Alpaca is a lovely, warm, and super soft fibre but can sometimes be a bit delicate; and so we want to take care how we wash our prized alpaca products. Let us remember that alpaca is naturally antimicrobial and so will not absorb smells as much as other fabrics, thus it actually requires less frequent washing than other fibers.
50% alpaca/acrylic blends are more durable and are sometimes referred to as sport blends. they are specifically created for their ease of wash. generally these blends are turned inside out, washed on a cold water gentle cycle, and laid flat to dry. let us keep in mind that many people do choose to wash their alpaca garment on a normal cycle and tumble dry, however the garments will only last about a year when washed on regular cycles, whereas one can get many years of wear from alpaca garments which are washed gently. For the jackets 10 years of wear is quite common.
100% Alpaca garments are quite delicate and lovely. They should only be hand washed with mild detergents and laid flat to dry.
Other care tips:
Snags:
For sweaters which feature the lovely looser hand knits, snags can be an issue. However remember that almost any snag can be popped back into the garment with a pencil and knitting needle so that the snag is only visible on the inside of the garment. More experienced knitters and fiber workers will also know that most snags or loose strings can be easily tied off and snipped.
Brushing: Occasionally some alpaca products can really benefit from a good brushing. Our alpaca stuffed animals will look spectacular after a good brush down. Sport blend jackets are often worn for 10 plus years and the only complaint being that after many years the alpaca fibers are a bit frazzled looking. however often times all that is needed in his case is a medium soft bristle brush to gently untangle and get the fibers all aligned once again.