How to Wash Hemp

Last Updated: September 19, 2022

Hemp is a versatile and durable fabric used in clothing and other personal items. When washed correctly, hemp will soften and become more comfortable, improving consistently over a long life. Hemp fibers absorb moisture quickly, making it cool and comfortable in clothing. To learn how to properly care for your hemp items, you can learn to hand wash and machine wash them properly and avoid common mistakes that will damage your hemp.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Hand-Washing Hemp

1
Wash your hemp by hand. Hemp is a durable and long-lasting fabric, but it's most effectively washed by hand. Machine washing and especially drying has a tendency to weaken hemp more quickly, losing the texture and strength that many people love about hemp clothing and other items.
- If you plan to wash your hemp fabric by hand, use a gentle, all-natural detergent and make sure to rinse thoroughly. Tom's soap works great for washing hemp items.
- Residual soap can leave cellulose, which oxidizes and leaves large brown spots on hemp, making it very important to soak hemp items in clean water thoroughly for a while after washing them.
2
Wash your hemp garments a few times if you need to soften them. Hemp will get softer the more you use and wash it. If you need to get it softened faster, you can use a commercial softener, or just soak the hemp to let the fibers soften over time.
- If you want to soften hemp quickly, throwing it in the washer and dryer is perfectly fine. Use hot water to slowly ease open the hemp fibers and tumble dry it a few times to get it feeling soft quickly. Hemp should come out of the dryer soft and fluffy as any fabric.
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3
Air or line dry hemp clothing. To get the most life out of hemp, it's recommended to air dry or line-dry it as often as possible. If your intention is to soften the hemp quickly, the heat dryer is fine to use a few times on a gentle cycle, but it's good to air dry hemp long term. Hemp clothing can be one of the most long-lasting and durable fabrics if treated properly and air-dried gently.^{[1]
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4
Eliminate wrinkles from the wash by giving your hemp a hot iron. Once your hemp piece is dry, you can use an iron on hot to flatten it out if it is wrinkled or creased. It is best to iron the hemp when it is still slightly damp, so you can take it off the line while it's still a bit damp.
- Stretch the article to its natural shape and size and then iron it normally. For hemp that is colored, use an iron on the underside only.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Machine-Washing Hemp

1
Use the gentle cycle. Put your hemp garments and linens on the gentle or delicate cycle and use a soap that is mild, made of all-natural, and gentle on fabric. Delicate hemp pieces may be placed in a lingerie bag before putting them in the washing machine to help protect them.
2
Wash hemp at any temperature. It's fine to wash hemp that's already been washed before at any temperature in the washing machine. If it's been dyed, it's probably a good idea to wash it in cold water to avoid any color leeching.
- You may add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to help remove all traces of soap and to soften the hemp. Vinegar also removes any smells from the hemp, leaving it smelling clean. It will not leave a vinegar smell once it has dried.
3
Air or line dry hemp clothing. After washing hemp, it's a good idea to air dry it. If you must heat dry it, avoid using the highest heat setting and remove it before the item has been thoroughly dried.
- Line-drying in the sun can have a tendency of lightening hemp slightly, which can be a desirable thing in some items, or you might want to maintain the natural color of the hemp. Depending on what you want, you might want to make sure that it stays out of the sun too much.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Avoiding Hemp Mistakes

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Don't use chlorinated bleach on hemp. The chlorine in bleach will immediately stain hemp fabric. If you need to get a stain out of a hemp item, spot treat it with gentle natural soap and try to bleach the colored area in the sun after drying it.
- Sun-lightening can help with stained or otherwise discolored hemp. If you've got a stained hemp item, wash it thoroughly, then air dry it in the sun for a long period of time to help naturally "bleach" the stain.
2
Avoid high-heat. Drying hemp items in high heat will shrink them very quickly if you put them wet into a very hot dryer. It's fine to use the dryer sometimes, but it's important to avoid high heat and to mostly dry the items on the line.
- In general, most hemp items will dry extremely quickly compared to other fabrics. You can usually get away with not needing to worry much about drying them, especially on high heat.
3
Don't dry clean hemp. Dry cleaning hemp draperies, upholstery, slip covers and other home furnishings will shrink and ruin the items. It's usually recommended that you dry clean fabric that is used for home furnishings and high end garments, reducing the risk of shrinkage, but the opposite will be true with hemp. Wash upholstery as you would clothing and other items described above.