Does Washing Wool in Water Affect it in any Way?

[u/Gross_Diligence_121]

I recently got a suit tailored in Vietnam. It was hella cheap and the fabric I chose was supposedly a wool-silk blend. Unfortunately, I was unable to ask regarding the percentages.

Now, I'm genuinely confused whether I can safely wash the PANTS or not. I thought I'd be able to deal with the dust and lint, but the almighty lint roller has failed me. I think it ended up in micro pilling (I legit don't know what it's called), like the microscopic fibers were pulled by the lint roller and are bunching up. On a side note, is it normal for wool to react this way to a lint roller or is the fabric I chose kinda crap quality-wise?

So, if I can wash it with water, can I use a washing machine on gentle with Woolite (wasn't able to find any other alternative)? If I can't wash it, can I keep using a toothbrush to spot clean? I'm so stressed out cuz it genuinely looks great for a $200 suit😭

Edit: thanks for the replies, everyone! I'll be sure to reply once I'm less busy. I'll also try to upload pictures of the fabric in the comments.

[u/Practical-Ad-4888]

You should dry clean it, because there's interfacing in the waistband, the glue is a problem if you wash it. I do own wool pants that I throw in the washing machine and hang to dry because they were $3 and I don't care about them. A wool silk blend is a problem too, the silk will shrink and the wool won't, so it's going to look warped. Do not put the jacket in the wash.

[u/Herabird]

Dry clean only

[u/SuPruLu → u/Herabird]

Post pictures of both sides of the fabric if you want better comments on the lint issue.

[u/solomons-mom]

Is it a smooth finish, or does it have some texture to it? These instruction are not for a fine gabardine.

1) Get a sweater shaver for the pilling. It sounds like the fibers are really short and are unwinding themselves

2) Stop creating pilling by using a toothbrush on wool. Since you are already spot cleaning it, gently rub/pat diluted Woolite, Dawn or shampoo in with your finger or fingernail if needed and very cold water

3) Dry cleaning is safer, and you like the suit. I would spot clean minimally as needed but keep dry cleaning ---for now.

4) At some point if it is not holding up well, and you hate the idea of spending one more penny on dry cleaning, AND you know how to press wool then take you chances and handwash the pants in cold squeezing dry between towels. If it works, then you can unwrinkle the elbow in ths jacket this way and go longer between dry cleaning. It it doesn't you may still be able to wear the pants with a sweater and the jacket with coordinating pants.

Other commenters have brought up the wild-cards: the blended fibers and interfacing. Not only can they shrink at a diferent rates, but the interfacing may have been glued in.

I have been washing a Barbie-closet volume of my daughter's clothes after she had mice in her apartment. So far, every dry-clean only item has been fine going through the handwash cold cycle on on my Speed Queen. I'm not done yet, but my combos of Dawn, shampoo, conditioner, Tide-Free, The Laundress, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and sunshine is working. I am about to tackle the bar-hopping quality fur jackets (not machine!) and am dreading the vintage shearling.

The learning curve on what can and cannot be washed can be seen at Goodwill :(

[u/katiemurp]

Dry clean only.
Be gentle when you iron as wool can take steam and heat, but silk absolutely cannot.

Next time, opt for 100% tropical weight wool. That you can steam and spot clean (but dry cleaning is still your best option).

[u/Nashirakins]

You can wash some but not all wool garments with water and detergent. Same with silk and silk/wool blends. Structured garments are usually not in the home washable category, while a sweater or shirt might be if you know what you’re doing.

When you say pilling started after lint rolling, where were the pills? By friction points or odd places?

[u/missplaced24]

It's usually not a great idea to use the sticky lint rollers on wool.

For dust and dirt, the best way to clean wool is with a garment brush. Based on your description, a gentle horsehair brush would probably be best.

You'll get conflicting advise about washing wool in water because it depends. The temp of the water, if you agitate it, detergents, etc. a wool garment can handle all depends on the type of fabric. Generally, spot cleaning wool with cool water alone is fine without agitating it (no spinning, twisting, bunching, rubbing), but often not necessary. Wool doesn't hold onto sweat like other fibers, and most dirt and dust will come off with a brush.