Cleaning expert Laura de Barra explained the four top things to avoid to make sure your knitwear doesn’t get ruined (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
If you’re finding it difficult to wash your properly, cleaning guru Laura de Barra has provided a guide on what you should absolutely avoid when knitwear.
Knitwear can be a challenging puzzle to solve, particularly as it’s more prone to shrinkage compared to other garments.
To assist you in prolonging the life of your knitwear and preventing mishaps, Laura revealed the top four things you should never do.
As the mercury dips, the preference for warmer, thicker clothing will increase, meaning you’re likely to wear them more frequently than at other times of the year.
Firstly, Laura cautions against hanging knitwear. She clarified that this should be avoided “no matter how much they cost, no matter what they’re made out of”.
Whatever you do, don’t hang your knitwear (Image: Getty Images)
She said: “I see this done so often. Even professional organisers will hang people’s knitwear. This is so bad for the garment.
“This is because a great characteristic of knit is that it’s stretchy which means it’s quite comfortable, but this will go against it if you put it onto a hanger.”
Hanging knitwear will cause it to begin stretching due to its own weight. This will lead to elongated sleeves, extended hems, as well as distortion and warping, reports
Laura said: “To prevent this, loosely fold your knitwear into a drawer or on a shelf.”
Secondly, take care to avoid excessive washing and incorrect . The cleaning expert added: “When you launder any garment there’s going to be fibre loss.”
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Knitwear is “particularly” prone to fibre loss, shedding a significant amount of material with each wash.
Laura suggests steaming the garment to eliminate unpleasant odours, airing them out, or spot cleaning.
She further advised: “Never use vacuum bags on your knitwear. Not only do natural fibres absolutely hate if the air sucked out of them, because a lot of their characteristics have to do with the air within them, it can also make the garments super limp.
“When it comes to synthetic fibres, they can take on the smell of the plastic.”
Lastly, the expert cautioned against wearing knitwear directly on the skin, recommending instead to wear a layer in between, such as a cotton vest T-shirt.
These can absorb all the stuff that’s coming off your skin and “leave the knit in peace.”