Inside: No more worrying about what will happen to your handmade yarn creations when you wash them, we’re here to help with the best products out there.
The products reviewed in this article were provided by Unicorn Editions, LTD. All opinions are those of the author.
You’ve hooked up some fashionable garments from Crochet Foundry Magazine, and you wear them with pride! The only problem is now they need to be cleaned.
Maybe you’ve heard stories of destroyed yarn creations that start with “I needed to wash it, so…”, or maybe you have stories of your own.
I’m here to tell you that cleaning your yarn creations can go from a nightmare to magic with the help of Unicorn Clean. Trust me, I’ve experienced it! You can read about my yarn cleaning nightmare and how Unicorn Clean saved me HERE.
Who is Unicorn?
Unicorn is a family owned business in Virginia. Together they have created some powerful cleaning products that all yarn aficionados should have and use. Unicorn products will clean from fleece to finished items. They’ve also got you covered for silk and most other yarn fibers, horse blankets, cloth diapers, and more.
Read more about Unicorn HERE.
All Unicorn products are:
- Earth-friendly and biodegradable
- Septic safe
compatible- Efficient and effective in all water temperatures
- Not tested on animals
- FREE from dyes, phosphates, fillers, or irritants
- Concentrated so a little goes a long way
- Made in the USA
compatible
Unicorn Products
Unicorn has 2 lines, one with a hint of lavender, and the Beyond line which is fragrance free and perfect for babies and those with fragrance sensitivities.
Power Scour and Beyond Clean are powerful detergents that can scour your raw fiber and will remove lanolin.
Fibre Wash and Beyond Fibre Wash are formulated for every day cleaning of your yarn creations, delicates, and more. It does not remove lanolin which makes it great for your warm woolies that have lanolin in them that you want to keep.
Fibre Rinse and Beyond Soft are conditioning rinses that soften, eliminate static, and are great for adding to your water when wet blocking your yarn creations.
Fibre Wash and Beyond Fibre Wash
Today we are going to take a deeper dive into Fibre Wash and Beyond Fibre Wash. If you remember from above, the only difference between the two are the fragrance. Beyond Fibre Wash is fragrance free, and Fibre Wash has a lovely hint of lavender.
Fibre Wash and Beyond Fibre Wash are great for:
- Every day wash
- Delicates
- Making your own homemade cleaners
- Treating odors in fabrics
- Cleaning woolies without removing lanolin
- Cold to warm cycles
My Experience With Unicorn Fibre Wash
Ever since I first used Unicorn products in 2015, I have been using them exclusively for my yarn goods and for my delicates.
When it’s time for machine delicates, I wash them as the machine instructs, and use Fibre Wash as the detergent. Easy Peasy! For hand wash items, I use lukewarm water and pour in a 1/2 Tbsp of Fibre Wash per gallon of water, and wash away. Then I rinse out my items, give them a gentle squeeze, and lay them out to dry.
Hand Washing Time
I’ll be heading to England at the end of the week for a Crochet tour, culminating in a trip to the Knitting and Stitching Show in London. I thought it would be nice to wear some of the samples I have of Crochet Foundry Garments. So I picked out a few.
They are a few years old and I bought the company less than a year ago. I don’t know how they’ve been stored, or how much they’ve been worn. They didn’t smell the freshest. So I took the three items I was thinking about bringing and gave them a wash in Unicorn Fibre Wash.
First I gave my sink a good cleaning, then put a bin in the sink. I poured in about a Tablespoon of Fibre Wash and filled it with about 2 gallons of lukewarm water. All the instructions on how to use each Unicorn product are on the back labels of the products, so you don’t have to look it up each time. I’ve never had a label start to peel off, so the instructions are always there.
Once I had all the water and Fibre Wash in the bin, I added in the three crochet pieces. I like to give them some gentle squeezes, and mix them just a bit. Be gentle when you are cleaning feltable items, you don’t want to ruin something you worked so hard to make!
At this point, I let them soak for about 15 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time to make and enjoy my guilty pleasure: a double shot of Turkish Coffee.
Rinsing
Once I was all caffeinated, I headed on back to the sink and gave my yarntastic beauties another gentle swish. I prefer to remove them entirely from the water before rinsing them, so I used a second bin and just placed it on the floor. One at a time, I pulled out the garments, squeezed out some of the water, and dropped them in the second bin.
Look at the water left in the washing bin. That all came out without scrubbing or agitating. Just a few squeezes and some gentle mixing about. Trust the product; it will do what it’s meant to do without you having to abuse your delicates!
To complete the rinsing process, I dumped the water from the wash bin, gave it a rinse, and set it aside. Then I took each item one by one and rinsed it in the sink – this is why it’s important to start by cleaning the sink.
To rinse, I placed the item in a corner of the sink and rinsed cool to lukewarm water over it. I then squeezed/pushed it into the corner of the sink. This helps really get a lot of the water out without felting or damaging the yarnie creation. I repeated that process once or twice more, then layed the piece out flat on a towel to dry.
Most crochet (or knit) items will need to be re-shaped when you lay them out to dry. You see that cardigan? It really wanted to be tall and skinny. Those sleeves wanted to be as long as the rest of it! I had to gently shape it in a more short and wide form so it would still fit when it was done drying. Different fibers will react differently to being so wet, but most of them will need to be carefully shaped when you lay them out to dry.
Wrap Up
Want to see the finished results? Come to Lunch With The Foundry this Wednesday 10/2/2024 at noon EST, on our YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook Page. I’ll show off the cleaned items and we’ll have a chat with some Unicorn staff and answer questions!
And there you have it – cleaning your handmade yarn creations is simple with Unicorn Fibre Wash. In nearly a decade of using these products I have never had them damage a single thing, and I am always happy with the look, feel, and smell of the cleaned item.
If the light lavender scent is not for you, remember the Beyond line is the same as the other 3 products, just with no scent. You’ll get the same cleaning power, and your items will still come out smelling better, as any odors that were in them will be removed. Unicorn does not cover or mask odors, it cleans them away.
Now it’s time for you to head on over to Unicorn Clean and stock up on everything you need to care for your yarn creations and other delicates.
Get there before the end of November 2024, and you can use the code CROCHET15 for a discount!
If you’re like me and you like to know that your hard-earned money is being used for good products made by good people, you can’t go wrong with Unicorn. From the first moment I met Melanie and Pino, they have always had a smile for me. Now when I go to any show where they are, I start my day by running to their booth for a morning hug, because every day is better when it’s started with hugs. I could not be more happy to have Unicorn as one of Crochet Foundry’s sponsors.
Wonderful products from wonderful people. What more could you ask for?
