Make it last
How to Wash Cashmere: Mesh Bag, No Wring, Flat Dry
Cashmere is shorter-staple keratin than merino. It pills, it felts if you agitate it, and it stretches if you hang it wet. A basin or a true wool cycle. Never a wring.
Updated 27 Aug 2026 · 6 min read · how to wash cashmere
Why cashmere is fussier than merino
Cashmere fibers are finer and shorter. That is the hand you paid $180–300 for, and it is why the first month pills and why a cotton cycle felts the cuffs. Merino has bounce; cashmere has loft. Treat them as cousins, not twins — the fiber split lives in merino vs cashmere.
Basin default, machine only on permission
A teaspoon of wool wash in a basin is enough for one sweater. Enzyme detergent eats keratin. Powder is grit. Castile works in a pinch if it is unscented and you rinse cool, but a dedicated wool wash is the $12 habit that pays.
If the label’s tub shows 30 and two bars, a mesh bag and a wool cycle are acceptable. Skip the dryer. Skip fabric softener; it coats the fiber and kills the loft.
- 30°C, not 40°C
- Mesh bag if you machine
- Press out water; never wring
- Block flat 12–24 hours
Aftercare is depilling, not perfume
Comb the pills after it is dry, before the next wear. Store it clean. Cedar in a closed drawer is a mild deterrent, not a kill step. A dirty cashmere crew in a warm closet is moth bait.
Questions, answered
- Can I put cashmere in the dryer on air fluff?
- No. Even cool tumbling felts the surface and throws pills. Flat dry is the method.
- How often should I wash a cashmere sweater?
- After three to six wears if it is a layer, sooner if it sat against skin. Spot the cuffs. Full wash when it smells or shows soil, not after every evening.
- Is hair conditioner a wool wash?
- It is a last-ditch unshrink soak, not a detergent. Use a real wool wash for cleaning. Conditioner is for stretching a felted piece, once.
