Whether home accessories, sweaters, or slippers: felt is suitable for many everyday items. In the cold season, felt is a popular material for warm slippers. Felt slippers are not only cozy and warm but also easy to care for. However, it can happen that you need to wash felt. In our guide, we explain what makes felt so special and what you need to pay attention to when caring for it.
Felt fabrics – noble natural materials
Felt is a natural material made from sheep’s virgin wool.
Through a special process involving moisture, heat, and friction, wool can be felted.
The individual fibers interlock, creating a uniform surface.
Felt is therefore not a woven textile but instead belongs to the nonwoven fabrics.
Like sheep’s wool, felt is characterized by exceptionally valuable properties. It is no surprise that this natural material is often used in the production of slippers. In just a few steps, you can even knit your own felt shoes. Felt is well received because the textile is…
- …temperature-regulating. It protects against overheating in summer and keeps pleasantly warm in winter. This creates an ideal foot climate.
- …easy to care for. Felt cleans itself to a certain extent. Additionally, it has antistatic properties, meaning it attracts dry dirt less than other materials.
- …absorbent. Wool can absorb up to one-third of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet. So if you accidentally step on a damp spot with your felt slippers, you won’t notice it.
- …water-repellent. Droplets simply bead off the felt. Liquids can be easily wiped off with a sponge or cloth if necessary.
- …skin-friendly. Just like sheep’s wool, felt feels pleasantly soft on bare skin. This is another reason in favor of slippers and accessories made of felt.
Washing felt wool – a guide
Felt is an extremely robust material. It contains a very high fat content that protects against dirt. Moreover, the nonwoven fabric is so densely felted that hardly any dirt can penetrate deeper layers.
Additionally, felt absorbs very few odors from the environment. Often, airing the textile for a few minutes is enough. It then smells fresh and neutral again. Thus, felt is among the easiest materials to care for and rarely needs cleaning. The biggest challenge when washing felt is certainly handling it with water. Once the textile gets wet, it becomes very sensitive.
Therefore, you should always try to treat felt stains dry if possible. It’s best to follow our tips below.
Cleaning felt with a brush
Due to the high density of the felt structure, most dirt deposits are found only on the material’s surface. Therefore, it is not always necessary to clean felt with water.
Especially dust, lint, and pet hair can stick to felt slippers. Often, it is enough to vacuum this surface dirt or treat it with a special brush. The dirt simply sticks to the brush and can thus be removed from the felt.
Washing felt wool – how to remove stains?
If you discover stains on your comfortable felt slippers, you should clean them as spot treatment whenever possible. You don’t need to immediately put the whole slippers in the washing machine and get them wet. To treat fresh and dried stains specifically, you will need the following:
- soft cloth, sponge, or brush,
- replenishing wool detergent,
- cold to lukewarm water.
First, moisten the felt under the shower, in the bathtub, or in the sink – the textile does not need to be soaking wet. Put some wool detergent on the cloth or sponge and dab the respective stain with it. For stubborn stains, you can also use a brush to rub in the wool detergent. Don’t forget to rinse the detergent out thoroughly after treating the stain.
Washing felt – in the washing machine?
Although felt is dirt-repellent, stubborn stains can still occur. In this case, you should always wash the natural textile by hand if possible. Washing in the machine carries the risk—depending on the program—that the felt will distort and lose its shape. Therefore, machine washing should always be the last option.
If you still want to wash your cozy warm slippers in the washing machine, exercise extreme caution. Use a special wool detergent and select the gentle wool wash cycle. Wash the textile at a maximum of 30°C. Higher temperatures can cause the material to felt further and the slippers to lose their fit.
Washing and drying felt slippers
After you have cleaned your felt slippers wet, you must now let them dry carefully. Felt requires special care during drying to avoid damage.
Place the slippers on a dry towel
and press the textile material with another towel.
Repeat this process until the felt is no longer wet but only damp.
Then let the felt dry in a well-ventilated place. Avoid direct sunlight and heating sources.
Otherwise, the textile can dry out and become brittle. Therefore, do not use direct heat sources for drying.
Felt slippers: what to do about pilling?
Felt can develop pilling. Here, individual wool fibers loosen and form small balls on the material’s surface. You should not simply pull off these balls, as this can cause more fibers to loosen and more pills to appear soon.
Instead, use one of the following aids:
- Lint roller: Lint sticks to the roller without damaging the felt material.
- Pilling shaver: This tool carefully cuts off the small balls.
- Anti-pilling stone: A special lava pumice stone can remove the small pills from the textile.
Washing felt – with the right care
Felt is a very easy-care natural material. Because it is dirt-repellent and antistatic, it rarely needs cleaning. If your slippers do get dirty, you must wash the felt with great care. Wet felt can be easily damaged. With our helpful tips, you will clean your felt slippers properly. This way, your favorite felt items will stay clean and keep their shape for a long time.
