How to care for wool (and wash it less)

Wool is naturally odour-resistant and self-cleaning to a surprising degree. Most of the time it needs air, not water.

The routine

Brush after wearing to lift dust from the fibres, hang it on a wide hanger to rest for a day, and steam out creases. Dry clean once a season at most — every clean strips a little of the natural lanolin that keeps wool soft.

Treat it like a good pair of boots: little and often.

Storing for summer

Clean before storing, fold knitwear rather than hanging it, and keep everything in breathable cotton bags with a few cedar blocks. Moths love dark, still, unworn corners — so take things out and shake them now and then.