Hi y'all:
I've ruined my share of wool jerseys by washing them incorrectly, and I'm happy to say, those days are OVER! The Merino wool jerseys from Vintage Velos/United Sport are 'Easy-Care' treated, which means that the wool has actually been pre-washed (pre-shrunk). After extensive test-laundering, we've come up with the ideal washing instructions for Alessandro/Woolistic Merino wool apparel. Foolproof, if you follow these steps.
* Wash ONLY wool items together. Nothing else. Had one customer who washed his new wool jersey with some dress shirts and used Arm & Hammer Heavy Duty detergent. Everything was ruined. * Set the wash water temperature on 'warm' or 'cold'. Rinse water temperature can be 'cold'. * Set the wash cycle on GENTLE agitation and GENTLE spin. * USE only a WOOLMARK CO. recommended laundry soap. IVORY SNOW liquid or powder works fantastically. Not the dishwashing soap, but the gentle laundry detergent. They do not recommend using Woolite. Regardless of what the ads say, Woolite is NOT the best for Merino wool. One longtime cyclist and ex-racer swears by Johnson's Baby Shampoo when washing jerseys by hand. * Turn the jerseys inside-out and zip up the zippers. It also helps to remove half-eaten Power Bars from the pockets at this time. Put the jerseys into the washing machine and start the wash cycle. * After the spin cycle, remove the jerseys from the dryer and place them on a towel on a flat surface, pocket side facing up. Never hang a wet wool jersey! The 'rolling in a dry towel' method that Dale mentioned also works well to remove more water. * *OPTIONAL* If you have a 'FLUFF' or 'DELICATE' setting on your clothes dryer, go ahead and put the jerseys in for about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the jerseys and lay them flat on a towel until completely dry. The tumble action softens the jerseys like you cannot believe! Only do this with Alex's jerseys! No one else goes to such great lengths to make their wool so 'EASY-CARE'! I say this from experience. I've washed hundreds of jerseys and I've never seen anything like an Alessandro jersey when it comes to softness, wearability and lasting good looks. The old wool just doesn't compare to the new Merino wool.
On a separate topic, I cannot say enough about Alex's new Merino wool base
layer. If you don't have one...don't wait any longer. They are the single
most ESSENTIAL wintertime cycling items. Heck...I also wear mine skiing and
to work under a long sleeve shirt. Soft, stretchy, warm, and amazingly
comfortable. And they're good for two or three rides before needing a wash.
(Can't do that with Craft!) Give one a try. You won't be sorry.
http://www.vintagevelos.com/
We were blessed with a balmy 60 degree day here in San Francisco and I snuck in a brisk 18 miles on my lugged steel Peter Johnson, wearing a short sleeve MOLTENI jersey and Assos tights....in January.
Ciao!
Jan Johnson
Portola Valley, CA