Let’s talk about wool.  It’s so soft, squishy and wonderfully absorbent.  But best of all, it doesn’t need to be cleaned very often.  Why?  It’s naturally antimicrobial, which means that it prevents the growth of bacteria.  However, although it may not need to be cleaned very often, washing it can be a daunting task.  It took me months to work up the courage to try/lanolize/wash it.   Now that I’ve done it, it’s soooo easy!!

Wait, go back… lano-whaaat?  Lanolin is a wax secreted by the glands of sheep to coat wool.  It comes from the sheep, and just needs to be put back in to keep your woolies nice and absorbent.  So absorbent, in fact, I’ve heard it can absorb up to 30% of its own weight.  And unlike waterproof covers, like PUL, it allows the moisture to evaporate so the little bum isn’t soaking in it.

Ahhh, but I’ve strayed off topic.  Let’s talk about caring for your wool.  Some lovely woolies will come to you prelanolized, washed, and ready to go.  Some don’t.  For the ones that don’t, we want to coat them in lanolin and give ‘em a good washing.

You can use a product like Lansinoh for lanolizin that you might have sitting around from nursing, or you can go with specially made wool wash like Eucalan or Naturally Luxe or even plain ‘ol lanolin.  I get mine from my local health food store, and prefer the liquid over the solid.   To get started, we’ll just need some lanolin, wool wash, and woolies.  Some people like to use baby shampoo, but my little guy has sensitive skin, and gets rashes, so we stick with wool wash.  I also like that wool wash has some lanolin in it, so I don’t have to lanolize every time.  However, if you would like to use baby shampoo, just replace the wool wash with it.

To begin, put a few drops of lanolin in some hot water (microwave if necessary), and shake/stir/mix until it’s dissolved into the water.  Then you’ll want to pour that into a sink full of warm water.   Once their bath is ready, add your wool, and let them get nice and wet.  Get some wool wash in your hands, from a bottle or bar, and gently work it into the wool.

When  I’m done washing my woolies, I’ll let them sit and soak for an hour or two.  After the soak, I drain the water and rinse them off.   Once washed, the wool will need to be air dried, so you’ll want to get out some of the excess water or it will take forever!  Lay it on a towel, roll it up, and squeeeeze out some excess water.  That simple step takes hours off of our drying time.

Now we’re off to dry!  Your wool should be laid flat, or it may stretch.  I lay mine on a drying rack in a warm spot of the house.  If it’s warm enough, you may have dry wool by morning.  If it’s a colder environment, it may take a couple of days.

As soon as it’s dry it’s ready to wear!  And it doesn’t need to be washed again unless it gets dirty or leaky.  We go weeks between washes!   If it isn’t leaky, but needs a wash, you don’t even need to lanolize unless you’re using baby shampoo.  Most wool washes will have some lanolin built in, so you can just use them.  It also extends the time between lanolizing!!

Washing may be more high maintenance than another cover, and wool may be more expensive, but it’s so worth it!  You need fewer since you don’t wash as often, and it’s so much easier between washings.   Not to mention it’s so cute and soft!

And addicting!  Once you’ve found the wool love, there’s no going back.  My… errr… DS’s collection has almost everything Mom’s Milk Boutique offers!  He’s got a Clover Wool Wrap, Imse Vimse and Luxe Wool Covers, and we just ordered some Lapis Leine

Lapis Leine Shorties

shorties.   The Kissaluvs Wool Lovers are back in stock, and next on my list!

It took me months to begin my collection, but I don’t recommend waiting that long.  There are woolies that need your love!!

– by Shannon Herbat, cloth diaperer extraordinare

GIVEAWAY: We will randomly select 2 winners. Mom’s Milk Boutique is giving away 1 Little Beetle Little to Big Wool Cover to each winner.

FOUR ways to ENTER and you CAN win multiple times if your comments are drawn:

1. “Like us” on Facebook then post a comment with your Facebook user name.
2. “Fan us” on the Blog then post a comment with your Blog user name.
3. Tell others about the GIVEAWAY then post a comment with a link to your post.
4. If you order during the contest (2/26-3/1), you can comment with your order #!

Comments are moderated, so they will not show up immediately.

Giveaway closes at midnight on 3/1/11 and the winners will be randomly selected the next day and posted here. It is the winner’s responsibility to contact info@momsmilkboutique.com to claim your prize. Contest void were prohibited by law. Winners outside of the USA are responsible for any shipping costs incurred.

WINNERS: Erin Olson and Becky Hickey. Please email info@momsmilkboutique.com by 3/7/2011 to claim your Little Beelte Wool Cover!