Tips for washing your cold weather gear

Yesterday, after a period of time too embarrassingly long to pinpoint, I was suddenly compelled to wash a couple of the wool shawls I tend to cocoon myself in year-round. Despite the fact that the other apparel in my rotation gets laundered with regularity, for whatever reason my standards for hygiene slip drastically when it comes to cold weather accessories and outerwear. And now, motivated by how easy it was to hand-wash and rack-dry my scarves (which I swear are now softer than before, not to mention laced with the pretty floral scent of my delicates wash), I got to wondering what else in my fall wardrobe could use refreshing, and how to go about laundering things like down vests and fleece jackets. And on realsimple.com just now, I found out exactly how to do just that-and more. Here's a re-cap of what I learned:

Down jackets and vests should ideally be washed twice per season. You can toss your puffies in the washing machine, using cold water. Skip the detergent, which can flatten the feathers, and tumble dry on low using a couple clean tennis balls to redistribute the feathers. Make sure the feathers are totally dry (this may take a couple cycles) to avoid clumping.

While it's pretty obvious that tights should be hand-washed (and that you ought to aim to do this after every use), I also learned that if you're in a pinch and need a quick refresher for a pair you've already worn, you can toss them in the dryer for ten minutes. Though they suggest tossing in a deodorizing product called the Refresh'n Dryer Towel too, I suggest making your own dryer sachet (which is really easy btw-just take some cotton muslin bags, fill 'em with lavender and a couple drops of lavender essential oil, and sew them shut) for this purpose.

Fleece pieces need a little TLC, too. To keep the fabric from getting crunchy or pilled, wash fleece goods inside out, and take care not to wash them with other lint-y items, like towels. Give them an extra-thorough rinse to make sure there's no detergent lingering on the fabric before letting them air dry.

Hats, gloves, and scarves (all of which I have a tendency to ignore, from a maintenance perspective) should be washed three to five times each season-especially considering all the makeup and skin oils that tend to rub off on them. Handwash all the knit items, and if you have structured hats or leather pieces, take them to the dry cleaner.

And when it comes to sweaters, I'm a die-hard hand-washer (it's gentler on fabrics than dry cleaning, not to mention works out to a fraction of the cost). I learned something new though, which is wool sweaters don't need to be washed as frequently as your cashmere or cotton pieces, since the material naturally repels dirt and dust.

Source: realsimple.com

Related: How to wash your own sweaters (it's easy, seriously)