Gloverall knitwear is hand wash only. No jumper or cardigan in the range is machine washable, with one exception: the Oxford Brushed Lambswool Jumper, whose label permits a delicate machine wash. Everything else is washed by hand in cool water, reshaped while damp and dried flat. That single rule prevents almost every way a wool jumper is ruined.
The reason is the fibre itself. Each wool fibre is sheathed in microscopic overlapping scales, and heat, moisture and agitation together cause those scales to lock into one another. The cloth mats and tightens, the garment comes out smaller and denser than it went in, and the process cannot be reversed. A washing machine supplies all three conditions at once. Hand washing supplies none of them.
Can you machine wash merino wool?
Not Gloverall merino. Every merino jumper and cardigan in the range carries a hand wash only label, and most add do not machine wash explicitly. Some merino sold elsewhere is treated to be machine washable, usually by coating or stripping the fibre scales, but Gloverall knitwear is untreated 100% merino and is not finished that way.
The one garment with different instructions is the Oxford Brushed Lambswool Jumper, which is 100% lambswool rather than merino. Its label allows a delicate wash, inside out, with similar colours. It still must not be tumble dried, and it still needs reshaping while damp and drying flat.
How to hand wash a merino jumper
Hand washing takes about ten minutes of attention and a couple of hours of drying. Work in a clean basin or sink.
- Fill the basin with cool water. Never hot: heat is one of the three conditions that felts wool.
- Add a small amount of a detergent made for wool or delicates. Ordinary biological detergent contains enzymes that attack protein fibres, and wool is a protein fibre.
- Turn the garment inside out. The Fisherman Jumper and the Oxford both specify this on the label, and it protects the face of the knit on any of them.
- Submerge and press gently. Do not rub, twist or wring: agitation is the second condition that felts wool.
- Rinse in cool water of the same temperature. A sudden change in water temperature shocks the fibre.
- Press the water out against the side of the basin, then roll the garment in a dry towel and press again. It should be damp, not dripping.
Do not bleach any garment in the range. Every knitwear label in the collection says so.
Drying and reshaping: the step most people skip
Reshape the garment while it is still damp, then dry it flat. Every knitwear label in the Gloverall range carries some version of this instruction, and it is the step that determines whether the jumper keeps its measurements.
Lay the damp garment on a dry towel, out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Pat it back to its original dimensions: square the shoulders, straighten the body, match the sleeves to each other. Wet wool is heavy and stretches under its own weight, which is why a jumper must never be hung to dry or dried on a radiator. Turn it over once the top side is dry.
Do not tumble dry. A tumble dryer applies heat and agitation simultaneously, the exact combination that shrinks wool, and the cardigans and the Oxford name it on the label specifically.
Care by garment
The instruction that governs is the one on the label sewn into your garment. These are the labels across the current range:
- Men's Aran Jumper: 100% merino wool. Hand wash only, do not machine wash, do not bleach, pull into shape when damp, dry flat.
- Men's Fisherman Jumper: 100% merino wool. Hand wash only, wash inside out, do not bleach, pull into shape when damp, dry flat.
- Men's Submariner Jumper and Women's Submariner Jumper: 100% merino wool. Hand wash only, do not machine wash, do not bleach, pull into shape when damp, dry flat.
- Men's Oxford Brushed Lambswool Jumper: 100% lambswool. Delicate wash, wash inside out, wash with similar colours, do not tumble dry, do not bleach, pull into shape when damp, dry flat.
- Men's Moss Stitch Cardigan: 100% merino wool. Hand wash or dry clean only, do not machine wash, do not tumble dry, do not bleach, reshape whilst damp.
- Men's Shawl Collar Cardigan: 100% merino wool. Hand wash, do not machine wash, do not tumble dry, do not bleach, reshape whilst damp.
How often should you wash a wool jumper?
Far less often than most people assume. Wool is naturally odour-resistant and releases smells into moving air, so airing a jumper overnight on a flat surface handles most everyday wear. Washing is for actual soiling, not for routine freshening, and over-washing ages a knitted garment faster than wearing it does.
Between washes, fold rather than hang. A hanger puts the full weight of the garment on the shoulders and pulls them out of shape over time.
Pilling is normal, and it is fixable
Small bobbles on the surface are the shorter fibres working loose, and they appear most where the garment rubs: under the arms, at the cuffs, across a rucksack strap. They are a property of natural wool rather than a fault, and they reduce as the loose fibres are shed.
Remove them with a knitwear comb or a fabric shaver, working on a flat surface in one direction with the garment laid out rather than worn. Do not pull a bobble off by hand: it is still anchored to the knit, and pulling drags a working yarn with it.
Storing knitwear between seasons
Wash before storing. Moths are drawn to soiled fibres far more than clean ones, and it is body oils and food traces rather than the wool itself that attract them.
Fold the garment and store it flat in a drawer or a breathable cotton bag. Avoid plastic, which traps moisture against the fibre. Cedar blocks or lavender deter moths without the residue of mothballs, and cedar can be refreshed each year by lightly sanding the surface to release the oil again.
Repair rather than replace
A snagged or moth-nipped jumper is a repair, not a write-off. A dropped stitch or a small hole caught early can be darned invisibly by a knitwear repairer, and the cost is a fraction of replacement. Gloverall's Care & Repair collection supports the same principle across the range, and the same logic that applies to a coat applies to a jumper: a garment worth buying once is worth keeping in service.
The full range is in our knitwear collection. For coats, which follow completely different rules, see our wool coat care guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you machine wash merino wool?
Not Gloverall merino knitwear. Every merino jumper and cardigan in the range is labelled hand wash only, and most state do not machine wash explicitly. Some merino from other makers is treated to be machine washable, but Gloverall knitwear is untreated 100% merino. The single exception in the range is the Men's Oxford Brushed Lambswool Jumper, which is lambswool and permits a delicate machine wash, inside out, with similar colours.
How do you wash a merino wool jumper by hand?
Use cool water and a detergent made for wool or delicates, turn the garment inside out, submerge it and press gently without rubbing or wringing, then rinse in water of the same temperature. Press the water out against the basin, roll the jumper in a towel to remove the rest, reshape it while damp and dry it flat away from heat and direct sunlight.
Does merino wool shrink?
Yes, if it is exposed to heat, moisture and agitation at the same time. Each fibre is covered in microscopic scales that lock together under those conditions, matting the cloth into a smaller, denser piece. The change is permanent and cannot be reversed by stretching. Cool water, no rubbing and flat drying avoid all three conditions.
How do you stop a wool cardigan from shrinking?
Wash it by hand in cool water rather than in a machine, never tumble dry it, and reshape it while damp before drying it flat. The Moss Stitch and Shawl Collar cardigans both carry do not machine wash and do not tumble dry on the label. Heat and agitation are what shrink wool, so removing both removes the risk.
How often should you wash merino wool?
Only when it is actually soiled. Wool is naturally odour-resistant and releases everyday smells into moving air, so airing a jumper flat overnight refreshes it without washing. Over-washing ages knitwear faster than wearing it does.
Can you tumble dry wool?
No. A tumble dryer applies heat and agitation together, which is the combination that felts and shrinks wool permanently. Dry knitwear flat on a towel, reshaped while damp, away from radiators and direct sunlight.
How do you get bobbles off a wool jumper?
Lay the garment flat and use a knitwear comb or fabric shaver, working in one direction. Do not pull bobbles off by hand, because each one is still attached to the knit and pulling can drag a working yarn out with it. Pilling is normal in natural wool and reduces over time as loose fibres shed.
