How to Lanolize Wool and Cashmere

Here at Babee Greens, we love our WOOL and CASHMERE! What’s not to love about nature’s most breathable yet waterproof material? Despite all of the “delicate care” hype, wool is surprisingly easy to care for and use.

Wool contains lanolin, a substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool bearing animals. It is their own defense against the elements: rain, sleet, snow and critters! It is naturally antimicrobial, anti-fungal and water resistant. Lanolin and its many derivatives are used extensively in products designed for the protection, treatment and beautification of human skin. When wool is lanolized, wetness activates the natural soap and makes it self cleaning with natural odor fighting properties. Lanolizing your Babee Greens wool or cashmere diaper covers, longies or shorties is an important step, so follow our easy steps below.

Here we go!

• Begin with dry, clean wool. If lanolizing items with snaps, be sure to unsnap.
• Draw a pan/bucket/sink of lukewarm water. Hot water will felt and shrink wool.
• Take a separate cup of very hot water, add a pea size ( this is for approximately 2 to 3 articles) of Babee Greens pure lanolin. Stir to dissolve. Dissolving well is very important to avoid sticky spots on the wool.
• Once well dissolved add to the sink of lukewarm water and mix well.
• Add your wool, soaking it through with the lukewarm, lanolin-rich bath. Let sit for a minimum of 3 hours to overnight.
• When it is time to dry the cover, longies etc, avoid wringing or squeezing the fabric. This can cause it to become misshapen. Lay the article in a clean, dry towel and roll it to remove excess water. Lay flat to dry and you are ready to go!
• Your wool can be air dried for weeks unless soiled, and used over and over before needing to washed. Lanolize once a month or so.