How to wash a raw fleece: a beginner's guide

A freshly shorn fleece arrives full of lanolin, dust, and the life it has lived. Washing it (spinners call it scouring) turns that into clean, spinnable fibre. The single rule to remember: wool felts when heat, moisture, and agitation meet, so we keep two of those three under control at all times.

What you'll need

• A raw fleece, or part of one
• A basin, sink, or bucket, or mesh laundry bags if you prefer
• Very hot water (from the tap or a kettle)
• A grease-cutting wash: dedicated wool scour, or a plain washing-up liquid
• A colander or salad spinner for draining, and towels or a rack for drying

Step one: skirt the fleece

Before any water, lay the fleece out and "skirt" it: pick off the obviously dirty edges, second cuts, matted bits, and heavy vegetable matter. You don't need to clean every lock now; you're just removing what you'd never want to spin. Working with a manageable amount, say 100–200g at a time, makes the whole process far easier.

Step two: the hot soak

1. Fill your basin with very hot water, hotter than hand-comfortable, around 60°C / 140°F. Lanolin only releases in genuinely hot water.
2. Add a good squirt of scour or washing-up liquid and swish it gently to mix before adding the wool.
3. Lower the fleece in and press it under the surface. Then leave it completely alone for 15–20 minutes. Don't stir, rub, or swirl.
4. Lift the wool out and let the dirty, greasy water drain away. Squeeze gently, and never wring.

Step three: rinse

Refill the basin with water of roughly the same temperature as the wash: a little plain wash water, then one or two clear rinses. Lower the wool in, soak for ten minutes, lift and drain each time. Repeat the wash soak first if the fleece is especially greasy; very fine, high-lanolin wools like Merino often want two wash baths before rinsing.

Step four: dry

Press out as much water as you can without wringing. A salad spinner is brilliant here, or roll the wool in a towel. Then spread it out on a rack, a mesh screen, or a dry towel somewhere airy and out of direct heat. Let it dry completely before storing; damp wool stored away can mildew.

You're ready to prep

Clean, dry fleece is the starting point for everything else: carding into rolags for woollen spinning, or combing into top for worsted. Weigh your washed fibre before you store it, because knowing exactly how much clean wool you have makes planning a project far easier.