Originally created out of natural wool for warmth by the wives of fisherman and sailors in the 15th Century on the English Channel Islands the sweater has come a long way. It traveled across the Atlantic in the 1890s, when it was adopted by U.S. athletes and called a sweater. By the 1920s, fashion designers had discovered a great asset to their collections and the modern sweater evolved.

Types of fibers

Your sweaters are made up of either natural or synthetic fibers, or a combination of both. Your natural fibers are wool, angora, mohair, silk, cashmere, alpaca, cotton, linen, ramie and rayon. Your synthetics are nylon, polyester and acrylics. Both natural and synthetic fibers make great sweaters, but caring for them can be confusing.

Laundering

Only wash or dry clean your sweaters after wearing them 6–7 times, or before you put them away for the season. If your sweaters are dry clean only, use an experienced cleaner and instruct him to block your garment before drying (blocking is the process of stretching a knitted garment into shape while wet or using steam).

After checking the label for appropriate washing instructions, you will be ready to begin. If it says machine wash, refer to our Fabric Advisor for appropriate instructions for cotton, linen/ramie, nylon, polyester, washable silk, washable wool and acrylics.

If your sweater instructions say hand wash:

1. Use lukewarm water
    
2. Wash with Tide Liquid or Ivory Snow™
    
3. Squeeze suds gently through the garment
    
4. Never rub or twist
    
5. Rinse thoroughly, several times
    
6. Dry naturally on flat towel — out of direct sunlight or heat
    
7. Smooth out garment to original shape and size

Minimizing loose fibers

Lint rollers are great for getting the loose fibers; try the Bounce™ Lint & Freshness Roller. It's the fresh scent of a Bounce dryer sheet with the pick-up power of a lint roller.

Removing pilling

If your sweater has little balls on it, you've got pilling. Don’t fear…getting rid of them is pretty easy. You can cut them off — but be careful. This is risky because you could easily cut a hole in the sweater. Want an easier way? Try a sweater comb or a motorized fabric shaver. Even though it is tempting, try not to pull them off by hand.

Folding and storing

If you hang your sweaters up, you're risking stretching and funny indentations. If you want to keep your sweaters looking great, fold them and put them away.

Preparing for storage

Wash or dry clean your sweaters before you put them away for the season. Clothes moths prefer dirty fabric. So it's not only a great way to do a little bit of prevention, it'll help them seem a little more fresh for the next year. If you want another use for your favorite dryer sheets, try adding them in between your sweaters for additional fragrance.