Wool Care

Washing - how often?

Wool covers  don't need to be washed after every use! As lanolised wool is anti-bacterial they renew themselves when left to air. On average they will need to be washed every other week if they are in continual use. You will know when they need washing as they will start to retain a faint odour, not that which you can smell when they are taken off baby but one that lingers after they have been aired. If your wool wrap becomes soiled, gently remove by sponging with a damp cloth.

Lanolising - how often?

We recommend that your wool covers are washed and lanolin treated each week for the first 3 weeks. This builds up an initial water resistance. Once the first 3 lanolin treatments have been applied you should be able to use your them for a month or so before they need lanolising again. This will depend on how often they are worn.

You will know when to lanolise as they will begin to lose their water resistance.

Washing Instructions

Hand Wash: wet through with warm water (babys' bath temperature) and gently rub them on the inside with a bar of olive oil soap.

You can also use wool shampoo or baby shampoo to wash your wool soakers. Soak them for 10 minutes in approx. one tablespoon of wool shampoo. We recommend olive oil soap, rubbing them on the inside with the soap helps the fibres of the wool felt a little, aiding its' natural water resistance. Don't rub too hard as this could cause the wool to go hard.

Rinse with water at baby's bath temperature. The most important thing is to use the same temperature water throughout. It is changes in temperature that can 'shock' the wool, causing it to shrink, rather than the actual water temperature.

Machine Wash: Unless specified otherwise Woollywraps™ wool soakers, wool wraps and wool longies are machine washable on a gentle 30ºC wool wash. It is best to turn them inside out before washing and place inside a net bag or pillowcase.  Pixie Knits are best hand washed.

Optional

Adding vinegar can be beneficial to your wool covers but is not essential. A 10 minute soak in vinegar water before washing can be good for your wool wraps. Alternatively you can put a tablespoon of vinegar in the final rinse. This is because wool likes acidic conditions and water is alkaline.

Rinse then Dry

Rinse, in water at approximately the same temperature as the wash water.

Gently squeeze out the excess water, we don't recommend rubbing in a towel as this can remove some of the lanolin and damage the wool fibres. Dry away from direct heat. Do not put them in a tumble dryer, on radiators or in sunlight as they may shrink. Good places to dry are over a shower rail or towel rail or similar where air is circulating around the cover but they are away from direct heat.  I hang them by a child’s trouser coat hanger (the kind with grips),

Allow approx. 24hrs to dry but this can vary depending on the level of humidity in the room.

Lanolising Instructions

If using Imse Vimse Wool Cure or similar:
Wash as described above (no need to dry before lanolising). Using Wool Cure add 30-45ml (2-3 tablespoons) to 2 pints of luke warm water, work the liquid through the cover by moving the cover around. Leave to soak overnight, agitating the cover occasionally. No need to rinse. Dry as above. *Always check the instructions on your wool cure as manufacturers' recommendations do vary. NB: please also check that what you have is lanolin not a wool wash/shampoo with a small amount of lanolin content (for example, Eucalan) - these are good for washing your wraps with but do not give a full lanolin treatment.

If using liquid/solid lanolin:
Wash as described above (no need to dry before lanolising). Put just under a teaspoonful (per wrap to be lanolised) with a squirt of baby shampoo/wool shampoo and mix with very hot water until completely dissolved.  Put the mixture into a tub or the sink and add warm water until it's at approx. baby bath temperature, then put the wool cover into the mix, squeeze the lanolin mix through the wrap. Leave to soak, preferably overnight, agitating the cover occasionally. No need to rinse. Dry as above.

Using a bit too much lanolin can make the wrap feel sticky – its not a problem, it will feel normal again after the first use.

Wool covers will improve each time they are treated with lanolin and they will continue to improve over time when cared for as described above.

Solid and liquid Lanolin and wool wash (NOT wool cure) now on sale here at BumFluff Nappies with free P&P

If you have any lasinoh left over from breastfeeding - this is solid lanolin and can be used for your wool covers!