Unless you are dangerously clumsy anywhere near a bowl of spaghetti, or are married to someone who is, you don't need to wash knitwear that often. Well, not as often as you might think.
Weirdly, natural yarns have a capacity for absorbing sweat into the fibre, where smelly bacteria get killed off. Honestly, I don't know if I can believe that, any more than I can swallow not washing your hair EVER- but apparently mountaineery types (who freely admit to NOT washing their wools with any kind of OCD style regularity) report back that their woolly socks don't smell but their synthetic ones do. So there. And proper science people have conducted trials etc too. So we'll give them the benefit...
My own trials. Hanging a sweater outside, in the shade, for ten minutes, will give it back its freshness - but beware direct sun if we're talking cashmere - as it fades easily.
Even a stint on the back of a door will give a knit an airing, but again, if you want to avoid the dreaded moth invasion, you'll need to limit that with your cashmere and keep it individually wrapped the rest of the time. More moth news next month - I think I've found something that actually works.
I'd say, giving a cardi a wash every three months is fair enough - saving water, energy and soapsuds. Anyone still relying on their mothers (you know who you are Charmi) for their hand-washing - there's a step-by-step cardi-care guide on the website - https://beeandsons.com/pages/cardi-care. For everyone else, use luke warm water, a penny sized amount of baby shampoo and focus on collar and cuffs. Rinse until the water runs clear, (no fabric conditioner) and if you have access to a washing machine - pop the wet cardi in a zip up pillowcase or drawstring bag, for a short spin cycle. If you don't, gently squeeze the cardi between two towels, but don't wring - or you'll mess up the shape.
Roll the cardi in a towel and put it anywhere that feels remotely warm and dry like an airing cupboard or a small room with a big radiator.
Mohair loves a gentle little brush afterwards to bring back the loftiness and cashmere comes up like new after a quick de-pilling.
If you've got a properly awful, tomato-based stain, consider darker colours in the future, or divorce. You can view our care guide here.
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