Material
Wool
A protein fibre that felts irreversibly with heat and agitation and is digested by the same enzymes that remove protein stains, so the method is cool, gentle and neutral.
- SurfacePorous
- WashingHand
- Colour run riskMedium
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What wool can and cannot take
- Heat Avoid
- Water and soaking Use with care
- Acids, including vinegar Use with care
- Strong alkalis Avoid
- Solvents Use with care
- Chlorine bleach Avoid
- Abrasives Avoid
Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.
General rules for wool
Two rules cover most of wool. Never let it get hot, and never rub it while it is wet.
Heat and movement together make wool felt, which shrinks the garment permanently and leaves a hard shiny patch. That rules out hot water, the tumble dryer, the iron and scrubbing at a mark.
The other rule is chemical: wool is protein, so enzymes and alkalis attack the fibre itself. Use a neutral wool detergent and nothing biological.
Check the label
Check whether the label says machine washable before assuming it is not. Wool industry guidance is a wool cycle at 40 C or hand washing at about 30 C with a neutral mild detergent, and drying flat rather than in a tumble dryer.
Stains on wool
- Baby sick Lift the solids off, rinse from the back of the fabric in cold water, and soak in lukewarm water at about 30...
- Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
- Body oil Dry blot wool, then wash only if the care label permits it using diluted delicate detergent. Do not apply nea...
- Breast milk Dry-blot first. Use this route only on an unstructured item whose whole label expressly permits hand washing....
- Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from wool before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care label, u...
- Coffee Blot without rubbing. Support the fabric and check the care label before adding water. Use a brief fibre-appr...
- Concealer Lift thick concealer from Wool, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of diluted washing-up liqu...
- Cooking grease Lift and blot cooking grease from Wool, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid only if the mate...
- Deodorant Rub a fresh white deodorant mark off wool while it is dry. For residue that remains, follow the care label an...
- Hair dye Blot hair dye from Wool, test the mildest compatible cool detergent route, clean inwards, remove residue and...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Wool with a blunt edge, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of diluted wash...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Wool, absorb as much as possible, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid on...
- Nail polish Lift accessible free polish without rubbing and keep the item dry. The fibre, finish or construction makes a...
- Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
- Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity wool can tolerate. Use a labelled pet urine enzy...
- Sweat Blot Wool, follow its care label and use one supported cool hand rinse only if permitted. Keep rubbing and he...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Wool, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution. Remove residue,...
Wool is animal hair, and every rule about it follows from two properties.
The scales
Each fibre is covered in overlapping scales. Warm it and move it and those scales interlock, which is felting. The garment gets smaller, denser and shinier, and nothing opens the scales again.
It is protein
So is milk, so is baby sick, and so is skin. Alkalis and protease enzymes attack all of them equally. A biological detergent that digests a milk stain also digests the jumper it is on, which is why wool care guidance keeps returning to neutral detergents.
It is stronger dry than wet
Wet wool loses strength and stretches under its own weight, which is why it is dried flat and never hung.
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
-
How to wash wool, Woolmark
trade body
Wool industry body guidance that wool garments are machine washed on the wool setting, which is a gentle action at 40 C, or hand washed in lukewarm water at about 30 C, that a neutral mild detergent should be used, and that garments are dried flat rather than tumble dried.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
How to remove baby formula stains, Purex Stain Lab
manufacturer
Manufacturer guidance identifying breast milk, formula and baby spit-up as protein stains, explaining the role of enzymes, and warning that the mark should be checked before any drying heat because heat sets what remains.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
The safe way to care for your wool carpets and rugs, WoolSafe
trade body
Wool carpet certification body guidance: deal with a spillage the moment it happens, blot and do not rub, work through cold water then warm water applied to a white cloth rather than poured on, and never use washing up liquid, soaps or general household cleaners on wool because they cause rapid resoiling and colour bleeding.
Checked 7 September 2026