Washing Fleeces
I find that January is a great time to get fleeces washed. It's a way to be productive inside, out of the cold weather we are having, as long as you have space for drying the fleeces inside.
I start with a thorough skirting. I do an initial skirting of the fleeces as they are shorn, disposing of most of the undesirable parts right as they are shorn. I go through the fleeces, taking out second cuts, fiber with manure, pieces of hay, burrs, felted areas, and locks too contaminated with vegetable matter to use.
Once fully skirted, I prepare to wash the fleece. I like to use a washing machine that is dedicated to washing fleeces. I also use this process with buckets in my bathtub or in a sink. I empty each bucket slowly and gently squeeze the fiber, instead of using the spin cycle, to get the water out of the fleece. I turn my water heater up the night before I wash fleeces so that I have very hot water to work with. I find that really hot water is especially needed for wool fleeces. My mohair has much less grease and usually washes out with just one soap soak. Here are a few important tips. Never agitate the fleece in the washing machine; it will turn it into a felted mess. Always spin the water off while the water is still very warm/hot, if the water cools down too much, the grease will resettle on the fleece and not be washed out properly.
Fill the empty washing machine with hot water. When it is finished filling, turn the machine off (very important, you do not want the machine to agitate). I add a small amount of soap for the first soak for mohair. Place the fleece into the washing machine and close the lid. I let the fleece soak for about 1.5 hours. A piece of pvc pipe left over from a plumbing project is perfect for me to use to gently gently push down on the fleece a few times during the soaks to make sure that all of it gets cleaned. Spin the water out of the fleece. This first soak gets rid of a large amount of the dirt in the fleece.
Next I remove the fleece from the machine to avoid any felting from water falling on to the fleece as the machine fills with hot water. When the machine is full, I add the soap. A few brands that I like are Orvus paste soap and Kookaburra wool scour. Orvus is available locally and is less expensive; Kookaburra is more and has to be shipped here. I use about 1oz per pound for my mohair. All but one of my goats have minimal grease to their fleeces. Maisie, one of my white angoras has heavier grease and I use more than an ounce per pound on her fleece. For wool fleeces, I like to use 2 ounces per pound and will do 2 soap soaks as well to get rid of all of the lanolin. Make sure to turn the machine off before adding the fleece. When finished soaking (about 1.5 hrs per soak), spin the water out of the fleece.
For rinses, remove the fleece, fill the machine, turn the machine off, and then add the fleece. Soak for about 1.5 hours and spin out very thoroughly. It usually takes 2 rinses. For the final rinse, sometimes I add some vinegar. Spin the final rinse to get as much water out of the fleece as possible. This will help decrease the drying time.
I spread my fleeces out to dry on aluminum window screens that are on a PVC frame that my husband and son made for me. I and and turn the fleece to make sure that it dries all the way through. I have a friend that has an air hockey table that she uses. The positive airflow that it provides speeds up the drying time. I will use fans if I need to speed up drying time.
Finally, especially with wool fleeces, check the fleeces a few weeks after they are dry. If there is still some residual lanolin, it will feel tacky to the touch. I recommend rewashing fleeces that are tacky. Most fiber mills will require another wash. I don't want to have to clean lanolin or grease off of my picker and carder or have it transfer to other fibers that I process.
