Merino wool - how to get it laundered on a ship with no self-service

[lissie]

So far we've only cruised on ships with self-serve laundries. But currently booked on 25 day cruise which is cold weather. The ship doesn't have laundries you have to use the laundry service.  I'm fine with that  EXCEPT much of our clothing will 100% pure merino wool. Its incredibly warm and breathable and perfect for the weather we expect. It also will be ruined if it's put through a dryer.  You also can't dry clean it. I don't mean have its life shortened or slightly faded - I mean very, very badly shrunk and rendered unusable. 

 

With a laundromat - I just hang it up wet around the cabin overnight and the air con drys it by morning.  But is is possible to get clothing returned wet - not dried ? Do pepole do this routinely? Or is this a totally odd request and will I have to resort to hand washing (totally annoying) . This is Holland America but I know othe rships also have no self-service laundry 

[cruisemom42]

I have several merino wool sweaters, and I dry clean them. The label indicates dry cleaning is fine, and if I had one that I needed to wash onboard a ship, that's what I'd do. On the other hand, I handwash things like merino wool socks....

 

 

[jsn55]

I'd definitely plan on hand washing to be sure my clothing stayed the in proper condition.  All it takes is one person in the ship's laundry not understanding your instructions and you're out 4 or 5 pieces of clothing permanently.  When travelling, we hand-wash, roll in a towel and hang on a hanger in the room/cabin, not the bathroom (no air flow) ... most things are dry in 24 hours.  

[irvington]

2 hours ago, jsn55 said:

I'd definitely plan on hand washing to be sure my clothing stayed the in proper condition.  All it takes is one person in the ship's laundry not understanding your instructions and you're out 4 or 5 pieces of clothing permanently.  When travelling, we hand-wash, roll in a towel and hang on a hanger in the room/cabin, not the bathroom (no air flow) ... most things are dry in 24 hours.  

This is what my husband does. He's a big merino fan and says it also doesn't need to be washed as often as other clothes as well. That may sound gross, but he's very persnickety (and doesn't smell) so I think he's correct.

[awhfy]

10 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I have several merino wool sweaters, and I dry clean them. The label indicates dry cleaning is fine, and if I had one that I needed to wash onboard a ship, that's what I'd do. On the other hand, I handwash things like merino wool socks....

 

 

I, too, dry clean my merino wool sweaters 

[mrgabriel]

I noticed that the OP is from New Zealand so perhaps there's a difference in how we in North America refer to Merino Wool?

 

I would not trust the laundry on the ship. They're dealing with big loads and it's easy to miss one garment and just toss it in the dryer. Instead, I would hang the sweater out every night after being worn, spot clean with cold water if it got a stain, and if it absolutely had to be washed, rinse it out in the sink with a bit of gentle shampoo instead of detergent and let it drip dry in the shower or on a calm day, lay it out to dry on the deck chairs. 

[aungrl]

5 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

I noticed that the OP is from New Zealand so perhaps there's a difference in how we in North America refer to Merino Wool?

 

I would not trust the laundry on the ship. They're dealing with big loads and it's easy to miss one garment and just toss it in the dryer. Instead, I would hang the sweater out every night after being worn, spot clean with cold water if it got a stain, and if it absolutely had to be washed, rinse it out in the sink with a bit of gentle shampoo instead of detergent and let it drip dry in the shower or on a calm day, lay it out to dry on the deck chairs. 

 

Exactly this.  This is what I do at home for our merino wool, except for laying sweaters flat on a mesh rack to dry instead of hanging them.  It's more of a PITA in a cruise cabin to fully rinse them in the sink, but it's the only fool proof method, I think.

[lissie]

On 1/11/2023 at 4:13 PM, cruisemom42 said:

I have several merino wool sweaters, and I dry clean them. The label indicates dry cleaning is fine, and if I had one that I needed to wash onboard a ship, that's what I'd do. On the other hand, I handwash things like merino wool socks....

 

 

Interesting - I've just checked my favourite  brand and yes I can dry clean the heavier items 

[lissie]

13 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

I noticed that the OP is from New Zealand so perhaps there's a difference in how we in North America refer to Merino Wool?

 

I would not trust the laundry on the ship. They're dealing with big loads and it's easy to miss one garment and just toss it in the dryer. Instead, I would hang the sweater out every night after being worn, spot clean with cold water if it got a stain, and if it absolutely had to be washed, rinse it out in the sink with a bit of gentle shampoo instead of detergent and let it drip dry in the shower or on a calm day, lay it out to dry on the deck chairs. 

Merino is merino wherever we are 🙂 

 

I think I agree - I think I'll have to just hand wash it 

 

[lissie]

On 1/11/2023 at 7:29 PM, irvington said:

This is what my husband does. He's a big merino fan and says it also doesn't need to be washed as often as other clothes as well. That may sound gross, but he's very persnickety (and doesn't smell) so I think he's correct.

Your husband is right - I did 3 weeks in China - 2 weeks in high altitude and freezing cold -10C at times. The Chinese don't heat indoors so there was zero point in trying to  wash  anything - so literally I wore 3 layers of merino for 10 days and nights. They needed a wash at the end, but it wasn't horrible the way polypro or cotton would have been. 

[mrgabriel]

7 hours ago, lissie said:

Merino is merino wherever we are 🙂 

 

I think I agree - I think I'll have to just hand wash it 

 

Well, that's good to know!

 

I sew and have a lot of sewing friends around the world and we talk a lot about fabric. There are a few terms that don't translate between continents so it's good to know that Merino is Merino everywhere. 😄

 

[lissie]

3 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

Well, that's good to know!

 

I sew and have a lot of sewing friends around the world and we talk a lot about fabric. There are a few terms that don't translate between continents so it's good to know that Merino is Merino everywhere. 😄

 

Haha - small world I know what you mean about the language barrier - i always hesitate to use "jumper" for that warm layer you put over a shirt because Americans get confused ! 

[jsn55]

9 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

Well, that's good to know!

 

I sew and have a lot of sewing friends around the world and we talk a lot about fabric. There are a few terms that don't translate between continents so it's good to know that Merino is Merino everywhere. 😄

 

Well sure it is ... Merino wool comes from Merino sheep, no matter where the sheep lives, her wool is Merino.  

[mrgabriel]

21 hours ago, lissie said:

Haha - small world I know what you mean about the language barrier - i always hesitate to use "jumper" for that warm layer you put over a shirt because Americans get confused ! 

And pants if you're talking to someone in the UK. And don't even mention Fanny Pack - 🤣