Apparently sometime between right now and the age of 11 it became inappropriate to have an emotional support stuffed animal. Thus, I now have an emotional support sweater. As a mother to many sweaters, I pride myself on taking the utmost care of them to ensure their well-being. Your favorite sweaters do a lot for you: keep you warm, keep you cozy, and probably have carried some tears for you. Return the favor to them!

1.) Gotta Keep an Eye Out for Selener (Pilling, snags, and lint. Oh my!)

Work smarter, not harder. It is much more manageable to remedy a situation early on, compared to letting it fester and grow. This being said, by keeping track of fresh pilling, the beginning of small snags, and any minor stains, you can save your whole sweater.

Pilling: Pilling is natural and pretty unavoidable. In short, pilling is the gathering of small balls or pills of thread that occur on the surface of your clothes as a result of rubbing during wear. Try not to pull on the pills as they can get worse. Instead, lay the sweater on a flat surface and lightly shave off the pill using a razor or pill remover.

Snags: A snag can easily ruin a perfectly good day. A snag, in short, is when the stitch comes out of your seater (or any garment) by force. Unfortunately, most snags are not completely reversible, but you can lessen them by turning them back inside out. Do this by turning the sweater inside out, and using a crochet hook to carefully grab the snag and pull it back in. Then you can turn the sweater back right side out.

Lint: Sweaters are notorious for collecting hair, lint, and dust. You can avoid the mess from getting out of hand through regular upkeep. A soft hairbrush or toothbrush is the perfect tool to use to gently sweep over the surface of the sweater after a good day of wear.

2.) When and How To Wash Your Emotional Support Sweater

When: Cotton sweaters should be washed every 2-3 wears, while wool and polyester can last up to 5 wears without a wash. Try not to wash more often than necessary, unless obviously there is a stain of some sort.

How: Check your baby’s (sweater’s ofc) tag and use that as a recommended cleaning method!

Hand Wash: First, fill a tub or bucket up with cool water and fully mix in and incorporate some laundry detergent. Then, submerge your beloved (beloved sweater that is) and let it soak for roughly 30 minutes depending on how dirty it is. After, rinse with cool water and gently squeeze (not wring) the excess water out and lay it flat to dry.

Dry Clean: It’s not a joke. Dry clean only, Bestie.

If you absolutely must wash your sweater in a machine, add it into a mesh bag to keep it safer from other garments in the washer and dryer. To prevent having to wash your sweater as often, wear a shirt under it to minimize oils, sweat, and body odor from transferring to it.

3.) Storing Your Sweater During Hot Girl Summer

The first rule of thumb: thou shall not hang thy sweater. Hanging your sweater will stretch out the shoulders and could deform the overall knit pattern. It is best to keep your sweaters rolled or folded in a cool dry place.

Folding Etiquette: Start with your life companion (favorite sweater) laid smoothly out on a flat surface, frontside down. Fold each arm in to lay over the back, and fold the body of the sweater back onto the bottom half. The last step is to make sure the collar is straight, then you’re all set.

4.) Sweaters that Need a Home :’)

Ok, ok. Yes, I am going to play matchmaker with some sweaters right now. Evry sweater deserves someone to hug and keep warm. Here are some amazing candidates for your wardrobe, Babe!

There is nothing more wholesome than taking good care of your sweaters. Shop swoon-worthy sweaters on our online boutique and stay cozy with the ones you love!

Toodles!
Nancy <3