Save Your Shrunken Wool Jumper

One of the most frustrating disasters to befall a beloved piece of clothing is the phenomenon of wool shrinkage.

Fortunately, the process of wool shrinkage is not as irreversible as it is commonly assumed. A careful process of washing and re-stretching can restore your jumper to its original size, sparing you the need to replace it.

When wool gets wet and warm, the fibres in the wool lock themselves together and don't want to let go, resulting in shrinkage (you can apply water or heat to wool - but not both), which can make washing wool garments a dangerous business.

To un-shrink the wool, soak the garment in cold water with a mild wool friendly soap for about 10 minutes. This unlocks the fibres in the wool. Then hang or lay the garment out in a cool place.

Stretch the garment out to its original dimensions. The stretching pulls the unlocked wool fibres away from each other. Once this is done relax and allow your wool garment to dry.

The absence of heat from the drying process allows the wool fibres to set in place without locking together and shrinking the garment again!