Since I mentioned wool diaper covers in my post on toddler cloth diapering a couple of weeks ago, I thought it might be a good idea to write an updated post about how I wash them. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
Spot Treating Stains
Wet the wool with warm water, and add a small drop of wool wash (such as Ecover Delicate Wash or Unicorn Fibre Wash) to the stain.
Using your index finger and thumb, gently pinch the soap into the stitches of the wool. (Do not rub, this will cause felting.)
Let sit for approximately 15 mins, then rinse well, and repeat if necessary.
Washing Wool
Fill a bowl or sink with lukewarm water, and add a few squirts of the wool wash. I use my hand to swish around the water to create suds.
Turn the wool inside out, add to the bowl, and let soak for 10-15 mins. Come back a couple of times and swish it around a bit during this soak.
Rinse under running water that’s the same temperature as the the water in the bowl/sink (very important, because extreme temperature changes can cause felting!)
Wash again if needed, and gently squeeze (don’t twist or wring) out the extra water after the final rinse.
Dump the soapy water and rinse the bowl or sink prior to lanolizing.
Lanolizing
** If your child is potty-trained or your using wool over disposable diapers, you can skip this step, because you don’t need the wool to be leakproof. Skip ahead to drying the wool.
Make a lanolin mixture (emulsification):
Heat a mug or small bowl of water. Add a teaspoon of solid lanolin and a few squirts of wool wash or baby wash. Stir until the water turns milky white.
Or you can skip all of that, and use E-Muls Pre-Emulsified Solid Lanolin, which is lanolin that’s already emulsified for you!
Refill your bowl or sink with warm water. (I actually use a gallon sized Ziploc bag for easy clean up!)
Add your lanolin mixture or E-Muls (following the instructions on the bottle). The water should turn cloudy.
Put your clean, rinsed wool in the bowl/sink/Ziploc bag, and soak for at least 30 mins. I tend to do it overnight, but only because I forget about it. Haha
You do not need to rinse following the lanolin soak.
Dump the lanolin water out (preferably outside, as it can clog pipes over time).
Drying Wool
After the wool has soaked in lanolin (or been rinsed completely, if you’re skipping the lanolin step), squeeze out the extra water, and roll in a towel or add to a SPIN ONLY cycle in your washer to lessen drying time.
Lay wool flat to dry in a well ventilated area, preferably on something like a sweater drying rack that will allow air to circulate around the wool. Turn the wool occasionally (front, back, inside out) as it’s drying. Do not dry directly in the sun or over a heater.
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