the spin cycle. There should be no need to press sweaters that have been through a full wash cycle. Never wring, twist, or ball up a sweater. Mangling it in this way could cause it to lose its shape permanently. [15] X Research source
Towels made from ultra-soft materials like microfiber or terry cloth are less likely to rough up your sweater while they’re pressed together.
Check on your sweater frequently and take it out of the dryer as soon as it feels dry to the touch. If you dry your sweater in a full machine, it could get tangled up with other items, which can also contribute to stretching and wrinkling.
Drape a towel over your drying rack to continue soaking up moisture and help your sweater dry even faster. It’s not a good idea to hang a freshly-washed sweater, due to all the extra weight. [19] X Research source
If you dry clean a sweater and the fabric contracts a little, you can steam it. If there are stains, wet clean the sweater. Wash and dry it at low heat. Take it out when it is slightly damp to prevent it from shrinking. Don’t put your sweater back on until it’s had time to dry completely. Stretching out the fibers while they’re still damp is practically guaranteed to leave it looking loose, limp, and lifeless. If you’re not planning on wearing your sweater right away, fold it neatly and put it away in a drawer. It’s best to avoid hanging knit sweaters, even when they’re dry. Gravity is another common cause of premature stretching.
