Cashmere storage

-Don’t store the cardigans by hanging them up. Instead, carefully fold them up when storing. Hanging them for long periods of time will cause them to sag and lose their shape.

-Make sure you’ve cleaned the cashmere before storing it. Moths like to go after anything that hints of food so don’t give them a reason to go after your cardigans. If you are unable to wash the item before storing it, put it in a plastic bag and then put the cashmere cardigan in the freezer overnight. This will kill almost all insects, including moth larvae which might have already been hiding somewhere in the cardigan.

Moth balls to protect your cashmere

-Buy items that will keep the moths away like moth cakes or moth balls in your closet and leave in your chest of drawers. If you are sensitive to chemicals and the smell of moth cakes, use herbal sachets or cedar blocks. All of these items are cheap and will keep moths away from your expensive cashmere. Also, don’t forget to replace them each month. Moth cakes only work well when fresh. Finally, when taking out the cashmere from the closet, air it out for a few days so that the smell of the moth repellent will leave.

-If you are storing the cardigans in between seasons for a few months, then one way to keep the bugs away is to store the clothes in cotton breathable garment bags since cashmere needs to be able to breathe. If you don’t have those, oftentimes, sealable plastic bags work for short storage periods. The larger freezer bags work well in this case and allow you to put your cardigans inside without wrinkling them. They will also keep them fresh since less air will get into them. Another way is to store them in sealed boxes. The clear sealed storage boxes from Target or Walmart are excellent containers for storing multiple items and knowing what’s inside.

Storage containers

-If you are storing the clothes for a year or longer, then it is better to store them in acid free containers. This will keep them from aging and yellowing. Acid free tissue and boxes can be bought online or sometimes in stores like Target or Walmart.

-Don’t store the clothes in a damp or hot area or jam them in the closet. Try to give them room to breathe and put them in a cool place that doesn’t have a lot of sunlight.

Careful cashmere storage is important to ensuring that your cashmere cardigan lasts for a long time. Following the steps above will help you wear keep your cashmere looking new for a long time.

Cashmere care

You’ve just spent a lot of money on your cashmere cardigan.  It is beautiful and you’ve started to wear it a number of times.  So, how do you care for cashmere?  What is the best way to clean it to ensure that it will last a long time?  Below are a few tips to help in your cashmere cardigan care.

Cashmere cardigans should be washed after every 6-7 times that you wear them.  Do not wash it too often as this can cause damage to the cashmere fibers.  Cashmere can be hand washed, machine washed or dry-cleaned although it really depends on the garment.  Before deciding which process to use, check the garment label to make sure that you can do so.  Sometimes, the garment will say hand wash only or dry clean only.  Whichever way you choose, follow the steps below when doing so to ensure that you do not ruin your cardigan.

Machine washing cashmere

 Button up the cardigan and then make sure you turn it inside out before putting it in the machine.  Then, make sure that your liquid detergent is a delicate detergent or a special cashmere detergent suitable for cashmere.  Usually, the label on the back or the front will indicate what material the detergent can be used with.  Use the handwash or delicate cycle on your machine.  See the next area for drying instructions.

Drying cashmere

 Unless the label specifically states that you can put the cardigan in the dryer, do not dry the cardigan in a machine.  Instead smooth it out and put it back into its original shape.  Put it on a flat towel and let it dry naturally.  Do not put it directly under the sun or use direct heat (like a blow dryer).  Let it naturally dry.  Also, do not hang the cardigan while it is still wet.  Hanging it up will cause it to stretch out of shape.  Dry it immediately so that it will retain its shape.  Finally, when your cashmere cardigan is dry, you can press it lightly with a cool iron over a damp cloth if there are still any wrinkles.

Hand washing cashmere

 This process can almost always be followed, especially if you just have a small stain.  Hand washing also keeps the garment soft and helps it to retain its color.  Be sure to wash your garment in lukewarm water.  When hand washing, use the same type of special detergent that would be used in for the machine and only use one whose label indicates that it works for cashmere.  Do not rub, twist or stretch the fabric, it is very delicate and this will stretch the threads and change the shape.  Try to gently squeeze the cardigan and work the detergent gently through the fabric.  Afterwards, carefully rinse it out in the lukewarm water.  Sometimes, you may need to rinse it more than once to make sure the detergent has been completely removed.  Afterwards, follow the instructions above to dry the garment.

Dry cleaning cashmere

 If the label on the garment says that it is dry clean only, take it to a reputable dry cleaner.  At the dry cleaners, let them know that the garment is cashmere and has to be handled delicately.  Make sure the dry cleaner uses good cleaning products to dry clean the garment.  Note that the better option sometimes is to hand wash the item since the chemicals from dry cleaning can cause damage to the fibers in the cashmere and make the sweater hard rather than soft.