How to wash Merino Wool

Here's everything you need to know to wash your delicate merino wool items and take care of our products

If you want to know all the tricks for safely washing delicate woolen items and if you want to extend the lifespan of your wool products, carefully read this post which is was written to answer the many questions customers ask us about the best way to wash merino wool.

Buy less, buy smart but above all take care of your clothes and repair when possible.
Then reuse and finally recycle.

We like to summarize the main difference between a natural product and a synthetic product like this:

a synthetic product lasts longer and it costs less or at least as much as it should be

We know well what the enormous advantages of having a natural product in contact with our skin are but the objective of this article is not is to convince ourselves of the qualities merino wool techniques that you certainly know very well, but instead to explain how to lengthen the life of our wool products with correct and delicate washing.

Having a natural product in contact with your skin is a quality choice and attention for oneself and for the planet. This choice involves greater attention in identifying the most suitable product. suited to your needs but also greater attention in the care of the product, in order to prolong its efficiency.

A more comprehensive approach aware of purchasing, caring for and reusing to buy less and more efficiently. careful.

The complete series of ELBEC socks

Our socks are made with natural yarns and Mulesing Free certified organic wool

Here if you want you can find the washing instructions for our wool products in a card that summarizes everything. If instead you want to understand what happens to wool, why it is it felts and what should be done to prolong the life of your garments, better if you continue reading...

How to wash wool?

Our socks can be washed in the washing machine without problems even if the ideal wash for wool is always the one by hand. Wool should always be washed by hand, without rubbing or wringing too much, especially precious wool such as the extra fine merino wool that we use for our handmade hats and for our trekking socks and With our ski mountaineering socks you can always use the washing machine without problems, but let's see how:

If your washing machine has a delicate wool program you can safely use it as long as you deactivate the spin cycle or reduce it to a maximum of 400 rpm.
The most important thing is important is that the water temperature does not exceed 30°C and that the clothes are not spun!

Many think it's the high temperature  water to felt while instead it is above all temperature changes and centrifuge that destroy the wool!

I'm really  the spin cycle or a very vigorous "wringing" by hand which definitively ruins your functional merino wool garments by shrinking and felting the natural fibres. Then wash your wool products easily in the washing machine at low temperature but leave them to dry flat, away from excessive heat sources

And’ The choice of detergent which should be used is also very important. be imperatively organic and vegetal (some natural detergents also contain lanolin which contributes to the maintenance of the fibres) and rinsing which must be done carefully both to prolong the life of the wool and to avoid discomfort especially if wool is in contact with the skin.

Not fabric softener! Fabric softener must not be used because it deposits a chemical patina on the yarn which could ruin it in the long run.

Often during the production phase the washing is done with fabric softener. We try to use very little of it but being an activity outsourced, sometimes it happens that batches arrive with an excessive quantity of fabric softener.

In fact, for better performance and functionality optimally, newly purchased socks should be washed cold to remove this micro patina which could cause the sock to slip excessively on the shoe, accelerating wear or causing excessive rubbing resulting in the formation of blisters!

And’ It's important not to make mistakes with the washing machine programs and I assure you that it happens very often because a cotton cycle with woolen items that ended up in it by mistake would have the effect of felting any type of wool, even the most as resistant as Brogna or Lamon wool!

To avoid making mistakes, the ideal is tosoak in a basin for a quarter of an hourand rinse by hand with plenty of water! But not everyone has the patience to do it so... don't wash your products after each use but leave them to dry quietly in a dry environment and you will see that they will remain odorless. Then pay attention to the program when you put it in the washing machine, max. 30°C!

When washing, natural wool requires multiple precautions in order to preserve its softness and efficiency

How to dry wool?

You need to take the wet clothes out of the washing machine or from soaking in case of hand washing and pat them dry with a towel, or wrap them delicately with a towel, then leave them to dry lying on the towel so that the weight of the water does not you deform them.

In the case of merino wool socks whose weight is not excessive, you could still hang them but it is preferable to place them horizontally on the drying rack if you don't have space problems. As our grandparents taught, wool should be washed in relative terms. as little as possible.

All of our light merino can be be easily rinsed with water after use without the need for actual washing and without soap. This light treatment allows you to remove sweat and dirt. Then let the balaclava or neck warmer dry and wrap it flat in a dry environment or in the air.

For socks the question is different. Despite the enviable characteristic of not developing bad odors, it is It's clear that at the end of a trek, whether it lasts a day or a week, washing is essential. desirable!

However, Attention! There is no need to wash our products every time you use them! Between one wash and another the garments can be left to dry in the sun or in the open air and you will see that the natural lanolin will its job by making the yarn like new again and without having any problem of unpleasant odors.
Seeing is believing!

Take care of our leaders. Buy less and better.

Why do the information on our labels say that the yarns are machine washable at 40°C?

As regards our socks we use two types of yarn:

• 100% natural organic from the NATURE line
• the braid made of 60% merinos and 40% polycolon from the TECH line

Certainlythe TECH line presents much less risk of felting and is generally more resistant. In fact, the wool twisted around the polycolon is unable to shrink.
The polycolon, on the other hand, hates high temperatures so our socks from both the Nature line and the TECH line must not be dried near strong heat sources strong>. It is always better to let it dry at room temperature or in the dryer but at a low temperature (although we do not recommend the second option because friction, contact or collision with other items that have hooks, zips or Velcro can still ruin the fabric in wool)

The merino wool with which our socks are made is an extra fine no mulesing wool of the highest quality; and therefore we recommend in both cases, both for the TECH line and for the NATURE line, to follow the instructions for cold washing and possibly by hand even if they are certified to be washed in the washing machine at >40°C.
This certification is issued by the supplier thanks to the innovative EXP treatment which allows the wool to be machine washable up to 40°C. In fact, during the washing, drying, fulling and ironing phases these temperatures are reached and for a few seconds even higher temperatures. high without the yarns being affected.

Different from everyday use, recurring washing perhaps with unsuitable, excessively acidic soaps that contain bleach or solvents.

So our advice is that of washing our products in cold, leaving them to air dry also because when washing a delicate item in the washing machine there is there is always the risk, as with the dryer, that it will get caught on a zipper, a button, a band on a bra or a velcro on another product, weakening the fibers or even breaking them.

Trekking socks with 100% extra fine organic merino wool yarn

A trekking sock from the TECH line with the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the background

Hand washing Merino Wool is always recommended

Now let's go in detail to see the various methods for washing merino wool without the risk of felting it to ensure maximum durability for your product.

Hand washing merino wool here's how to do it:

First choose a delicate detergent specifically for wool. There are organic products that are biodegradable and free of phosphates and other toxic elements. Solid 100% vegetable soap bars are also delicious.
Avoid laundry nuts or balls that risk ruining delicate fabrics.


In reality, according to our experience, any organic soap with neutral Ph is fine.

Do not use fabric softeners or bleach-based whitening products. Fill a basin or sink with cold water (up to 20°C water is considered cold) and add soap in small quantities. about a level spoonful of liquid soap.

Soak for a maximum of ten minutes, before removing, take the item out and back in the water 4 or five times. Then empty the basin and rinse the garment thoroughly with running water which must have the same temperature as the soaking water.

ATTENTION: never wring the clothes except gently just to remove most of the water but it must continue to drip. Do not roll or twist the garment but crush it gently between your hands.

Here's how to wash merino wool in the washing machine:

For large items the washing machine is absolutely not recommended (tights, sweaters) but for socks, helmet liners, neck warmers and all small items it is possible to use it. Our hats could also be washed in the washing machine although we strongly advise against this because they the one in the washing machine is always wash too aggressively for handmade products.
If possible, turn the items inside out. Choose the correct program which must be the one for wool and in any case always with a cold cycle without spinning.

The spin at max. 400 rpm might be fine but you might as well deactivate it and give a light squeeze by hand before removing the items from the washing machine. The temperature must never exceed 30°C.

The washing and rinsing temperature must be the same, in fact the thing that most ruins the wool are the rapid changes in temperature which generate thermal stress in the fibres, felting them.
As soon as the washing cycle in the washing machine ends, remove the clothes without leaving them wet inside for a long time because it this would risk excessively stretching the fibers, deforming them.

How to dry merino wool here's how:

It is better not to use the dryer unless at a very low temperature. Even if the label says that you can do it, it is always better to avoid drying the clothes in the machine for the reasons we saw before.

The ideal is give a light squeeze without twisting the fibers and wrap the washed item in a towel. Wrapping it in a towel will remove it. a lot of humidity without needing to squeeze too hard.

Then leave the wool garment to dry placed horizontally so that its own weight does not damage the fibers by stretching them.

Let it dry away from heat sources, moving and turning the garment from time to time outdoors or in a dry, ventilated room!

How to iron merino wool here's how:

Our socks do not need to be ironed and there is no really reason to do it like this such as neck warmers or hats.
If, however, If you want to do this, in the case of headbands and neck warmers you can iron them at a low temperature by setting your iron to "wool".

We recommend placing white cotton fabric between the item to be ironed and the wool. An old t-shirt is fine as long as it's is 100% cotton.

Now if you have read this post carefully you know everything about how to take care of our extra fine Lada Merino garments and you will see that they will accompany you for a long time. However, if you think you don't have the patience and/or methodicalness To take care of your organic merino wool products, we suggest you look towards the products of the TECH line which, thanks to the polycolon, require less attention!

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. spectacular

Edward Abbey