How to care for your turtleneck sweater

A nice ribbed turtleneck sweater requires special care and treatment.  After all, this isn’t your run of the mill sweatshirt where you can wash, tumble dry, and throw on your shelf.  Off white turtleneck sweaters need to be cared for differently than a women’s navy turtleneck sweater?  Why? Color is the main reason but also consider the style of weave and fabric.  With cotton turtleneck sweaters, women can usually be a little rougher on them.  With cashmere turtleneck sweaters, women should treat a little more delicately otherwise they will pill and fuzz.

As with anything else make sure you follow the label but feel free to improvise a bit.  If the label on your soft turtleneck sweaters says to machine wash cold, put them in the gentle cycle with similar clothing.  Don’t wash them with pants or jeans that contain rivets and zippers that may snag the material on your favorite Eileen Fisher turtleneck sweater.  Better yet, gently wash it by hand with a mild detergent such as Woolite. 

It seems that no matter the price you paid, an expensive Ralph Lauren ribbed turtleneck sweater will pill and fuzz just as badly as a cheap men’s merino turtleneck sweater.  Why?  Fabrics don’t discriminate.  A fancy label and fancy logo don’t take away from the fact that all sweaters are vulnerable to wear and tear whether it’s a $100 high turtleneck sweater made of lambswool or a $500 tall turtleneck sweater made of cashmere.

This doesn’t mean all sweaters will pill and fuzz, some will more than others but that’s due to the milling process, quality of fabric, and number of plies or how tight the weave is.  Pills form when the fibers in a sweater break or get loose when the ends are exposed and become tangled.

So what can you do to prevent this?  You can extend the life of your sweater by caring for it while wearing it.  Pills and fuzz accumulate due to the friction and rubbing of a car seat belt, shoulder bag, etc.  So, simply put be a little more careful when you wear your sweaters.  Don’t throw that shoulder strap over your shoulder, carry it in your hand instead.  If you can find some, get a padded seatbelt strap to relieve some of the pressure off your sweater from the belt.