How do I care for muskox wool?
Perhaps you have just invested in a lovely, down-soft piece of muskox wool clothing and are looking forward to wearing it – or you are considering it – and are now wondering how best to look after your muskox wool so that you can enjoy it for many years.
But what should you do if an accident happens? Read here about caring for muskox wool.
Muskox wool is a 100% genuine natural material and therefore does not need much care.
There are, however, a few things you should be aware of:
#1 Ordinary care
When woollens have been worn for a while, they may need freshening up.
You do not need to use water and soap, just hang them outside to air – perhaps when it is raining, so they get a little damp.
Alternatively you can hang them in the bathroom and let them get damp from the steam of your hot shower.
That is called natural washing and is one of the best ways of caring for muskox wool.
#2 Stains
Tea, coffee, jam – the possibilities for getting stained are endless.
Clean water and a towel are always good tools when you need to remove stains.
Rinse the stain away with lukewarm water and then dab or press the spot dry with a towel.
Dried-in stains should be dissolved in water and treated the same way as when you remove fresh stains.
If the stain is more stubborn, it may be necessary to use a mild wool detergent or seek help at your local dry cleaner.
Unfortunately you can also be unlucky and find that some stains simply cannot be removed – and that is annoying.
The Danish dry cleaners’ association has collected a good overview of how to deal with stains – hop over to the page here.
#3 Washing
If you choose to wash your muskox garment, use a mild soap and wash it in hand-warm water.
Avoid using too much soap and avoid fabric softener. Instead of fabric softener you can use vinegar.
Roll your woollens in a towel and press the excess water out.
Then lay your woollens flat to dry and ease them into the shape you want.
If you hang them up they will stretch and lose their shape – and who wants that?
#4 Storage
It is easy to become addicted to muskox wool, and it can be worn both summer and winter.
If you choose to put it away, keep it in a drawer or a cupboard, as you probably do with all your other woollens.
You can also choose to put your muskox wool in an airtight bag or container to avoid clothes moths getting their teeth into your muskox wool – that would be really annoying.
#5 Facts about muskox wool
First of all a historical fact:
Muskox wool is, like shearling and sealskin, a by-product from the kitchen.
For many years the hunters left the hide in the mountains and only brought the meat home.
There are many kilos of meat on a grown muskox, and it is extremely heavy to drag home.
That is why the tough but also tired hunters for a long time chose to bring only the meat home and left the thick, heavy hide in the mountains.
Until a quick-thinking hunter’s wife asked for a hide to be brought home from the hunting trip.
Around the mountains in Greenland it is possible to gather tufts of wool where the muskoxen live, but it takes a long time to gather enough for a shawl.
It is easier to pick the wool off a hide that the proud hunter has already had his hands on anyway.
Picking the muskox wool out of that hide is a big and time-consuming job, but better that than letting the precious wool go to waste.
And the more knitting-nerdy facts:
- Muskox wool does not shrink, felt or shed like ordinary sheep’s wool.
- It weighs nothing, is down-soft and does not itch. That is why it is great for baby clothes.
- It is not allergenic.
