Alpaca fibers are naturally stain, odor and wrinkle resistant. That's why alpaca garments can go extended periods between cleanings. When it’s finally time for a cleaning or when you accidentally spill food, our suggestions might help you taking care of your garments.

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Cleaning Woven garments (including jackets, coats and some vests)
For all of our alpaca coats, jackets and vests, we recommend cleaning with an eco-friendly dry cleaner. There’s a great Wall Street Journal article, Finding an Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaner, that talks about alternatives to Perc, the known air and groundwater pollutant and likely human carcinogen that’s used by most traditional dry cleaners.

 

Cleaning Knitwear (including sweaters, cardigans, and some vests and accessories)
Hand washing is the best method for cleaning Alpaca knitwear. It adds years to the life of your garment. However, not all of us have the time or patience to hand wash our clothes. In this case, we strongly encourage you to find an eco-friendly dry cleaner near you (see above).

If you do elect to hand wash your alpaca knitwear, here’s what we suggest:

a) Wash in warm water with a gentle soap. Rinse thoroughly in same temperature water. Don’t wring or twist.

b) Carefully support the wet garment while laying it on top of a dry towel. Push the water from the garment (don’t wring or twist) by rolling up the towel and squeezing the water into the towel. If there is a lot of water, you may need to replace the towel and repeat.

c) Air dry the garment on top of a dry towel on a flat surface.

Never place Alpaca knitwear on a hanger; the garment can stretch out of shape. The best way to put away your garment is to lay it flat on a shelf or in a drawer.

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Cleaning socks, hats and gloves
All socks, hats and gloves (not the leather ones of course) are machine washable in cold water. We suggest they be placed in a pillowcase or one of those mesh laundry bags. They should then be left to air dry.

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Storing your apparel and accessories
Make sure your alpaca products are clean and dry before you put them away for long-term storage (little critters like moths enjoy dirty fibers better). We suggest placing everything in a cedar chest during extended storage. Inside the chest, as well as in your closet or dresser, we also suggest including some cedar chips or lavender.

All knitwear, including sweaters and blankets, should be folded and laid flat. No knitwear should be placed on a hanger as this can stretch the material. For woven apparel or anything that you do place on hangers, we recommend using either a cedar hanger or those hanging cedar blocks.