# S: Fleece washing at home



## wordancer (May 4, 2011)

I started processing that 8lb corrindale fleece I bought in august. :sm06: :sm04: :sm16: what was I thinking!

First the locks, etc need to be teased/pulled apart, the tips are usually caked dirt and lanolin. Pick out large veggie matter, shake out dirt...don't go crazy, but be through as you can stand being.

Used the washing machine for soaking and spinning, I found it to be rather annoying, in that I found out this washing drains as it is spinning so the fiber was doing some sloshing around.

Take fiber out, which wasn't as difficult as it sounds. Made fiber washing bags out of netting. Let the water spin out. Put fiber back in. 

Spinning...and what is that noise? Ah, the machines is squirting a jet of COLD water as it is spinning! Take fiber out, let machine do its thing, put fiber back in for a little more spin, doesn't need much. 

Now that I know how this machine works, it is OK, not as bad as it sounds...but I think I try wool washing in the big sink next to the washing machine when I do the next batch.

After this batch dries, I'll weigh it and see how much clean fiber I have. I swear it does not look like I took anything out of that 8lb bag!!

After it is all cleaned, the wool will be put in a pillow case, and then this winter I'll do the final pick through.


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## TERIGODMOTHER (Sep 30, 2014)

That bottom photo is why I like to wash fleece.


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## wordancer (May 4, 2011)

Yeah, it is so fluffy and white!


TERIGODMOTHER said:


> That bottom photo is why I like to wash fleece.


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## desireeross (Jun 2, 2013)

Awesome job. Love the before and after


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## Longtimer (May 23, 2013)

Isn't it a miracle how such dirty stuff can Become so pure white.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

It's amazing how dirty those animals can get. Guess mama never told them to sty out of the mud puddles. lol I had to wash my fleece 2x's to get it clean and not smelly but I kinda liked the smell (guess I'm weird) Yours came out so fluffy and white really pretty it's a good winter project. I'm carding my bamboo then my fleece while watching the tube now so I will have fun spinning this winter. I also got my new braids today I love the colors so Lots to keep me busy we need a few snow storms so I can have a few snow days.


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## nellig (May 10, 2016)

I think we all need the old fashioned wringer washers. Put the wool in to soak, put thru the wringer and repeat. No sprays of water or other weird things our modern washers do.
I love seeing the change from fleece to clean fiber. And Mama, I too like the smell of raw unclean fleeces and cow barns. Guess we're both weird but I think I remember one other person on here who said she liked it. We could start a club!????????????????


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## JuneB (Oct 10, 2014)

I would put a jacket on my lamby... she was a Dorset and very fine Merino like fiber with tons of lanolin in it.Her fleece would have tons of dirt and hay , seeds etc since the lanolin attracted everything so her jacket worked great. I did process it myself for a while but found it faster to send it out to be washed and came back in pencil roving ready to spin . I no longer have my lamby but I have lots of her spinning fleece.


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## Jennydan (Apr 6, 2016)

Now that my puppy doesn't attack anything wooly, I can spread washed fleece on towels in the sun. Have you tried plastic tubs with lots of holes all over? I load them with nice tidy locks, dunk and soak in very hot water and detergent twice then rinse. When I'm desperate, I have been known to use a salad spinner as my machine is affront loader.


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## ilmacheryl (Feb 3, 2013)

When I washed a fleece, I did it outside with several buckets. I would take the fleece from one bucket to the next, refilling them as the water got dirty. After it was as clean as I could get it, I spread it out on old window screens to dry & finally put it in large mesh bags. It has finally been carded & I have LOTS of batts. I took several of the smaller batts & dyed them with koolaid. I think those felted just a little, so I need to card them again. I have no idea what I will do with all that wool. I have no idea what the sheep breed was. The LYS owner was given three large bags full & she gave me one. I don't think it will be a nice soft yarn. And, I don't think I will ever do that again.


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## wordancer (May 4, 2011)

nellig said:


> And Mama, I too like the smell of raw unclean fleeces and...Guess we're both weird but I think I remember one other person on here who said she liked it. We could start a club!


Yeppers, you can put me on that list too! ????????????


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## wordancer (May 4, 2011)

Just weigh the clean fluff in the last picture.
13 1/2 oz's! ????????????


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## a fool for fiber (Nov 18, 2014)

I've always liked learning how to do things the old fashioned way and love wool but this looks like WAY TOO MUCH WORK! I'm very spoiled as I've always bought cleaned and finished wool to work with. I have wondered what it would be like to take the wool from start to finish though but am not confident enough to try it on my own. My fear is that I'd wind up with a matted, felted mess that is unusable for all of my efforts. I admire you for doing it and love looking at the pictures of the before and after fleece. I can imagine the satisfaction you must get from taking wool through the whole process. There's a small spinnery just north of where I live that gives tours on the process that I've found very fun and interesting. Here's the site if you'd like to look: http://www.spinnery.com/ Thanks again! Maybe one day I'll team up with another spinner and buy a fleece and try it!


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## Spooly (Oct 22, 2011)

That is some process. Love the pictures and the explanation.


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## bakeknitsew (Jun 26, 2013)

I must love the whole process because I do it a lot! My DH made me a screen to put over the tub for drying the cleaned, wet fleeces. I have found that washing enough wool to fill the rack once every other day I can get through a 4.5 lb fleece within a couple of weeks. Now if my DH would finish the wool picker that is needs to be assembled;he is 80% done! I have bags of clean fiber needing to be picked of vm and then ready to spin. I told my dear friend not to let me buy any more fleeces and what do I do...come home with 3 more fleeces from OFFF - who can resist a 5 lb BFL fleece for $40? I sure can't. Ladies - beware - once you get started it is hard to pass up a bargin!


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## Silverpeep (May 3, 2016)

Beautiful result, but way too much adventure for me.


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## AiLin (Dec 28, 2012)

Want a lot of work!


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## not enough yarn (May 29, 2012)

I also like the smell of my sheep and daughter's horse's. I want to know what is a BFL ? I also want customer's who are willing to pay me decent price for my wool. The one guy(sheep shearer) said I would be lucky to get $10.00 for one of my merino sheep's raw wool. I have raw wool stored up waiting for washing.


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## BirchPoint (Feb 12, 2016)

Has anyone tried the Fermented Suint Method of cleaning fleece? I have talked to one person who did it, and they loved the result, but I haven't tried it yet.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

not enough yarn said:


> I also like the smell of my sheep and daughter's horse's. I want to know what is a BFL ? I also want customer's who are willing to pay me decent price for my wool. The one guy(sheep shearer) said I would be lucky to get $10.00 for one of my merino sheep's raw wool. I have raw wool stored up waiting for washing.


I have seen fleeces at 6lbs of raw merino in excellent condition go for $80. The price goes down from excellent to just good.


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## a fool for fiber (Nov 18, 2014)

hahaha! I can see that you're hooked! I think l could be that way as well but so far I've been too busy working on increasing my hand spun stash.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

crazychickenlady said:


> hahaha! I can see that you're hooked! I think l could be that way as well but so far I've been too busy working on increasing my hand spun stash.


You'll get the bug soon to watch it took me a little over a year to catch it.


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## Milocat (Sep 5, 2012)

I tend to buy a fleece that does not have too much VM. I use a flicker to comb out the locks of wool and just spin it greasy. You can then wash the hand spun yarn. Probably only works if the fleece is not too dirty, if you have fleece with heavily caked ends, you can trim them off before you spin. I usually don't cut the wool before spinning, just use a flicker to tease the wool out, and I like the colour variation the weathered ends give. This is easiest with wool with agood length staples. We call this "spinning in the grease" leaves your hands very soft and smelling like sheep. ????


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## Reba1 (Feb 5, 2012)

not enough yarn said:


> I want to know what is a BFL ?


BFL= Blue Faced Leicester breed.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

Reba1 said:


> BFL= Blue Faced Leicester breed.


Best Friend Lanolin. lol lol lol


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