How to wash knitwear: Fabric expert reveals the item of clothing you should only be washing once a year

Wearing knitwear is one of the best things about winter and if we care for our jumpers and cardigans well they’ll last us beyond this season.

For some this means painstakingly hand washing and air drying them flat on clothes airers.

But according to one fabric expert we don’t have to go through that laborious process to keep our knitwear in good condition, nor do we need to wash them that much at all.

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Rebecca Van Amber, senior lecturer at the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT University, recommends washing knitwear as little as possible.

There is only one time each year when washing knitwear is important.

“If you’re like me and you also put your wool jumpers away for the winter, you do want to wash them before you store them, because if they have any sort of dirt or food on them that will make it more of an attraction for moths and those sorts of insects that might damage your wool,” she tells 9honey Living.

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“So you don’t need to wash your wool very much when you’re wearing it but you do need to wash it before you store it, for sure.”

Wool knitwear can be worn many times without washing because wool is naturally odour resistant.

For knitwear made from acrylic fibres, odours may be absorbed more easily – but Van Amber still encourages less washing to prevent pilling.

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To keep your knitwear smelling fresh and looking clean in between your hopefully very infrequent washes, there are a few things you can do.

One is to wear a shirt underneath so that the knitwear isn’t touching your skin or in direct contact with sweat, and another is to air out your knitwear in a shady spot outside or somewhere breezy inside.

If you do have stains or spill things on your garments, spot cleaning instead of putting the whole item through the wash will get the item looking good again.

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While hand washing can be a good option for delicate garments like knitwear, Van Amber admits she never does it.

Instead she keeps her knitwear in good condition by using her washing machine’s delicate or wool cycle and two other items that only cost about $3 each.

“I’m a huge fan of using those mesh bags for those delicate items, putting them in one of those mesh bags… they’re so inexpensive and putting any delicate item in that bag, I find really helps make it last a lot longer,” she says.

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“So if I’m washing anything delicate [in the machine] for me it really comes down to using that bag, using my delicate or wool cycle on my machine, and most importantly, using the right detergent.”

By the right detergent Van Amber means wool and delicate detergent which can be found at supermarkets for $2.70 and at The Reject Shop for $2.60.

“That is my number one tip; use a wool wash, a laundry powder or liquid that is designed for the type of clothing that you’re washing,” she adds.

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After washing knitwear the textiles expert hangs most of them on a clothes airer, but if the item is more delicate she will dry it flat.

It’s best not to use the dryer for drying knitwear as it can damage the garment. 

For heavier knitwear Van Amber is a fan of popping it on a towel and rolling it up to squeeze out the remaining water after washing. Once the excess moisture is out you can dry it flat on another towel.

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Now that your knitwear has been washed and dried it’s time to store it and the best way is folding it neatly to prevent wrinkles.

“Definitely, you don’t wanna be hanging your sweaters or jumpers up in the closet because they will stretch out, especially in the shoulders because of the hangers,” Van Amber explains.

When winter ends it’s time to wash your knitwear and once completely dry store in sealed containers or vacuum sealed bags.

Then when the weather is cold again you will be able to pull out your clean, damage-free knitwear to wear straight away.

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