The Inside Scoop on Sweater Fibers

We all love sweaters. In the fall and spring, sweaters are the perfect outdoor garment. They provide not only a sophisticated, appealing look, but just the right amount of comfort from the cool seasonal temperatures. Here at Jimmy’s Cleaners and Alterations, we want to take this time to offer you the inside scoop on all those different sweater fibers.

All Kinds of Shapes, Sizes, Colors and Fibers
Sweaters certainly come in all types of shapes, colors and sizes. The average person, however, never stops to think about how many different fibers are used to create and design sweaters. Every different fiber presents with its own different cleaning challenges. With that said, our team of specialists is here to help make the challenge easier. Let’s take a peek at some of those varied fibers.

Fibers, Fibers, and More Fibers
Knowing a bit about the fiber content of your sweaters will help you to determine what type of cleaning processes you should follow. Here is some insight on the various fibers.

• Angora – The sweater fibers in angora sweaters consist of a combination of synthetic and wool fibers. This combination is what accounts for the incredibly soft feel of these sweaters. Your gravest concern with angora is the fact that it will shrink very easily. For this reason, our team of specialists highly recommends you hand wash all your cherished angora sweaters and lay them flat to dry.
• Wool – A fiber made from sheep’s hair and composed of protein; wool is not only extremely comfortable but every bit durable as well. Whether laundering or dry-cleaning your wool sweaters, however, special handling is needed. Care labels may indicate hand washing with cold water and a soft detergent and laying the garment flat to dry. In some cases, the care label may suggest a gentle cycle on a washing machine. In many cases, the label will be specific and indicate dry clean only. Pay attention to the labels.
• Cashmere/Camel Hair – Just as the name says, camel hair sweaters are actually made from the hair of camels. These fibers are then blended together with wool making the fabric remarkably soft. Sweaters made of cashmere and camel’s hair should always be dry-cleaned. As a side note, these sweaters suffer greatly with pilling and matting. They are also prone to shrinking if you choose to use care processes other than dry cleaning. Trust our dry-cleaning experts.
• Acrylic – Often times acrylic sweaters are confused with wool sweaters. It is hard to distinguish between the two. With that said, giving focus to the care labels on these sweaters will help with your care and cleaning challenges. Since acrylic is actually a thermoplastic fiber it can be severely impacted by heat, whether from drying the fibers or ironing them. For this reason, it is best to lay acrylic sweaters flat when drying, but you can also tumble dry them at reasonably cool temperatures.

Trust the Pros

There you have some important facts about various sweater fibers from our dedicated team. Here at Jimmy’s Cleaners and Alterations we are steadfast in our commitment to meet the individual needs of all our clients. We treat your garments as if they are our own. Our clients are our number one priority which is why we are always looking for ways to help educate clients on fabrics, proper care and the benefits of dry cleaning.

Spring is here and like Fall, a lovely time of year for sweaters. If you have sweaters that require special care look to the pros here at Jimmy’s Cleaners. We stand ready to serve you with all your dry-cleaning needs. Be sure to take advantage of our weekly specials and our convenient pick up and drop off services as well.

Don’t understand how to properly care for all those different sweater fibers? Don’t fret. Leave it to the trusted pros here at Jimmy’s Cleaners. We look forward to serving you and to helping you maintain your sophisticated, stylish look day after day, season after season.