Pashmina & Cashmere Care Guide

HOW TO WASH, DRY, STORE AND LOOK AFTER YOUR PASHMINA, SCARF OR CASHMERE KNITWEAR

Cashmere is not as fragile as many people think. Looked after gently, a good pashmina or cashmere jumper will last for years and often gets softer with wear. This guide covers everything we have learned since 2002. It applies to our pashminas, scarves, stoles, shawls, knitwear, blankets and accessories.

The short version

  • Hand wash in cold or lukewarm water with a little baby shampoo or cashmere/wool detergent.
  • Be gentle. Move it through the water. Never scrub, stretch, twist or wring it.
  • Rinse well in cold water, then press the water out, ideally by rolling it in a clean towel.
  • Dry it flat, reshaped, away from direct heat and strong sunlight. A pashmina can also be hung; knitwear must always dry flat.
  • Iron through a cloth with plenty of steam.
  • Wash separately, especially the first time, and keep dark and pale wet items apart.
  • Never use hot water, bleach or a tumble dryer.
  • Stains: take it to a dry cleaner.

How to hand wash a pashmina, step by step

This is the method we recommend, and it works the same way for a jumper or a blanket. Download a printable (PDF) version.

How to clean a pashmina

1. The things you will need

A clean bowl or basin, a little baby shampoo or cashmere detergent, cold water and a clean towel.

How to clean a pashmina

2. Fill up the bowl

Use cold water; lukewarm at most. Cashmere and pashminas prefer cold water. Hot water is what shrinks and felts them.

3. Pour in the detergent

Just a capful should be enough. More soap only means more rinsing.

4. Mix it up

Mix the detergent in so it is spread evenly through the water before your pashmina goes in.

5. Add your pashmina

Or your jumper, scarf or blanket. Wash it on its own, especially the first time.

6. Gently does it

Move it gently through the water. Never scrub, rub or stretch it. Don’t leave it soaking any longer than it needs.

7. Drain it

Empty out the soapy water, supporting the pashmina so its wet weight doesn’t pull on it.

8. Rinse it

Rinse out the soap with cold water; a shower head works well. Do not twist, pull or scrunch the pashmina.

9. Rinse again

Rinse again in clean, cold water until no soap is left. Then press the water out gently. Rolling it up in a clean towel is the easiest way. Never wring it.

10. Dry it

Reshape it and lay it flat to dry, or hang up a pashmina nicely spread out so no creases form. Keep it away from radiators and strong sunlight. Knitwear always dries flat.

11. Iron it

Put a cloth on top of the pashmina and iron it with plenty of steam. Without a cloth you might leave shiny patches. After ironing it will look fresh, like new.

Can I use the washing machine?

Hand washing is the safest way. A reliable washing machine’s genuine hand-wash or wool cycle can also be fine, if you trust the machine and have used that cycle safely for delicate wool before. I use the hand-wash cycle myself and find it works well. The risk is an unfamiliar or aggressive machine, so use your judgement and never use an ordinary wash cycle.

Heat is the real enemy. We used cashmere baby blankets with our own children, and they often got dirty. Machine washing them was fine except for the one time I put them on at 60°C. They came out small and thick!

Whatever the machine, don’t tumble dry. Beaded pashminas should never go in the machine at all (see below).

Drying, ironing and creases

  • Dry flat on a towel or drying rack, reshaped to its proper size, away from direct heat and strong sunlight.
  • Pashminas can also be hung to dry, as long as they are spread out nicely so no creases form.
  • Knitwear must dry flat, never hung. A wet knit stretches under its own weight.
  • Never tumble dry.
  • Ironing: always iron through a cloth, with plenty of steam. Make sure a pashmina is completely flat so you don’t press in shiny marks. On knitwear, avoid ironing over the seams.
  • Never iron over beads, crystals or any decoration.

Care by type

Pashminas and woven cashmere

This covers our classic pure cashmere and 70% cashmere / 30% silk pashminas, Angelweave, ring shawls, water pashminas, herringbone and winter-weight shawls. Follow the step-by-step method above. The silk in a cashmere-silk blend likes the same gentle treatment as the cashmere.

Cashmere knitwear, hats, gloves and snoods

Hand wash cool with a cashmere or wool detergent, press out in a towel, then reshape and dry flat, never hanging.

Cashmere and wool blends

Treat them like cashmere. The wool makes them a little more robust, but heat and rough handling will still felt them.

Pure silk

Wash in cool water with a little gentle detergent. Never rub or wring. Press out in a towel and dry flat, away from heat and strong sunlight. Wash silk separately. Silk dyes are the ones most worth keeping away from pale items on a first wash.

Beaded pashminas: hand wash only

The weight of the beads and the decorated tassels makes a washing machine risky, however gentle the cycle. Hand wash in cool water and support the weight of the pashmina when you lift it out wet. Press out in a towel and dry flat. Never rub, pull or iron over the beads.

Swarovski crystal pashminas

Hand washing is preferred. A gentle hand-wash cycle you have used safely before can be used, but with care. Keep the crystals away from friction and never iron directly over the crystals or the glue that holds them. Press out in a towel and dry flat.

Stains and colour

For a stain, take it to a good dry cleaner rather than scrubbing it at home. Scrubbing damages the fibres and often spreads the stain.

We use environmentally friendly, AZO-free Swiss dyes, and they are intended to stay stable. A trace from the dyes can occasionally linger, so it is worth washing a piece separately the first time and keeping dark and pale wet items apart. If a lot of colour comes out during normal gentle washing, stop and send us a photo so we can take a look.

Pilling (bobbles)

Some pilling can happen where cashmere rubs against clothes, bags or itself. It is most common on knitted cashmere, in places like the underarms and cuffs, and it does not automatically mean poor quality.

  • Reduce friction where you can: bag straps, coat collars and seat belts are the usual culprits.
  • Don’t pull pills off by hand; that drags out more fibre.
  • A cashmere comb can be used gently on thicker knitwear. Please don’t comb a fine or loosely woven pashmina, as it can snag. Ask us first.

If pilling is unusually heavy or appears very quickly, send us a photo with your order details and we will look into it.

Moths and storage

It is the moth larvae, not the flying adult moths, that eat natural fibres and leave holes. They are drawn to fibres that have been worn and put away unwashed.

  • Clean items before you store them for any length of time.
  • Make sure they are completely dry first.
  • Store them folded rather than on a hanger. Knitwear especially stretches out of shape on a hanger.
  • Use a sealed garment bag or container for seasonal storage.
  • Keep wardrobes and drawers clean, and look over stored cashmere from time to time.

If a new piece has a smell

Natural cashmere and silk can sometimes arrive carrying a scent, from the finishing process, from storage or from the journey. It is almost always in the surface fibres, so a gentle wash as described above usually clears it. Let it dry flat in fresh air, and do tell us how it comes out.

Washing it this way does not affect your right to return it. If you would rather just send it back, that is absolutely fine. See our easy returns.

Still not sure?

Every piece has a fibre-content label (it is often tucked behind the brand label), so you can always check what it is made of. If you are unsure how to care for something, get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.