Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Wool clothing care.

I just wound up with another vintage hunting suit that I want to use for still hunting later in the year. Does anyone do anything other than dry cleaning wool like spray water-proofing?

Wash in cold water with Woolite. Never use hot water or put in a dryer. One cannot waterproof wool, but it can absorb water to about 80% of its weight before it begins to feel wet.

I agree. That is how I take care of my wool clothes. After hunting season, I store them in moth proof plastic clothes bags. Haven't had a moth hole for many, many years.

L.W.

A drier will shrink wool even with cold air. The fibers have microscopic barbs. The tumbling action will force the fibers together and the barbs will lock, never to come apart again. Shrinkage.

I wash mine in the washing machine with cold water and my scent killed wash. I dry all of my wool in a dryer with no issues. I won't buy wool that I can't do this way.

There is washable wool. I'm not sure what they do to it so it won't shrink. I have several Woolrich shirts that I can run through the washer. I won't take a chance on the drier, though.

Try not to wash or dry clean them if you can. Spot clean whenever necessary. Hand wash with Woolite, Sportwash or lanolin soap designed for baby's diapers. If you can't find these use unscented organic shampoo.

You can get them to shed water some by treating them with lanolin, Nikwax for wool or even the Thompsons water based sealer heavily diluted, test first to make sure you have the wax based product.

I spray mine with the permethrin based moth proof or insect repellent. But the only sure thing is to vacuum seal or use the moth bags or containers.

Taken care of they will really last if they were quality items to begin with.

I've been machine washing on delicate cycle, cold water using Kookaburra wool wash. I live at the center of the wool moth infestation of planet earth. Storing in a plastic bin with cloves works well to keep them at bay. The family business when I was young was dry cleaning. In that era everyone wore good wool suits. We washed a lot of them before dry cleaning. To me the kookaburra works better than woolite and is cost effective.

I thought dry cleaning was ok. I was just given a really nice old J.C. Higgins suit and the wool seems to be a much tighter blend than my Columbia or Woolrich stuff. I guess I am a little more concerned with getting the musty smell out more than anything.

Just hang it outside on a sunny, breezy day and let it air for awhile. Wash or dry clean as seldom as possible.

I just hang mine up and air it out. I would spot clean it with cold water to get mud or blood off.

"Just hang it outside on a sunny, breezy day and let it air for awhile. Wash or dry clean as seldom as possible"

"I just hang mine up and air it out. I would spot clean it with cold water to get mud or blood off."

^^^^^This^^^^^^^

Both good advice. Have lots of wool. Only Time I'd take stuff to dry cleaners is if it was excessively dirty/muddy.

Most time if a little muddy just let it dry and brush off!!! Really simple stuff to maintain.

Sounds like a cool old outfit! Enjoy it!!!!!