How To Care for Crochet Garments

Have you ever owned a crochet garment? With crochet and knitting becoming more popular, you may find yourself with a few garments or accessories. Caring for them is a bit different than caring for day-to-day garments, so here are some tips for caring for your custom pieces.

Don’t wash them constantly.
If you have any accessories, bags, blankets, or sweaters, you won’t wash these after every use. I typically wash these once every few months or when visibly soiled. Washing them constantly will stretch the fibers and over time the item will lose its shape.

Know what it's made of.
Knowing what type of yarn your item is made of can affect the way you care for it.
Most wool must be hand washed in cold water and laid out to dry to prevent shrinking.
Cotton, linen, and acrylic yarns can be machine-washed gently with cold water, and machine dried on low heat. If you purchase your item from a vendor or shop, they will often come with care instructions. When in doubt, hand wash your garments in cold water with a gentle detergent.

Wash gently: Machine wash vs hand wash.
After determining what fiber your item is made with, you can wash it with confidence, knowing your piece won’t be ruined in the washer or dryer. When choosing a detergent make sure it has no dyes or perfumes. Most baby detergents or “gentle” detergents will do just fine. I wash all my crochet garments and day-to-day clothes with Dropps. (bonus points for being an eco-friendly company) They have unscented detergent and fabric softener that you can just pop in your washer and you’re good to go. You can also use distilled white vinegar as a fabric softener. Just add about ½ cup to the final rinse cycle of your washing machine. If washing a blanket, you can add 2 cups.
Hand washing is much gentler on your garments. You are the agitator instead of a machine, so you have more control over how your garment is washed. Thespruce.com has the best hand-washing tutorial.

Dry with low heat or air dry.
Drying your item is just as important as washing! You can never go wrong with laying your item out to dry on a towel and roll It up. Gently press as you do so to remove access water unroll and leave the garment to dry completely.
Machine drying is much quicker, and I recommend doing so for acrylic items. The acrylic yarn gets softer every time you wash it. There is nothing better than snuggling your freshly washed soft blanket straight from the dryer. Just make sure you dry on low heat. If fibers get too hot, most commonly acrylic, the heat can fuse the stitches and it will wrinkle permanently. Cotton and other plant-based fibers can shrink in high heat.

Store properly.

No matter what yarn your item is made from, don’t bleach. You can iron cotton items on a low setting, and most wool items on cool, but ironing acrylic will fuse the fibers. Hanging your items will stretch the fibers, make sure you fold them up and store them in a dark, cool closet.

Conclusion

Knowing how to care for your crochet clothes is essential for making them last longer. Every bit of love that went into making them is passed to you in caring for them. Properly care for your crochet pieces, and they’ll last you a lifetime, or maybe longer!