Merino wool and merino clothing were in fashion for a very long time thanks to their many advantages. However, recently some negative headlines have come to light, mainly concerning animal and environmental protection. We would like to clarify the questions whether you can still buy merino clothes with a clear conscience and how to best care for the garments so that the precious things last as long as possible.
Merino wool - a wool for all seasons
The structure of the merino fibres - fine, soft, strongly crimped, scaly, elastic - alone results in their functional properties: it does not smell, it does not scratch, it cools when it is warm, warms when it is cold. It is moisture-regulating and breathable, flame-retardant, antistatic, almost wrinkle-free, low-pilling and keeps its fit. These are the well-known facts about merino wool. In addition, merino wool has a natural sun protection factor of up to 50, depending on density and weave.
Why doesn't merino wool scratch?
Merino fibres are so fine (16.5 to 24 microns) that their touch is not perceived as unpleasant. This is because the human sensitivity threshold is around 25 microns. This explains why conventional wool (around 30 microns) is scratchy, while merino wool feels pleasantly soft on the skin.
Why warm them in cold and cool them in heat?
Everyone knows the good insulating properties of wool. Merino fibres are very strongly crimped with forty crimps per cm. Due to the wave-like structure, the fibres lie very loosely on top of each other and form air chambers. These enclose the body heat and store it - whether against summer heat or winter cold.
Warm air causes the wool to dry faster. This cooling evaporation also makes it comfortable to wear in summer. Furthermore, the wool regulates the moisture balance and thus the body temperature. Due to its hygroscopic fibres, the wool can absorb around a third of its own weight in moisture without feeling damp. The fibre surface remains dry.
Why do clothes made of wool not have to be washed so often?
An important effect is the self-cleaning function of the wool. This can be explained by the following factors:
The keratin, i.e. the fibre protein in the wool, breaks down the odour-causing bacteria on the skin. In addition, bacteria on the scaly surface of wool are less able to survive than on smooth synthetic fibres, for example.
Furthermore, the wool fibre consists of two cell types which can absorb different amounts of moisture and therefore swell to different degrees. The resulting friction process causes a mechanical self-cleaning effect. In addition, merino fibres absorb water vapour before it condenses to sweat on the skin. This explains why less sweat is produced and unpleasant odours are avoided.
Environment and animal welfare
Wool is a natural and renewable raw material. Wool is biodegradable and guarantees its functionality without any chemical additives, as it is contained in the fibre. The sheep can be shorn up to twice a year. Since wool products need to be washed less often due to their self-cleaning function, this also has a positive effect on the environment.
But there are also negative aspects to merino wool. Merino sheep are bred in numerous countries worldwide. Especially the Australian wool industry is accused of subjecting the animals to painful treatment, the so-called mulesing, which is supposed to prevent parasite infestation.
Many manufacturers of merino apparel oppose this controversial practice by buying only merino wool from certified suppliers where mulesing is not used, including knitwear .
Wash merino wool: The most important things at a glance
To begin with: Since wool has the property of being self-cleaning to a certain extent, it is often sufficient to hang the garment in the air and save on laundry. Airing out in damp weather is ideal because the water vapour in the air carries away dirt particles and bad odours. In addition, the elastic, crease-resistant wool fibres can always recover by themselves. If coarse soiling does make washing necessary after all, you should definitely follow the washing recommendations for knitwear .
All care instructions can be found here.
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