I purchased a sweater recently that I didn’t realize had a little bit of wool in it, and I’m super sensitive to fabrics. I really didn’t want to have to give it away, so I did some research on how to make a sweater less itchy. This guide from Cosmo is what I more or less followed, but I didn’t find all of their instructions needed to be followed exactly and have my own tips after doing this twice! I know it’s not quite sweater weather yet, but I wanted to share so you can have this on-hand when cooler weather does roll around or if you want a head-start transitioning your wardrobe to fall!
Disclaimer that I have only done this to my wool-blend J. Crew sweater, so take caution when trying this process with a more expensive sweater!
What You’ll Need to Make Your Sweater Less Itchy
- Bucket or bowl big enough to submerge your item
- White Vinegar
- Lots of conditioner
- Ziploc Bag (or something similar)
Step 1: Soak Sweater Inside Out in Water & White Vinegar for 15 Minutes
Put enough water in a bucket or bowl to fully submerge your sweater and add in a few cap fulls of white vinegar. I did 3-4, but the sweater I used isn’t very thick. Definitely add more if you’re doing this with a thicker/chunkier sweater! Then leave submerged for 15 minutes. The first time I did this I don’t think all of my sweater was fully underwater – be sure to check on it once or twice so you don’t end up missing any spots like I did the first time around!
Step 2: Massage Conditioner into Sweater and Leave for 45 Minutes
Take you sweater out of the water and squeeze out excess water – don’t wring it completely dry, but make sure the sweater is no longer soaking wet. Then take your conditioner and massage it into the sweater. I recommend using a LOT of conditioner to really soften up the fibers. And use even more on any spots that itch you more than others. Let the conditioner sit for 45 (or more) minutes. (The article I read said 30 minutes, but this is the part that really softens everything up, and I found 45 minutes worked better!)
Step 3: Rinse Sweater with Cold Water, Then Lay Flat to Dry
Once the sweater has sat in the conditioner for 45 minutes, rinse it out with cold water. Really make sure you get all of the conditioner out! Then gently squeeze out the excess water – again, don’t wring it out completely. Then lay it flat to dry – if it’s warm/dry outside I’d recommend setting it outside on to dry, but you can lay it to dry inside as well.
Step 4: Put Sweater in a Ziploc Bag and Keep in Freezer for 8-9 Hours
After your sweater is completely dry, fold it up and put it in a ziploc, then put it in the freezer. Do this ASAP after it dries! I’d make sure to leave the sweater in the freezer for at least 8 or 9 hours.
Step 5: Freshen-Up Your Sweater
You may not want to wash your sweater normally right after this process. I can’t confirm, but I feel like it reverses all of the work you just did! Plus you don’t want to be washing any of your sweaters excessively. However, you probably want to give it a little freshening up before wearing it. I’d recommend this Delicate Spray from The Laundress – it smells so good and deodorizes your clothes between washes!
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And there you have it! How to make a sweater less itchy. I have this process saved to my IG Stories and on Reels if you want a more visual how-to. Make sure to bookmark this page or save my post via IG so you can reference it later!
xx, c
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