How to care for merino wool (without ruining it)

Merino wool is one of the most forgiving natural fibres you'll own — soft, temperature-regulating, naturally odour-resistant — but it's still wool. Hot water, an aggressive spin cycle, or a tumble dryer will turn a beautifully fitted scarf into a felted shadow of itself in under thirty minutes.

This is what we tell every customer who buys a hand-knit merino piece from our workshop in Kyiv. None of it is complicated.

What makes merino different from regular wool

Merino comes from the merino sheep, originally bred in North Africa and Spain and now farmed mostly in Australia and New Zealand. The fibre is much finer than the wool used in industrial sweaters — typically 17–24 microns versus 30+ for coarse wool — which is why it doesn't itch. The same fineness is why it needs gentler handling: thin fibres felt and shrink faster than thick ones.

Washing merino wool, step by step

1. Hand wash, cool water. Fill a clean basin with cool water — around 20–25 °C. Body-temperature water is already too warm.
2. Use a wool-safe detergent. Anything labelled "for wool" or "for delicates" works. Skip regular laundry detergent — the enzymes in it digest protein fibres, and wool is protein.
3. Soak, don't agitate. Submerge the piece. Press it gently under the water. Leave it for 10 minutes. Do not rub, twist, or wring — friction is what causes felting.
4. Rinse twice. Drain the soapy water, refill with clean cool water, press gently, drain again.
5. Press out water on a towel. Lay the piece flat on a clean towel, roll the towel up like a sleeping bag, press down. Repeat with a dry towel.
6. Dry flat. Reshape on a fresh towel and leave to air-dry on a flat surface. Hanging wet wool stretches it permanently.

The whole thing takes maybe 15 minutes of active work.

Can you machine-wash merino?

Yes — carefully. If your machine has a true wool cycle (not just "delicate"), use it with cool water and a wool detergent. Put the piece in a mesh laundry bag. Skip the spin cycle if you can; if you can't, set it to the lowest speed.

If you're unsure whether your machine's "wool" cycle is gentle enough, do one piece by hand first and see how it comes out.

Drying: never the dryer

A tumble dryer is the single fastest way to destroy a merino piece. The combination of heat and tumbling action shrinks and felts the fibres in one cycle. Always air-dry flat. In humid weather, a clean towel under a fan works.

Storing merino through the off-season

Wool moths are attracted to dirty wool — body oils and food residue are what they actually eat, not the fibre itself. So: wash before storage. Then:

• Fold rather than hang. Hangers stretch the shoulders.
• Store in a sealed cotton bag or breathable plastic box.
• Add cedar blocks, lavender sachets, or both. Refresh them every six months.
• Keep storage cool and dry.

Avoid plastic dry-cleaning bags long-term — they trap humidity.

Common questions

Does merino wool shrink? Only with heat or agitation. Cold water plus gentle handling won't shrink it noticeably.

Why does my merino piece smell after wearing once? Probably it doesn't, actually. Merino is naturally odour-resistant — you can wear most pieces several times between washes. Air it out overnight rather than washing.

My piece pilled — is it ruined? No. Pilling is normal in the first weeks of wear. Use a fabric shaver or a wool comb. The pilling stops once loose fibres work their way out.

Can I iron merino? Don't iron directly. If a piece is creased, hover a steamer above it or let the bathroom steam smooth it out while you shower.

Why care matters more than you think

A hand-knit merino scarf takes one of our makers six to eight hours. The fibre itself comes from a sheep that took a year to grow it. Wash it cool, dry it flat, fold it for storage — and you'll be wearing it in fifteen years.

If you have a hand-knit piece from us and aren't sure how to handle it, message us on Telegram or Instagram — we'll tell you exactly what to do for that specific piece.