Scandalously Easy Scouring: My Quick-and-Dirty Method for Washing Wool

When life was stressful and lonely during COVID lockdowns, I turned to spinning. I hadn’t spun since the 1970s when we were “Back-to-the-Earth” twenty-somethings. We had a little farm in Pennsylvania and some sheep and horses. I had learned to spin at the Mannings Handweaving School in East Berlin, Pennsylvania. But after so many years lapsed and life had changed, the only equipment I had was a no-name carder that needed a new belt.

So in 2020, I bought a used Lendrum spinning wheel and scoured the marketplace for fleeces, looking for local shepherds. I felt desperate and was grateful for any fleece I could find.

Searching for Solutions

I didn’t buy the finest fleeces from WAFA (the online wool festival) or other vendors—I didn’t know they existed at that time. I bought fleece from salt-of-the-earth dedicated farmers who had sheep and wanted to sell their wool, complete with skirtings and vegetable matter (VM). I was excited to get started. I enjoy cleaning and prepping fleece, but I like it to be done outside, quick and easy, and unorthodox. Scandalous!

I have learned a lot about washing wool, and learned a lot about what I don’t like doing. I don’t like sinks or tubs full of dirty water. I don’t like washing multiple times or rinsing and dragging heavy tubs of water outside. And I don’t want to let that dirty water drain down through the septic systems. I also do not want to put it in a washing machine because I don’t have a top-loader that I could set different modes. Though I have the highest regard and admiration for those who do all the above, I looked for a different way.

Thinking back on the years that I had my own sheep, it hit me that wool on the sheep can be out in the rain, covered with cold snow, and dry in the sun. I’ve even seen pictures showing old-timers letting fleece sit in running streams. And it survives! With that in mind, I decided to go back to the basics.

Here, I share with you my scandalous quick-and-dirty method for washing wool fleece.

A few words of caution: This may not be ideal for Merino-type, high-grease fleeces. The type of water you have where you live will impact results; soft water and rain water are more effective than hard water. Always try a sample first.

One of JoAnn's unwashed fleeces prior to washing.

JoAnn's Scandalously Easy Scouring

I start by laying down eight feet of plastic snow fencing on the grass. I place a layer of fleece on one half of the fencing, then fold the other half over the fleece. Sometimes I weigh down the plastic fencing with rocks on the edges. This creates what I call a “sandwich.” I then grab a common garden hose and, using cold water from the outside hose bib with a nozzle on the powerful “jet” setting, I wet the fleece and watch the magic happen.

How long I hose it down depends on the individual fleece. Depending on the fleece and how dirty it is, the brown color can start to disappear in minutes. It’s amazing. By changing the angle of my spray, I can also push off some straw or other VM.

Next, I turn or flip the whole “sandwich” over to wash the other side. This can be repeated as many times as your time or patience allows. This could also be set up on a skirting table if you have one.

JoAnn sandwiches raw fleece between snow fencing, then sprays it clean with a garden hose.

Spin Dry

When I feel it’s rinsed enough, I pick up the dripping wet wool and place a reasonable amount into my commercial five-gallon salad spinner to spin out the excess water. To avoid felting, do not wring out the water with your hands.

The commercial salad spinner works well for me, but I suppose you could put it in your washing machine spin cycle if you have it. Smaller amounts of wool could be put in a regular salad spinner.

After removing excess moisture in the salad spinner, I lay out the fleece to dry in the sun, and then I can begin spinning with the fiber.

Spinning in an industrial-sized salad spinner speeds up the drying process.

The Results are Clear

I have used this process with Shetland, Rambouillet, and Cormo fleeces. I have also used this method to clean dark fleeces, but the before and after is not as visually dramatic as what you see here.

Before and after washing a Cormo fleece.

I have been pleased with my results and feel that my fleeces do not need additional scouring with detergent. Depending on your fleece, your next step could be to wash it in a sink with your choice of scouring product—with far less dirty water to deal with. This method leaves some wool grease in the fleece, as is the preferred approach in many parts of the world.

I recommend you try small samples first. Do try this at home!

JoAnn Zeman began her fiber journey with Spin Off Magazine in 1977 and the "back-to-the-land" lifestyle. She enjoyed all the lovely chores that come with gardening and keeping sheep and horses on her family's farm in the Maryland and Pennsylvania area. Now retired from teaching, she lives in Northern Colorado with the leisure to explore all the amazing fibers, new tools, and classes that are now available for spinning, knitting, and weaving.