Different materials and fibres often need different care when washing. Cotton and wool are very different types of fibre and so different things can happen if they’re washed wrong.

Cotton washed at a low temperature can ‘leak’ or ‘bleed’ colour and dye. Wool can shrink if washed at too high a temperature. Neither of which is great for keeping your clothes looking their best.

Most types of wool can be washed in a normal washing machine, if you have a wool or delicate setting.

Just double check the temperature before you start. High temperature washing is the main cause of wool shrinkage. Often machine's will offer a 'warm wash', this is to be avoided too as it still sits around 90 degrees and will cause damage.

Try to use a mild detergent or a wool wash detergent as this can help reduce the chance of damaging the fibres and avoid fabric softeners as this can sometimes cause ‘felting’ of wool garments. This means the fibres have frayed slightly and bound to the surrounding fibres, giving a slightly matted appearance and often causing a bit of shrinkage.

Turning your garments inside out before washing can help too.

It’s still very important to get the temperature right when hand washing clothes, as high temperatures can still cause the garment to shrink even if you’re carefully washing by hand rather than in a machine.

Make sure the detergent is completely dissolved before you start washing, and try not to rub hard or use a lot of pressure as this can lead to ‘felting’ of your wool clothes. Gently press the suds and bubbles into the clothing to remove the dirt. Then rinse until the water runs clear again. Leaving detergent in the clothes after washing can cause damage to the fibres later, especially in places where a lot of rubbing naturally occurs while moving.

Don’t wring out or twist your garments. Just dry them gently by rolling them into a towel, then carefully lie them flat and pull into shape. This prevents warping or pulling the clothes into the wrong shape.

Never hang your wool clothes from a clothes hanger to dry. This can cause stretching and pulling from the weight of the water. Dry your wool clothes laid flat on a towel or drying rack.

Merino wool naturally acts a bit like a sponge, making it nice and breathable as it absorbs and then dispels moisture from your body. This means it absorbs a lot of water during washing. Wool is well known for taking ages to dry, but merino has finer fibres than other sheep wool, so it dries much faster. Another reason we love it so much.