How to Wash an Alpaca Sweater and Keep Its Shape

Alpaca has little lanolin – that changes the care

Sheep's wool is full of lanolin (wool grease) that makes it slightly self-cleaning and water-repellent. Alpaca has almost no lanolin, and that creates three practical differences. First, alpaca is hypoallergenic – many people who itch from ordinary wool tolerate it well. Second, the fibre is smoother and felts less than sheep's wool, but it also has less springiness and 'memory', so it stretches and drops out of shape more easily. Third, alpaca is warmer and denser for its weight, because the fibre is partly hollow. The result is a garment that washes well, but must be dried with care so it does not stretch out.

Wash alpaca gently – by hand or on a mild wool cycle

Alpaca washes fine as long as you stick to cold water and little movement. If the care label allows a wool cycle, you can use it with the garment in a mesh bag, cold water and low spin – otherwise hand-washing is safest.

1. Turn the garment inside out and gently pre-treat any stains.
2. Fill a basin with cold to lukewarm water and a little wool wash – not ordinary detergent with enzymes or bleach.
3. Place the garment in, let it soak for a few minutes and squeeze the water gently through the fabric without rubbing or pulling.
4. Rinse in water at the same temperature to avoid temperature shock.
5. Squeeze – never wring – out the water, and lay the garment flat in a towel that you roll up to press out the moisture.

The big risk: alpaca stretches

Because alpaca has little springiness and becomes heavy when wet, a wet garment on a hanger will stretch and sag out of shape – often permanently. The answer is always flat drying: lay the garment on a dry towel, reshape it to the right measurements and shape while it is still damp, and let it air-dry away from sun, radiators and the tumble dryer. 'Blocking' it this way while damp is also what rescues a sweater that has already stretched – you can reshape it back, unlike heat shrinkage, which is mostly permanent.

Between washes: air it, de-pill it, store it right

Alpaca stays fresh for a long time and rarely needs a full wash. Washing less often is actually best for the shape, so make airing your first choice:

• Air the garment after wearing – hang it outside or in a steamy bathroom for a few hours, and odours disappear without washing.
• Remove pills gently with a comb or fabric shaver. Alpaca pills less than cashmere, but friction creates pills here too.
• Let the garment rest a day between wears so the fibres can recover.
• Store alpaca folded and clean, never on a hanger, and with moth protection such as cedar or lavender – moths go for alpaca too.

When should you leave the alpaca to professionals?

An everyday alpaca sweater you can safely wash yourself with the method above. But some pieces are worth a professional eye: an expensive or inherited sweater, a structured alpaca coat where water can ruin the shape, a piece labelled 'dry clean only', a greasy stain you cannot lift, or a sweater that has stretched so much you cannot get it back into shape. If the garment also needs a repair – moth damage, a seam or elastic – we handle it in the same round. We clean according to the garment and its care label, so the treatment is correct and gentle. You order online, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions