Sweater in bad shape? You can recovering it using some simple home remedies

January 14, 2023

Few garments are more pleasant to wear than a nice soft, warm wool sweater in the coldest periods of the year, and most likely each of us has a favorite one - one of those that returns to our wardrobe every winter. The better quality they are, the longer they will last, but even in the best of cases, they start to develop pilling over time, and unfortunately sometimes even small washing "accidents" can happen that risk ruining these much-loved garments forever.

So, what can we do when a sweater has started to develop pilling? If the situation is not too bad, it is possible to recover the sweater with a little patience. Read on to find out how:

Creativo

First of all, we need to understand what the situation we are facing is exactly: if there is only pilling (those small wool balls all over the surface), they can be removed with various methods (special razors, pumice stones and more), but if the fabric that has become compacted and hardened, a different approach must be taken. When the garment has shrunk, and feels really hard to the touch, with the fibers clumped together, there is very little you can do. However, if the problem is not this major, it is possible that with a little patience, you will be able to recover your sweater.

To do this, equip yourself with:

A large basin (or use the sink or the bathtub, but somewhere you can use for a long time);
Warm water;
160 ml of a defelting product or hair conditioner;
A towel.

How to proceed:

Fill the basin with warm water at 30°C.
Pour in the defelting product or hair conditioner and mix well.
Immerse the sweater and gently press down to soak it well in the soapy water.
Leave to soak for at least an hour but longer is better.
Before rinsing, very gently spread out the sweater, piece by piece, with your hands: the idea is to stretch out the sweater again and make sure that the fibers detach from each other. Don't force it and try to work evenly all over the garment.
Rinse out with cold water (or a maximum of 30°C) and compress to drain (and without wringing).
Spread the dry towel on a shelf and place the sweater on it. Roll the towel up with the sweater in order to absorb the bulk of the remaining moisture.
Try again slowly to stretch out the sweater.
Leave to dry laying flat in the open air. This may even take a couple of days, and you shouldn't touch it again until it's all dry.

Once dry, you will notice that the size of your sweater has increased and it should also feel much softer to the touch.

Other useful products to use in the soaking phase, as alternatives to those indicated above:

Baking soda: add two tablespoons, and leave to soak for two hours.
Milk: half a glass is enough, and the soaking period can be for only 15 minutes. However, if the sweater is very matted, use a quantity of milk equal to 30% of the water, and leave it to soak for a few hours.
Citric acid: to be used like the baking soda.

Have you ever tried to recover a sweater like this?