Thinking about trying wool? I’m chatting with an expert!

You think you know wool? You don’t know this kind of wool. It’s fun and fashionable. And Rox + Rumble wool is unique and trendy.

So…why wool? It makes the perfect cover for cloth diapers. It’s easy to care for and durable. And you want bulletproof….you need to try wool. I had a chance to chat with Megan, the amazing woman behind Rox + Rumble. She is the mother to three adorable boys who serve as the inspiration for what she does. She shared how she fell in love with wool herself and why she thinks everyone else would love it too!

Me: Isn’t all wool scratchy?

Megan: I’ll be honest, when I first started cloth diapering my firstborn who’s now 4 (where does the time go?) I had the SAME question. How can wool NOT be scratchy right?  Well, I was 100% wrong.  There are several different types of wool and the kind Rox + Rumble uses, and most wool companies geared towards cloth diapering, are made with Extra Fine Merino Wool.  It is processed in a way to make it incredibly soft.  It’s definitely NOT your grandmother’s scratchy wool sweater.  ;)

Me: But it’s so hard to care for!  Right?

Megan: Oh, one would think!  But it’s not.  As a matter of fact, you don’t clean it as often.  Like, you can get several wears out of it before having to wash it.  It’s INSANE.

Me: Several wearings before washing? That sounds like magic. How?

Megan: It IS totally magical!  Unicorns and all.  ;)  Because it is a natural wicking fiber, it actually allows moisture to pass through.  It has unique structure and it takes a very long time to trap any odors.  AND dirt just sits on top of it.  So the next time your tot decides to play in the dirt or sand, just wipe if off and you are good to go!  Add lanolin to your wool and they become basically bullet proof.  I personally only wash my wool should it get poop on it or if my kids get them super dirty… I have 3 boys so dirty DEFINITELY happens.

Me: Ok, so how do you wash your wool? Can it be done in the machine or does it have to be by hand?

Megan: This is kind of a trick question.  You can wash your wool either way depending on what the manufacturer recommends and what you are comfortable with.  I wash all of my wool in my washing machine. I have a wool cycle on my machine so I use it.  Let me tell you, it has been a LIFE SAVER.  I have little 3 boys, I homeschool and I run Rox + Rumble from home.  So for me, I need it it be quick .  But I will say this, I know a lot of people who love hand washing their wool. Hand washing isn’t tricky or hard but just takes a bit more time than tossing it in the washer, adding wool wash and pushing a button.

One thing you should know when washing or rinsing your wool is to never shock your wool with cold or hot water.  You want to be sure it gradually gets warmer or colder.  And when hand washing, wash with lukewarm/warm water.  NEVER hot.  And NEVER put your wool into the dryer.  Heat and friction can cause felting and shrinkage. (Note from Jenn: That means the wool can get hard feeling and lose all of it’s stretch.)

Me: I hand wash mine, which I’m totally fine with. I agree, it’s not bad or hard at all. But that wool option on a washer does sound amazing! lol  Seems like you don’t baby anything. How long has your wool lasted before it starts to look rough? Or hasn’t that happened yet?

Megan: You are right.  I don’t baby my wool.  The only time I come remotely close to babying it would be when my youngest is eating something tomato based like spaghetti and he is wearing white stripes.  I just take them off and put them back on after eating.  I have three pieces of wool that look a little rough.  One has a stain that I can’t get out for the life of me.  And the other got a hole in the knee from my middle boy tripped and scraped his knee.  (He’s my little wild child so it was bound to happen).  When the hole formed, I sent it to someone who does patch work.  She put two Batman logos on both of the knees and now they are back to cute wearable wool again.  The last one was thrown in the dryer this past week.  It didn’t felt though- just a little shrinkage. I am going to work on them to see if I can get them to relax a bit.

Me: The wool shrank?? How on Earth can you fix that? I bought a pair that was felted. When the longies arrived here they could have walked in on their own because they were so stiff! No stretching that back out!

Megan: It shrank maybe 1/4”-1/2” in length.  But I was able to relax them with Unicorn Beyond Soft.  It helps soften and relax the fibers.  It’s amazing!  My son is back in them and they still fit and stretch great!

Me: I love Unicorn Clean products!  I even love the Power Scour to be great on clothing and cloth diapers. Is that one that you like to use for your wool?

Megan: Yes!  I use Unicorn for all of my wool, specifically the Beyond line.  It’s been amazing.  And, like you said, it’s not just for wool.  You can use it with regular clothing and cloth diapers as well.  The Power Scour and Beyond Clean is great for getting cloth diapers clean. Soaking them in it helps breakdown the buildup too.

Me: I’m so glad I got to do this with you Megan. Hopefully, the takeaway will be that wool is amazing. It can take a beating and as you clearly proved in your own life, there’s no need to baby it. Use it on those kids, even the ones that are always outside and always into something.

Megan: I am glad we were able to chat as well!  It’s been fun geeking out about wool.  

Thanks for reading everyone! If you have any questions about wool, leave a comment and I’m sure we can help! And keep your eyes open, Rox + Rumble will be releasing their new winter line soon! 

Jennifer Reinhardt

Jenn is a long-time cloth diaper educator and a passionate small business advocate. She has worked in the reusable diaper industry for over a decade, helping millions of families via her websites All About Cloth Diapers, Thinking About Cloth Diapers and Cloth Diaper Geek as well as hundreds of small businesses during that time. Her goal always to provide simple, reliable information.