You can buy a specific product called cashmere shampoo, or you can simply use a mild detergent like Woolite, baby shampoo, or dish soap. Be sparing with the detergent, because you don’t want soapy residue on your sweater.
If this is the first time you are washing the sweater, a bit of color may come off in the water, but it’s not a big deal. [3] X Research source
You may have to do several rinses until all the soap is out of your sweater.
It’s safer to wash your sweater by hand, but still possible to wash it in the machine.
If you don’t have a mesh laundry bag, you can put your sweater in a clean, white pillow case. [7] X Research source
Some people recommend a special cashmere shampoo, but you don’t have to spend your money on a cashmere-specific detergent when other substitutes work just as well.
If your washing machine has a wool setting, you can use that as well.
Your sweater will still be very damp after this initial squeeze.
Unroll the towel and take your sweater out.
If you’re not in a rush to have a dry sweater, or you don’t have a salad spinner, you can skip this step.
Drying could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on how humid it is where you live.
Some people think you should never put your cashmere in the dryer, so use caution. [14] X Research source When a sweater is dry cleaned, it goes through the dry cleaning process. If the fabric shrinks a little, they apply steam to it. If there are stains, the sweater is wet cleaned. It is washed and dried at low heat. They take it out when damp to prevent it from shrinking.
Repeat this process if the stain remains.
Don’t use a razor or scissors to cut off pillings, because it will damage the fabric.
If your sweater is lumpy, soak it in water and then let it dry flat.
