Care Tips: Wool and Velvet

From time to time, we share tips on fabric care that can help you clothing and household items last and look their best. The holidays and winter weather bring out special fabrics in our wardrobes, such as wool and velvet. Clothes, furniture covers and drapes are made from velvet. Suits, shirts, overcoats and cozy winter blankets are often made of wool.

Velvet can experience a variety of problems including loss of pile, mating, pilling and shrinkage. Crushed velvet has a tendency to lose its design from wear alone. Moisture, heat and pressure are true enemies of velvet.

Tips for caring for velvet and crushed velvet:

• Hang velvet garments in a well-ventilated closet after wearing.
• Do not iron velvet. Bring your velvet to Flair Cleaners and let our professionals remove the wrinkles.
• If your velvet gets wet, do not apply pressure as it can flatten the pile.
• Shake excess spills from velvet and allow it to dry. Do not blot or apply pressure in the damp areas.
• Bring your velvet garments in for professional cleaning at Flairs immediately after use.

Caring for woolen clothes and household items isn’t difficult once you understand wool. Generally, wool is a weak fiber and it is very elastic. Additionally, wool is very absorbent. It can absorb up to 20% of its weight without feeling damp. These properties can become problematic in caring for clothes.

Tips for caring for wool:

• Because of its absorbency, dirt and smells cling to wool. This means wool should be cleaned more often.
• Never wring out wool clothes as wool loses about a quarter of its strength when wet. Lay your wet garment on a towel or flat surface to dry. Wool dries slowly so be patient.
• Never leave items in the pockets of your woolen clothes. Since wool is elastic, items left in pockets may stretch them permanently.
• Never hang heavy woolen sweaters. Fold them neatly on a shelf.
• Brush wool garments daily after wearing.
• Always dry clean woolen items before storing for the season.

Properly caring for your special fabrics will help ensure that you have them to enjoy for years to come. If you still have questions about caring for these fabrics bring your items to any of our five Flair locations, Santa Monica, Valencia, Burbank, Studio City and Redondo Beach.