The very first thing you need to do it find a fleece. Very obvious, but lets just say don't use just any fleece. You want a fleece that has been raised and prepared for a spinner. If you get a bad fleece, you're going to have a bad experience in which case you won't do it again.
Then you need to skirt the fleece. Even if I've bought a skirted fleece, I always go back and reskirt it. Skirting is simply put, removing the dirty wool. You want to pull the wool from the britch(crutch) area, armpits, and neck. These all contain the heaviest amount of vegetable matter and lanolin. Next you want to check the rest of the fleece for any heavily contaminated areas. These are just really dirty areas. These will need removed as well.
Next for us, we lay the fleece out in our bathtub. (Disclaimer: We don't live in the city and have a very good septic system.) If you live in the city or are worried about your septic system, then I recommend a large trash can or rubbermaid tote. These work exceptionally well. You simply need an area large enough for the fleece you're washing that can hold water. The tub needs to be filled with hot water. I'm not just saying a little hot. Turn your hot water heater up, or add boiled water to the hot water out of the spigot. I add the soap/degreaser after the tub is full. We use both laundry detergent and a degreaser depending on the fleece. If the fleece is high in lanolin we use the degreaser. A lot of people also use Dawn dish soap.
Once the fleece is in the tub with the detergent of your choice, it must sit for approximately an hour. The water should still be warm, but not scorching hot when you remove the fleece. At this point, we simply drain the bath tub. If you are using a trash can or rubbermaid tub then you will need to gently remove the fleece and lay it in a strainer of some sort.
Now we need to refill our tub. Once again with hot water. Only you can determine how dirty your fleece was. If the water that drained out of the fleece was still yucky then it'll need another wash. In which case you'll need to repeat the previous step. If it drained clearer then you can move to the rinsing stage. To rinse simply put the fleece back into the hot water. For a rinse it will need to soak for about 15-30mins.
After that drain the fleece and repeat the rinse step as needed until the fleece rinses clear. Once it's rinsing clear then you can set it out to drain and dry.
I don't run water directly onto a fleece. There is a greater chance of it felting if you do this. This is a fairly simple if not daunting process the first time you take it on. Take your time and enjoy the process.
Then you need to skirt the fleece. Even if I've bought a skirted fleece, I always go back and reskirt it. Skirting is simply put, removing the dirty wool. You want to pull the wool from the britch(crutch) area, armpits, and neck. These all contain the heaviest amount of vegetable matter and lanolin. Next you want to check the rest of the fleece for any heavily contaminated areas. These are just really dirty areas. These will need removed as well.
Next for us, we lay the fleece out in our bathtub. (Disclaimer: We don't live in the city and have a very good septic system.) If you live in the city or are worried about your septic system, then I recommend a large trash can or rubbermaid tote. These work exceptionally well. You simply need an area large enough for the fleece you're washing that can hold water. The tub needs to be filled with hot water. I'm not just saying a little hot. Turn your hot water heater up, or add boiled water to the hot water out of the spigot. I add the soap/degreaser after the tub is full. We use both laundry detergent and a degreaser depending on the fleece. If the fleece is high in lanolin we use the degreaser. A lot of people also use Dawn dish soap.
Once the fleece is in the tub with the detergent of your choice, it must sit for approximately an hour. The water should still be warm, but not scorching hot when you remove the fleece. At this point, we simply drain the bath tub. If you are using a trash can or rubbermaid tub then you will need to gently remove the fleece and lay it in a strainer of some sort.
Now we need to refill our tub. Once again with hot water. Only you can determine how dirty your fleece was. If the water that drained out of the fleece was still yucky then it'll need another wash. In which case you'll need to repeat the previous step. If it drained clearer then you can move to the rinsing stage. To rinse simply put the fleece back into the hot water. For a rinse it will need to soak for about 15-30mins.
After that drain the fleece and repeat the rinse step as needed until the fleece rinses clear. Once it's rinsing clear then you can set it out to drain and dry.
I don't run water directly onto a fleece. There is a greater chance of it felting if you do this. This is a fairly simple if not daunting process the first time you take it on. Take your time and enjoy the process.
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