Caring for your Holiday Cashmere

Cashmere sweaters are easily among the most popular varieties of holiday sweaters. A classic fabric, cashmere is elegant, rich, warm, and light all at the same time. Since the fabric is so classic, a cashmere sweater can be worn for ever, as long as you care for it correctly.

Cashmere should not be dry cleaned, despite popular belief. Cashmere is a very thin fabric (despite how warm it keeps you), and the harsh chemicals used in dry cleaning can have a pretty detrimental effect on the delicate material. Hand washing is the best bet for caring for cashmere. Follow these simple steps to keep your cashmere holiday sweater looking brand new.

• Use a tiny amount of mild detergent combined with luke warm water in a sink. Make sure the sweater gets fully saturated first with water, then with the soap.
• Once you're sure the suds have penetrated the sweater thoroughly, rinse with cooler, but not freezing cold water. Move the cold water through the sweater gently, and press the water out. NEVER wring your cashmere, as it will misshape your sweater.
• Once the water has been delicately pressed out, find a flat surface, and lay out a similarly colored towel. Lay out your cashmere sweater, and block the sweater so it's the exact shape it is supposed to be. The fibers will dry how you lay them, so the blocking process is a tedious, but highly important one.
• Once the sweater is completely dry, either wear again, or store in a cool, dry place!