Burberry Wool Scarf Repair

[Seaglasshunter]

I have a wool Burberry scarf and was negligent about caring for it when we all went into covid lockdown in March 2 years ago. I failed to get it cleaned. Today I pulled it out of my closet and saw a few very tiny holes. I think it is worth repairing- either by me (a few quick stitches should work) or by Burberry.

Has anyone gotten a scarf repaired at the store? Worth it? I can see it costing a small fortune.

Anyone hand wash their wool scarf? Or do an at home dryer cleaning treatment (woolite)?

This scarf is thick and heavy and awesome in a good city snow storm. Not worth replacing at all. I just don’t want it to get any worse.

 

[AnnaLou]

If you can hand sew, look up "visible mending" as an option. If it already isn't pristine and needs mending anyway, it might be fun to have a truly one-of-a-kind piece.

For hand washing, if there are no instructions, I will only attempt it if the fabric already has a natural drape. If there appears to be either a stiffener or a softener on it, then I will not hand wash. A stiffener will make the fabric less drapey and is more common in jackets than in scarves. Softeners make wool less itchy and give them more supple drape. You don't want to wash either away, as it will change the way the scarf or garment lays.

Also, a consideration with handwashing wool, is that it will have to be gently squeezed to remove excess water and then stretched to remove wrinkles, and finally laid flat to dry. The fabric may not handle this well and might leave permanent wrinkles.

In short, unless there is a tag specifically saying you can hand wash it, I wouldn't.

As far as the dryer-cleaning sheets go, I have had mixed results with putting wool in the dryer. Obviously, never put it in wet unless you are trying to shrink and felt it. But even dry, using those dry-cleaner sheets, I did have one garment get ruined (it ended up with odd spots where it looked like the dye got darker). Most have been okay, but how to know which will be the one that gets damaged? Also, they don't get clean, but rather just get infused with an odor-killing chemical that gives the impression of being refreshed rather than cleaned. In fact, I think they are pretty honest about it and don't claim to actually clean but rather only claim to be a way to freshen garments between professional drycleaning. Because I'm trying to avoid too many extra chemicals in the house, I just bring everything to the dry cleaner now.

 

[Ashanti_Rose]

I have a wool Burberry scarf and was negligent about caring for it when we all went into covid lockdown in March 2 years ago. I failed to get it cleaned. Today I pulled it out of my closet and saw a few very tiny holes. I think it is worth repairing- either by me (a few quick stitches should work) or by Burberry.

Has anyone gotten a scarf repaired at the store? Worth it? I can see it costing a small fortune.

Anyone hand wash their wool scarf? Or do an at home dryer cleaning treatment (woolite)?

This scarf is thick and heavy and awesome in a good city snow storm. Not worth replacing at all. I just don’t want it to get any worse.

I would suggest to take it to the dry cleaner and ask them to repair it - before they dry clean it (so that the hole won't get bigger). The hole is most likely a moth damage, so it is imperative that you inspect your other woolens for evidence of any damage and either rid of damaged clothing or get those dry cleaned to rid of larvae. If you can repair it yourself - go for it; but do it before you take it to cleaners. Dry cleaning won't cost you more than a few bucks so I wouldn't bother with washing.

 

[Seaglasshunter]

Thanks. I was avoiding dry cleaning bc I don’t want the chemicals near/on my face. And, I have had cleaners ruin things. I guess it has to be done.

I pulled everything out of my closet today (cashmere, a dozen merino wool sweaters) and luckily nothing else is damaged. I even tried them all on just to check for holes. Got lucky. I did have a few holes in cashmere years ago…

Next year- I will clean and store in my cedar chest. Lesson learned.

 

[Ashanti_Rose]

Thanks. I was avoiding dry cleaning bc I don’t want the chemicals near/on my face. And, I have had cleaners ruin things. I guess it has to be done.

I pulled everything out of my closet today (cashmere, a dozen merino wool sweaters) and luckily nothing else is damaged. I even tried them all on just to check for holes. Got lucky. I did have a few holes in cashmere years ago…

Next year- I will clean and store in my cedar chest. Lesson learned.

Lucky you Just make sure that you either dry clean or wash your item before putting them away from storage - that will prevent any damage.. and some fabrics you can't get away from dry cleaning.. best of luck.

 

[AnnaLou]

The cleaners may be able to tell you whether they think it would be a good candidate for hand washing. It's hard to know with wool without touching it.

Edit: I just looked at the Burberry website at about half a dozen different wool scarves and they all said either "Dry Clean" or "Specialist Dry Clean" so hand washing is probably out.

 

[BigPurseSue]

I have a wool Burberry scarf and was negligent about caring for it when we all went into covid lockdown in March 2 years ago. I failed to get it cleaned. Today I pulled it out of my closet and saw a few very tiny holes. I think it is worth repairing- either by me (a few quick stitches should work) or by Burberry.

Has anyone gotten a scarf repaired at the store? Worth it? I can see it costing a small fortune.

Anyone hand wash their wool scarf? Or do an at home dryer cleaning treatment (woolite)?

This scarf is thick and heavy and awesome in a good city snow storm. Not worth replacing at all. I just don’t want it to get any worse.

Hi, Emo. I'm reckless and daring so take this all with a grain of salt.

If you have small holes it's probably moth damage. There may still be moth eggs in the fabric. The best way to get rid of moth holes is to wrap the wool scarf in plastic and put it in the freezer for a few months. No kidding. That works. It's an old myth that storing wool in a cedar chest will prevent moths. In fact if there are still moth eggs in the fabric you'll have a bad situation the next time you open the chest.

I handwash all my 100% wool, including coats and jackets, because I don't like dry-cleaning chemicals. I've never had problems, but I'm very careful. I use a special wool soap. I make sure the water is lukewarm, not cold or hot. I don't agitate the wool when it's in the water. I let it soak for a few minutes, rinse carefully, then wrap it in a terry towel to squeeze out the excess water. I let it dry flat on a special rack I can lay flat over the bathtub. Never hang wet wool. If it's something I worry might shrink I take measurements prior to the wash, measure it again after the wash, then stretch it with pins on a blocking board. But honestly I haven't had to block any wool garments in years.

Depending upon the size of the moth holes you may want to let them be. If they're tiny they may not get any worse. Years ago I bought a gorgeous wool Pendleton scarf on ebay that arrived with moth holes. I actually manhandled it quite a bit because I was afraid it had moths and feared it was unsalvageable. Since I have closets full of wool clothing I didn't want to get an infestation. The scarf was cheap so I experimented. I boiled the scarf, then froze it for about 6 months, then washed it and steamed it flat. I still wear the scarf to this day. It's still lovely. The moth holes never grew in size. And I never got an infestation.

The only time I've had problems washing wool was when I washed a wool shawl that was over 150 years old. It had dry rot, unbeknownst to me. It fell to pieces as I slowly submerged it in the water. Other than that everything I've hand-washed has come out just fine.