How to wash a cashmere sweater

If you have spent the money on a cashmere sweater, you probably want to wear it all the time! Unfortunately, you can easily spend a lot of money on the drycleaning bills after you buy it! But you can wash a cashmere sweater by hand at home to save money.

First, are there any trims or embellishments on the sweater that would require it to be drycleaned? If so, you should not try the do-it-yourself method, as the trim could be damaged.

Next, fill a sink with warm water and a small amount of baby shampoo. Use regular baby shampoo, such as Johnsons. Do not use any of the trendy scented shampoos. Plain, regular no-tears baby shampoo is what you should use. If you don't use it in your household, you can pick up the small travel size baby shampoo for under $1 at the drug store.

Gently swish the sweater around in the suds for a couple of minutes so that the soap soaks through the garment, and then allow to sit for ten minutes. Drain the sink, then rinse the sweater a few more times in warm water to remove all shampoo.

Gently squeeze the water out, being careful not to twist, which can damage the cashmere. Then lay flat on a bath towel, and cover with a second bath towel. Then roll the bath towels up in a jelly roll style to remove the excess water. Then unroll and lay flat to dry on a mesh drying rack or another bath towel. Do not hang to dry.