Layl writes:
<<I don't know about you fleece-washers, but my husband threatened me
with tar and feathers if i ever put a fleece into a washer. He had real
concerns that the stray wool fibers & lanolin will clog up the washer
pump and then go on down to clog up the septic system - big time.
grease is grease.>>
I've been washing wool in washing machines for going on 20 years. In
that time one machine croaked, but it had nothing to do with washing wool.
If you use enough detergent, there won't be grease as stuff that can
clog up pipes and things, even in hard water (and I'll bet my water is
harder than anyone else's here :) The detergent binds with the grease,
at the molecular level, so it can't clump together, and keeps it in
suspension.
Of course, it takes LOTS of detergent. I figure I use about a cup of
hand dishwashing liquid for every pound of wool if the wool type is very
greasy. And HOT water--160 F.
We've had a septic system now for over 9 years, with many fleeces being
washed in the washer attached to the system--over 100 at the very least,
ranging from Icelandic to Merino--and no problems there, either.
Finally, I virtually never have any free-floating fiber when washing raw
fleece because the crimp makes it hang together. I bag my wool (in the
orange mesh bags that you can buy 50 pounds of onions or corn or apples
in--got them at the local farmers' co-op), but just to minimize
agitation, not to keep fiber from floating and clogging things. If
you're washing processed fibers, there may be an issue, but not with fleece.
Holly
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