How to Fix Felted Wool

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: September 16, 2021 References Tested

Some wool items are so delicate that even just washing them in the wrong temperature water can make them bunch up and shrink, which creates what’s called felted wool. If your wool has felted, it’s not completely ruined! You can gently and carefully stretch out your item to make it slightly bigger, although it may never return to the shape it once was.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Soaking the Wool

1
Fill a sink or bucket with lukewarm water. If you are trying to fix a large wool item, you can use a bathtub. Keep your water around 90 °F (32 °C), as hot water can make wool shrink.^{[1]
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- Make sure the bucket, sink, or tub you are using is clean.
2
Add about ¹⁄₃ c (79 mL) of hair conditioner to the water. Try to use a conditioner without sulfates in it so that it’s less drying. Conditioner will soak into the fibers of the wool and make them more elastic and stretchy. Mix the conditioner into the water gently with your fingers to combine them.^{[2]
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Alternative: You can also use a fiber rinse liquid or an unfelting product that makes wool more stretchy.

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3
Submerge your wool in the water and gently knead it. Make sure the entire wool item is totally soaked with water, then use your fingers to rub the wool to loosen up the fibers. Try not to wring or stretch it yet, as it is pretty fragile.^{[3]
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- This should only take 2 to 3 minutes.
4
Soak the wool for 30 to 60 minutes. If your wool is only slightly felted, it won’t need to soak for very long. If it’s almost entirely felted, meaning that the wool is completely matted and the item feels like felt, it will need to soak for about 1 hour. It’s okay if you leave it in longer, but try to give it at least 30 minutes.^{[4]
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- The longer your wool soaks, the easier it will be to stretch it out.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Stretching the Wool

1
Squeeze the wool gently to get rid of excess water. Grab the wool item and press it gently in between your hands. Try not to wring it out, as you could cause it to shrink up more.^{[5]
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- You can drain the water from your sink or bathtub, since you won’t need it anymore.
2
Lay the wool item flat on a towel. Put a clean towel down on a flat surface like the floor or your table. Spread the wool out as flat as it will go without pulling or stretching it yet.^{[6]
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- If you want to avoid your wool getting too frizzy, you can use a bath mat instead.
3
Pull the wool item back to its original shape. Hold the center of the wool steady with 1 hand and use the other to gently grab the edges of the wool and pull. Go slowly so you don’t tear or rip the item, and work in small, short bursts around the entire thing.^{[7]
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- It can be hard to do this on your own, so you may need to ask a friend for help.
Warning: If your wool got super felted, it might not return to its original shape. Try to stretch it as much as you can without tearing or ripping the fibers of the wool.
4
Let the wool item dry on a flat surface. Leave your wool laying on the towel or your floor until it’s completely dry. Once it’s dry, you won’t be able to stretch your wool anymore, so make sure you’ve done all you can while it’s still wet.^{[8]
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5
Rinse your item in cold water, then squeeze the water out. Take your wool to the sink and run it under cool water to remove the conditioner or fiber product that you used. That way, your wool will feel soft and won’t have a film on top of it. Gently squeeze your wool item to get the excess water out.^{[9]
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- You can try to gently stretch out your wool as you’re rinsing it out to get a little bit more length.
6
Spread the wool item out flat to dry. You probably won’t be able to stretch your wool out anymore once you’ve rinsed out the conditioner, so just make sure it’s laying really flat. Leave it to dry completely before you wear it or put it away.^{[10]
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- Store your wool in a cool, dry place, like in your closet.

Warnings

Felted wool can only stretch so much. Unfortunately, your wool may never return to the state that it was in previously.

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