Cashmere is a beautiful fabric that needs special care to maintain its soft, luxurious feel. It is a common belief that cashmere must always be dry-cleaned, but this is not always the case. In fact, over time, dry cleaning chemicals can damage these natural fibers. Always dry clean cashmere if it contains sequins, beads, or other delicate trim, not colorfast; or has serious stains.  Cashmere knits can be gently hand washed. Rubbing changes the texture of cashmere, so you will not want to spot clean your garment. If you do, there will always be a noticeable worn area on your piece. If you have a stain, either wash the entire garment or allow a dry cleaner to handle it.  

To Hand Wash Cashmere:

• Dissolve mild detergent or baby shampoo in lukewarm water. Never use bleach.
• Place the garment in the water and then gently swish it around for a few minutes, allowing the suds to soak in. (make sure you wash dyed garments cashmere separately so that colors don’t bleed).
• Rinse your garment in cool water (and a little hair conditioner, if you like, to maintain softness), being careful not to stretch the fabric.
• After rinsing do not wring but place it your cashmere on a clean, un-dyed towel and roll them up together to blot away excess water. For large garments, you may want to do this several times.
• Place your garment on a fresh towel or drying rack. Reshape the piece, and make sure to let it air dry away from any direct heat or sunlight.

Don’t over wash your cashmere.  Under normal use, you should be able to wear a cashmere sweater a minimum of 6 times before it needs washing. To iron an occasional wrinkle, turn it inside out, place a slightly damp cloth over the piece, and press with a cool iron. Never apply an iron directly to cashmere. Friction damages cashmere garments and causes pilling.

Choose handbags and accessory pieces carefully or completely avoid jewelry.  Try accessorizing with a scarf and carrying a clutch style pocketbook. If your cashmere happens to develop pills, do not brush at them with any sort of lint remover. This just causes further pilling. Instead, wash the sweater to remove the worst of the pills and then gently remove the rest by hand.

To store cashmere in the off-season, make sure it is clean. Body odor and stains are virtually impossible to remove once they have set for a few months. Protect your cashmere from moths by storing it with cedar chips or mothballs and keeping it in airtight plastic. Following these simple steps should give you many years of wearable enjoyment out of your cashmere.

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Posted by: Karen Hughes, Founder of Image Assets, an Image Consulting Firm serving the Alpharetta and Metro Atlanta areas. As a seasoned certified image consultant, Karen follows a simple philosophy: educate, empower, and enrich the lives of her clients. Her philosophy is enmeshed throughout her practice and can be observed in her workshops, clinics, and one-on-one consultations. Her energetic and interactive style makes her a sought-after training resource for organizations and individuals alike. Even the most difficult topics seem effortless for Karen as she tackles such challenges as professional etiquette, business dress personal image and body shape.

Posted by Karen Hughes on December 3rd, 2008 in Articles, Wardrobe