How to Care for Cashmere

 

There’s a simple reason our cashmere scarfs, beanies and snugs sell out as soon as they hit the STABLE of Ireland shop in Westbury Mall Dublin. Our Irish cashmere is the finest, softest and coziest you’ll find and it’s also lovingly made right here in Ireland. At eight times warmer than sheep’s wool, our cashmere scarves and beanies offer the maximum in coziness and the minimum in heft.

It’s easy to care for your STABLE cashmere. Pre-washed and washable, our cashmere won’t ever bobble or shrink as long as you look after it properly. So here are a few caring tips to keep your new scarf, beanie or snug looking and feeling its best:

Don’t wash it every day.
Assuming you haven’t spilled your latte down yourself or dropped your beanie in the mud, there’s no need to wash after every wear. Try hanging it out overnight, or air it outside for a couple of hours and it’ll freshen up beautifully. 

 Hand-wash only. Wash by hand carefully in cool water or on a machine wool cycle with a little mild detergent (baby shampoo is perfect) if it’s looking tired. Ensure the detergent is fully dissolved in the water before you begin washing. (You could even follow with your favourite hair conditioner to make your cashmere super soft.) Cashmere comes from goats, and goats’ hair – like human hair – gets fluffier after it’s washed. Dry cleaning will damage the fibers over time, so avoid sending your precious STABLE cashmere away! Don’t rub, wring or twist the fabric while you wash it, but just gently squeeze the water through the fiber. Make sure you rinse with the same temperature water you use to wash. 

 Lay it flat and out of direct sunlight. Cashmere is at its most delicate when the fibers are wet, so this is the stage that requires the most care. Gently press the excess water out of your garment, place it on a dry towel and roll it up. Once the towel has absorbed as much of the moisture as possible, shape the garment and lay it flat in a shady spot. Be patient. Cashmere can take days to dry. 

 Keep the moths away. It’s an unfortunate fact that the more beautiful your cashmere, the more attractive it is to moths. These pesky, insidious creatures much prefer nibbling on your STABLE cashmere scarf, beanie or snug than that cheap cashmere sweater you bought in a high street store and no longer wear because it’s so badly bobbled. To stem this encroachment and save your STABLE from the hell of moth holes, store it in a zip-lock plastic bag during the summer months – unless you live in Ireland, of course – and keep it in a chest-of-drawers with a drawer that closes tightly. Cedarwood is best, but anything impenetrable will do the trick. Don’t use cardboard boxes to store your cashmere: cardboard isn’t pH neutral and the chemicals in the fabric could react with the alkaline in brown cardboard. You could also invest in some cedar balls or scented sachets (moths hate lavender) and pop these amongst your STABLE cashmere. 

Like all good things, STABLE cashmere will improve with age if cared for properly and will last for years.

 


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