Short story + question:

So my lamb's wool mitt that I bought from Advanced not less than a month ago practically disintegrated on me today after about 5 washes. Looks like mold had gotten into the skin and ate it away. Without a receipt, and surprisingly even a transaction, the dude at Advanced just straight up swapped it for me...it's good to asking for things at closing time. In retail, you'll usually get it

Should I be putting this thing in the washing machine and/or dryer with my other loads? The instructions on the tag just say to rinse with a mild detergent (car wash? check....) and air dry; which is what I did.

 

I've never babied any lam's wool mitts. They last a lot longer than 5 washes and have never had any mold problems. Good to hear about the customer service.

 

i'd like to know as well.

 

Never machine wash a true lambswool wash mitt! If it is truly dirty I wash mine in a bucket of warm water with woolite, rinse in clean water and then air dry. Washing machines will destroy the mitt in a short period of time.

 

even in a front-load with no agitator?

 

Detergent will break down the fibers of the mitt very quickly by removing the lanolin in the wool. I wouldn't trust a washer to not be too harsh,especially when a simple bucket & warm water will suffice.

 

I have one that I ruined by washing in a conventional washer with an agitator. The agitation tangled the wool fibers, over a number of washes. The mitt is still intact, but the wool fibers are tangled into knots. But it went through the washing machine many more than 5 times over a couple of years.

The replacement will never go through the washer.

 

im not telling you to spend more money but it might just be the cheap auto parts store sheep skin mitt. i use detailers image sheep skin mitts and have no problems. but it in the dish washer on low heat setting to dry. i actually prefer the grout sponge from lowes, but use the sheepskin from time to time.

 

I've been liking sponge use as well. It's easy to work with and it's easy to rub against a grit guard to clean while working. It seems to work well and it very affordable.