Merino and wrinkles
Do you know what wrinkles actually are...?
..those annoying little balls? Where do they come from and how do they form?
You must be familiar with them, because they are a typical feature of natural materials like wool, burlap silk or cotton. Surprisingly, they are not related to price or quality. In fact, the finer and fluffier the wool, the more prone it is to wrinkles. They commonly form on cashmere, alpaca, angora goat wool and, of course, merino wool.
How do they arise?
Wrinkling is basically an inevitable process in which fine and shorter fibres are formed into small balls. In addition, these short fibres behave like hooks and pick up dust from the surrounding area. On pale merino these darker pilling can look unaesthetic. Fortunately, this is only a visual issue and has no effect on the functionality of the product as a whole.
Can they be avoided?
Certainly not, but the wrinkling can be mitigated to some extent. Manufacturers already think about this when processing the fibres, with different additives or by modifying the finished materials.
We choose yarns with the highest certifications for our small customers, not only ethical but also ecological. Since softness, gentleness and safety is our top priority when it comes to children's sensitive skin, we have found a manufacturer that treats the fibres against pilling not with chlorine but by using plasma. The process is dry and uses electrons and ions in a plasma field.
How to prevent them?
By gentle care.
- It is advisable to ventilate clothes and not to wash them unnecessarily (you save both the material and the environment)
- when washing, choose a gentle detergent designed exclusively for wool and containing lanolin, which nourishes and smoothes the fibres
- do not use fabric softener
- wash inside out
- wring gently
- do not use the tumble dryer
Once they have occurred, how to remove them?
Most wrinkles occur at the beginning of use. When the short threads rub off.
By very gently using a lint remover you can get rid of them. After a while they may reappear, but how long and how much they will form depends on the rate and intensity of use.
