Machine washing a wool coat that's too large for me

[Mo0o]

I have a woolcoat that's too big for. The sleevei s too long and the chest is a few inches too big as well. Is it possible for me to machine wash this bad boy then toss it into the dryer to shrink it down to size. What are some of things that could go wrong.

 

[StevenYoo]

wormhole.

 

[Vehemence]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo
wormhole.

OH SHI-

 

[James3shin]

I'd go find a tailor. I'm guessing the washing instructions of the coat says to dry clean, if so, then machine washing can very well lead to weapons of mass static and atrocious fashion. I should stop watching old Chapelle Show episodes....

 

[BoomerD]

While washing a wool coat MAY make it shrink, it might not shrink in the direction you want...or to the degree you want. Then, to top it off, you'll most likely have ruined the coat by washing it in water.

 

[LS21]

washing wool...WORST idea ever. bring it to a tailor, sell it, or throw it away

 

[RocksteadyDotNet]

How is washing wool bad?

Sheep do live outdoors. I know, i've seen them.

EDIT - Sometimes they put coats on the sheep but that's only the ones with the really low micron wool.

 

[between]

 

[between]

 

[ScottyB]

Do you think?

 

[greengrass]

Originally posted by: between

Originally posted by: RocksteadyDotNet
How is washing wool bad?

it's not necessarily bad, you just have to be gentle - use low temps, use special wash liquid, don't tumble dry or dry at high temps, etc. otherwise you will get a shrunken, misshaped garment.

That's sounds the like the right tips.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

LOL, reminds me of the time when my wife washed one of my wool sweaters by mistake.
We gave it to our neighbors 6 year old, fit pretty well too.

 

[mugs]

This will probably turn out badly.

 

[ggnl]

Originally posted by: mugs
This will probably turn out badly.

Nonsense! Do it OP, then return with pics.

 

[waffleironhead]

GO for it, just include before and after pics

 

[dullard]

Wool tends to act like velcro on a small scale. What I mean is that some of the wool fibers can snag on nearby fibers. This often happens during the wash/dry cycle. The snags pull the fibers closer together and "shrink" the wool fabric. But it only shrinks a few percent and it isn't permanent.

The snags are weak, just like velcro. You can easilly pull velcro apart, and you can easilly pull wool snags apart. Thus, you can unsnag the wool fibers and pull them further away from each other thereby "stretching" the wool fabric. But it only stretches a few percent.

This whole "strink" and "stretch" is small but noticible, reversable, and can only be done a certain extent. Once you "shrink" it once, you can't keep shrinking it. The fibers have already snagged to the nearby fiber. In order to snag it on to another fiber, you have to unsnag it from the first fiber. Thus there are upper and lower bounds to what you can do with wool fabrics. Most of what people think about "shrinking" and "stretching" wool is a myth. Yes, it changes size, but only within a small bounded region. Sadly though, where it "shrinks" and "stretches" is largely out of your control.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Originally posted by: RocksteadyDotNet
How is washing wool bad?

Sheep do live outdoors. I know, i've seen them. Hmmm, and just how long have you being seeing these sheep?

EDIT - Sometimes they put coats on the sheep but that's only the ones with the really low self esteem.

Fixed that for ya.

And sometimes they put a naughty maids outfit on, but that's just between you, and ewe. Oh gosh, I am so Baaaaaaad.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
While washing a wool coat MAY make it shrink, it might not shrink in the direction you want...or to the degree you want. Then, to top it off, you'll most likely have ruined the coat by washing it in water.

indeed. wool can be soaked out, if you really really have no other choice, but its a crappy idea. you *can not* control or predict garment shrinkage of wool or any other material, and trying to wash something in the attempt to shrink by a certain amount it is a terrible idea.