Care guide
Wool wants the minimum, not the maximum. The less you do to it, the longer it lasts.
Merino is an ancient fibre. It has self-cleaning properties that synthetics spend billions trying to replicate and still can't. A merino garment wants the lightest possible care.
The short version
- Wash cold, on the wool cycle if your machine has one.
- Skip the tumble dryer. Hang flat or on a line out of direct sun.
- Wear for three or four days between washes. Merino resists odour — it doesn't need a wash every night.
- When it pills (it will, slightly), pull the pills off by hand or use a pilling comb. This is normal.
Washing
Cold water, wool or delicates cycle. A wool-safe detergent (Ecostore Woolwash, Eucalan, The Laundress Wool & Cashmere). No fabric softener — it coats the fibre and kills the feel.
Hand-wash is gentler but rarely necessary. If you do hand-wash: cold water, a dab of wool wash, ten minutes of gentle agitation, two rinses, roll in a towel to squeeze water out. Don't wring.
Drying
Never tumble dry. Never hang in direct sun for hours.
- Base layers and leggings: hang dry on a line, indoors or shaded outdoors.
- The Heavyweight 320gsm: dry flat. Hanging stretches it.
Storage
Fold, don't hang. Moths like wool — store with a cedar block or a sachet of dried lavender. Keep out of damp cupboards.
When it pills
Every merino pills slightly in the first few washes. This is not a defect, it's the short fibres working themselves loose. After three or four washes it stops.
Use a pilling comb (the small plastic kind, $5 at any haberdashery) or a disposable razor held flat against the fabric. Never a fabric shaver with teeth — it cuts the live fibre.
When something goes wrong
A seam unravelling, a pull catching — email us. We repair free for the life of the garment.
Wool is forgiving. The only way to ruin merino is to treat it like a T-shirt. Treat it like a good jumper and it outlives you.