Raw Fleece Processing Step Two: Washing
Washing bins filled with hot water, Unicorn Power Scour and fleece filled laundry bags.
After the fleece is skirted and sorted into delicates laundry bags, it’s time to start the washing process:
Pre-soak the fleece in cool water for a few hours. This will remove any general dirt from the fleece and will help the washing stage. Change the water during the pre-soak stage a few times, gently squeezing water out of the fleece each time the water is changed. When the water stays fairly clear, the fleece is ready for some heat and some soap.
Fill the washing tubs with warm water and put your bags of fleece in there as a warm up step. Gently press the water through the fleece. It’s important not to temperature shock the fleece, and this step is definitely worth the time…large temperature changes can felt the fleece easier than agitation. You can also use your last pre-soak to raise the temperature of the fleece.
Fill your washing tub with the hottest tap water you have, then add a kettle full of boiling water. The hotter the better - it all depends on the amount of fleece being processed and how much boiling water can be made. I have had good success adding about 1.5 - 2L of boiling water to 4L of hot tap water. Be careful with boiling water and make sure you have thick/insulated rubber gloves or tongs to manage the fleece in the hot water. Your bare hand would not be able to take the heat, be very careful!
Add your detergent. Unicorn Power Scour works well, has few suds, and only a small amount is needed. Add a tablespoon or two to the first wash (2-3 filled bags per wash bin) and swirl it around with the tongs. Dawn dish soap also works well, but makes a lot of suds after the first wash, and a lot is needed.
Squish the old water out of your fleece before adding it to the washing tub. Gently push the bag down in the tub using tongs or thick/insulated rubber gloves, but don’t agitate. Put 2-3 bags in each tub, but be sure to leave lots of water for the fleece…if there isn’t enough water for the lanolin and dirt to dissolve into more soap washes will be needed.
Wait for 20-25 minutes. Water should still be hot at the end of this time, and you will need rubber gloves to handle the hot wool, but the temperature will be manageable.
Gently remove the laundry bags and slowly squish water out of the fleece. The water should look like a chunk of clay was dropped in there and mixed up. That’s all the lanolin and dirt coming off the fleece. Dump the dirty water.
Repeat steps 3-7 once more. If the water at the end of this wash is still very mirky, do a third wash. If the water is only slightly mirky, move on to rinsing.
Fill the wash tubs with hot tap water (no boiling this time) and let the fleece soak for 20 minutes or so.
Gently squish the water out of the fleece and rinse again. Let sit for another 20 min.
Gently squish the water out of the fleece, and dump the fleece out of the laundry bag and onto one end of a towel. Roll the fleece in the towel and step on the roll to absorb some water. Unroll the towel.
Lay your locks out to dry. I like to use a clothes drying rack with a towel on top of it. Spread out the locks. They should be white and shouldn’t leave any lasting lanolin feeling on your hands.
Important tips:
Don’t temperature shock - take a couple of temperature steps when going from cold to hot.
The finer the fleece, the more care you should take. Merino is more sensitive than Romney, but also has more lanolin, so requires more washing, which means more chance for felting. Don’t agitate and don’t temperature shock and all will be well!
Non-sheep fibre can often felt EXTREMELY easily. Alpaca and Angora are very sensitive to felting. Since these fibres don’t have lanolin, they don’t need to be scoured like wool. Alpaca can be pre-soaked to remove dirt, and washed in warm to hot water (max 2 soap stages & 2 rinses), or not washed at all…though alpacas are pretty dusty creatures. Angora typically isn’t washed until in yarn form due to its tendency to felt.
Once the fibre is dry, it’s ready to comb or card!