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Washing Cashmere: Do or Don't?

Washing Cashmere: Do or Don't?

Have you ever seen a sheep or a goat washing itself with shampoo? The very idea! It's rather amusing that humans are the only 'animals' that use soap products. We've become so accustomed to it that we only consider something clean if a cleaning product has been involved.

We'd like to gently change that idea: the very best thing for your cashmere scarf is not to wash it. Not with water, not with soap — ideally not at all! Cashmere is a natural product. The goat hair is naturally resistant to grease and water.

Why do you need to wash cashmere products?

A healthy cashmere goat stays fresh by living outdoors and by giving itself a good shake on a regular basis. The occasional rain shower completes the cleaning routine. And that is all it takes to keep goat hair fresh and clean. The same principle applies to products made from this goat hair.

But we're not goats, are we? We wear perfume and hairspray; a gust of wind might accidentally blow the scarf against our pink lipstick, or we spill a bit of cheese on it when our coordination suffers after a pleasant drink on the terrace. However carefully you want to treat your cashmere scarf, as a human you do occasionally need to give your cashmere products a little attention. But how?

Daily cleaning of cashmere

How 'dirty' is your scarf? Remove sand, dust and crumbs by giving it a good shake outside. For pet hair and small impurities in the scarf, we like to use a special cashmere comb. The cashmere comb from Niche Beauty is a beautiful one. A traditional clothes brush or lint brush works well too. We don't use lint rollers on cashmere.

Bothered by smoke or other odours? Mother Nature makes them disappear simply by hanging your scarf outside in the breeze overnight. If you want a little more than a refresh, hang your scarf in the bathroom while you take a warm shower. The steam causes the fibres to open up slightly and softens any stain. After steaming, gently dab the entire surface with a clean cloth and rub out any dirt.

Which products should I use to wash cashmere?

More stubborn stains? Place the scarf in a basin of hand-warm water. This allows the stain to soften. Then treat the stain or stains directly. Add a few drops of detergent and gently work it into a lather on the stain by rubbing softly. Use a pH-neutral detergent!

Although you'll find many great cashmere washing products online, we believe that a simple pH-neutral shampoo (which is at least five times cheaper) delivers an equally good result.

Can cashmere go in the washing machine?

We find this a tricky one. Some owners of our Backbone products do wash their cashmere scarf occasionally in a washing machine — on a short cycle and at a low temperature, ranging from cold to 30 degrees.

That said, we don't recommend it. We value giving your cashmere scarf the longest possible life. You get the most out of it by washing sparingly. In our view, cashmere should always be cleaned by hand. That way you can see exactly when the stains have gone. The fibres are not subjected to friction any longer than absolutely necessary. Washing for longer or spinning will not necessarily make the scarf cleaner — but it will make it more vulnerable to pilling and fluffing.

After reading this blog, do you have a specific question about cleaning cashmere? Or do you have a great tip you'd like to share with Backbone? We'd love to hear it! Send us an email, or send a DM via Instagram or Facebook.

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