Cleaning Wool hunting pants
11-01-2005, 01:48 PM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location:
Posts: 546
RE: Cleaning Wool hunting pants
Hey. Re you talking about Filson Huntiung pants (IE real expensive) Or some JC Higgins or army surplus wool pants. Anyway I just learned a way to get blood out of clothes. Us a half a cup of Kosher salt and let it soak15-30 min after the washer is full. That takes care of hte blood.
If you jave a pair of army surplus wools (IE cheapSwiss or czech cold weather pants), try the salt first in a sink of luke warm water. Then add some of the hunting scent free soap and hand wash. Rinse really well and Block dry. Lay your pants out flat on a towel and flip them over every 2 hours till dry. Or you might hang them up. See how this works and how it affects the wool. If you get no piling or shrinkage then you can use it on other stuff. The millitary stuff says dry clean only but I have had good luck handwashing. The secret is that you want a very gentle detergent so as not to strip the lanolon oils from the wool (and woolite has perfumes and scents in it).
BTW you may check with some organic health supermarkets or websites for some natural scent free soaps. Those hippies have alot of stuff like that.
Good luck.
okcmco
PS I wear mostly wool in the field too. Can't beat it.
If you jave a pair of army surplus wools (IE cheapSwiss or czech cold weather pants), try the salt first in a sink of luke warm water. Then add some of the hunting scent free soap and hand wash. Rinse really well and Block dry. Lay your pants out flat on a towel and flip them over every 2 hours till dry. Or you might hang them up. See how this works and how it affects the wool. If you get no piling or shrinkage then you can use it on other stuff. The millitary stuff says dry clean only but I have had good luck handwashing. The secret is that you want a very gentle detergent so as not to strip the lanolon oils from the wool (and woolite has perfumes and scents in it).
BTW you may check with some organic health supermarkets or websites for some natural scent free soaps. Those hippies have alot of stuff like that.
Good luck.
okcmco
PS I wear mostly wool in the field too. Can't beat it.
01-05-2011, 11:10 AM
#4
Spike
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 2
washing wool
I've washed my Columbia wool stuff a few times.
I read to clean the bathtub up real nice. Use warm water, not hot or cold, and as was mentioned, a very small amount of scent free soap so as not to strip the natural oils off the wool. Gently massage the water in and out of the clothing and then rinse again with luke warm water. Get as much water as you can out of the clothes by squeezing it out, and then again, as was mentioned, lay them out on a towel to soak up some more. I put a towel on top and press down and then use that towel on the bottom for round two. Then just air dry them laid flat.
As far as getting blood out of them, this gets the bulk of it out and a blood stain mark is just extra camo in my opinion.
I'm going to add that as my wool pants were to large, the last time I just threw them in with a load of clothes in the washer on warm wash/cold rinse, and then into the dryer after, removing them before they were completely dry, and then air dried them the rest of the way, which produced the same end result as all the PIA stuff above, lol. They did shrink the smallest amount, but I was hoping they would anyway!
I'm thinking the more time consuming route would be a good idea if you have expensive 100% wool clothes like KOM or something.
I read to clean the bathtub up real nice. Use warm water, not hot or cold, and as was mentioned, a very small amount of scent free soap so as not to strip the natural oils off the wool. Gently massage the water in and out of the clothing and then rinse again with luke warm water. Get as much water as you can out of the clothes by squeezing it out, and then again, as was mentioned, lay them out on a towel to soak up some more. I put a towel on top and press down and then use that towel on the bottom for round two. Then just air dry them laid flat.
As far as getting blood out of them, this gets the bulk of it out and a blood stain mark is just extra camo in my opinion.
I'm going to add that as my wool pants were to large, the last time I just threw them in with a load of clothes in the washer on warm wash/cold rinse, and then into the dryer after, removing them before they were completely dry, and then air dried them the rest of the way, which produced the same end result as all the PIA stuff above, lol. They did shrink the smallest amount, but I was hoping they would anyway!
I'm thinking the more time consuming route would be a good idea if you have expensive 100% wool clothes like KOM or something.
01-07-2011, 06:01 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,926
I'll have to experiment
It was always the rule to dry clean wool. Expensive dry cleaning, I might add.
I have these old wool sweaters that I've had for forty years. They were always washed, when needed. I accidently washed them, or the wife did, in warm/hot water. A real no-no. The sweaters have shrunk a little over time, but are still wearable. It helps to be back to my 40 year old weight.
Lets see, I'll do a pair of wool pants, formerly hidden in the closet for a number of years, in cold water on the washer's knit gentle cycle. A combination of baking soda and borax for cleaning powder. And see how it turns out.
I bet all you hunters are well versed in knit dry washing cycles !!!
The one thing about getting on the older side. A lot of stuff will last longer. May as well experiment and save some money.
I have these old wool sweaters that I've had for forty years. They were always washed, when needed. I accidently washed them, or the wife did, in warm/hot water. A real no-no. The sweaters have shrunk a little over time, but are still wearable. It helps to be back to my 40 year old weight.
Lets see, I'll do a pair of wool pants, formerly hidden in the closet for a number of years, in cold water on the washer's knit gentle cycle. A combination of baking soda and borax for cleaning powder. And see how it turns out.
I bet all you hunters are well versed in knit dry washing cycles !!!
The one thing about getting on the older side. A lot of stuff will last longer. May as well experiment and save some money.
Last edited by Valentine; 01-07-2011 at 06:10 AM.
01-16-2011, 04:28 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,926
the Experimenter: Cleaning Wool hunting pants
Experiment: Washing in water of wool pants
Pants Origin Unknown. Certainly pants didn't fit me two years ago(waist)
Old dress wool pants I'll use for hunting. For all I know the wife might have found them at Goodwill.
Washed pants, alone, in cold water, in washer on the slow setting of knits gentle.
Used small amount of baking soda and borax; 2 to 1 ratio.
Hung pants to air dry.
Tested pants with black light. No ultra-violet effect on pants. No soap scent. Pluses for hunting clothes.
Measured dry pants before and after washing; no change in size noted. Dry pants fit on person, before and after washing.
verdict: Country club hunters will continue to dry clean wool hunting clothes. lord knows what they paid for those expensive wool hunting clothes. Us old experimenters can just save money.
Pants Origin Unknown. Certainly pants didn't fit me two years ago(waist)
Old dress wool pants I'll use for hunting. For all I know the wife might have found them at Goodwill.
Washed pants, alone, in cold water, in washer on the slow setting of knits gentle.
Used small amount of baking soda and borax; 2 to 1 ratio.
Hung pants to air dry.
Tested pants with black light. No ultra-violet effect on pants. No soap scent. Pluses for hunting clothes.
Measured dry pants before and after washing; no change in size noted. Dry pants fit on person, before and after washing.
verdict: Country club hunters will continue to dry clean wool hunting clothes. lord knows what they paid for those expensive wool hunting clothes. Us old experimenters can just save money.
01-16-2011, 06:48 AM
#10
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: PA.
Posts: 5,195
Experiment: Washing in water of wool pants
Pants Origin Unknown. Certainly pants didn't fit me two years ago(waist)
Old dress wool pants I'll use for hunting. For all I know the wife might have found them at Goodwill.
Washed pants, alone, in cold water, in washer on the slow setting of knits gentle.
Used small amount of baking soda and borax; 2 to 1 ratio.
Hung pants to air dry.
Tested pants with black light. No ultra-violet effect on pants. No soap scent. Pluses for hunting clothes.
Measured dry pants before and after washing; no change in size noted. Dry pants fit on person, before and after washing.
verdict: Country club hunters will continue to dry clean wool hunting clothes. lord knows what they paid for those expensive wool hunting clothes. Us old experimenters can just save money.
Pants Origin Unknown. Certainly pants didn't fit me two years ago(waist)
Old dress wool pants I'll use for hunting. For all I know the wife might have found them at Goodwill.
Washed pants, alone, in cold water, in washer on the slow setting of knits gentle.
Used small amount of baking soda and borax; 2 to 1 ratio.
Hung pants to air dry.
Tested pants with black light. No ultra-violet effect on pants. No soap scent. Pluses for hunting clothes.
Measured dry pants before and after washing; no change in size noted. Dry pants fit on person, before and after washing.
verdict: Country club hunters will continue to dry clean wool hunting clothes. lord knows what they paid for those expensive wool hunting clothes. Us old experimenters can just save money.
great pair.if you wash at home,to get a SOFT feel to pants, you have to tumble in dryer.
i like SOFT feel of dry cleaning and colors stay.washing at home does affect colors .
i only do mine 1 time a year so 19 dollars is not pain to me and they are so soft after being dry cleaned.
i also use NEW unscented laundry detergents that are now out.also there are unscented fabric softners too that will make yor clothes SOFT.
arm hammer has unscented one and downey now has unscented softner.
Last edited by sproulman; 01-16-2011 at 06:51 AM.