How to Care for Cashmere: A Complete Guide to Washing, Storing & Preserving

There's a reason cashmere costs what it does. It's softer than wool, warmer for its weight, and it drapes in a way few fibers can match.

That favorite sweater represents real investment, and with the right attention it stays soft for years to come. Yet most people never learn how to care for cashmere properly, so they treat it like any other knit and watch it suffer for it.

That's where the trouble starts. A sweater loses its shape after a few wrong washes. Pills gather across the chest and cuffs. Worst of all, a small hole appears in the spring that wasn't there when you packed the sweater away, the unmistakable signature of a clothes moth.

Almost all of that damage is preventable. This cashmere care guide covers the full lifecycle of the garment: why it needs special treatment, how to wash and dry it without shrinking, how to handle pilling, and how to fold and store it so moths, moisture, and gravity never ruin it.

Learning how to care for cashmere isn't difficult once you understand what the fiber needs, and the fiber rewards you for it.

Why Cashmere Needs Special Care

Cashmere comes from the soft undercoat of goats, and like wool it's a natural protein fiber made largely of keratin. That protein is exactly what clothes moth larvae are built to digest, which is why your finest knits attract the most trouble. Understanding the fiber is the foundation of good cashmere care.

The surface of each fiber tells the rest of the story. Cashmere fibers are covered in microscopic overlapping scales, a bit like roof shingles. When those scales meet heat, moisture, and agitation at the same time, they swell and lock together permanently.

The fabric mats, tightens, and shrinks. Fiber scientists call this felting, and it's the single most common way people accidentally ruin a cashmere sweater in the wash.

Here's the reassuring part. None of these vulnerabilities call for fussy, expensive routines. They simply call for the opposite routine of a normal laundry cycle.

You handle the fiber gently rather than agitating it, wash it in cool rather than hot water, dry it flat rather than hung, and store it in breathable fabric rather than sealed plastic.

So is cashmere hard to take care of? Not really. It's just specific. Once you match your habits to the fiber, cashmere care becomes second nature.

How to Care for Cashmere When Washing at Home

Start with the label. Always. Some cashmere is finished to tolerate a gentle machine cycle, while other pieces are marked hand wash or dry clean only, and the care label is the one instruction written specifically for the garment in your hands. Reading it is the first cashmere care instruction worth following.

Hand Washing Cashmere Step by Step

Hand washing gives you the most control, and it's faster than people fear. Turn the sweater inside out and submerge it in cool or lukewarm water with a little mild detergent, ideally one made for wool and delicates.

The Woolmark Company, the global authority on wool standards, suggests soaking the garment for around ten minutes, then rinsing it thoroughly in lukewarm water followed by a final cool rinse.

Don't rub, twist, or wring. Press the water through gently with your hands, then lift the sweater out cradled so its own weight doesn't stretch it. Agitation triggers felting, so the less you handle the fabric, the safer it stays.

Machine Washing Cashmere Safely

If the label permits machine washing, use the wool or delicate cycle. With no wool setting, a cold-water delicate wash is the safer default. Place the sweater in a mesh laundry bag, use a mild wool detergent, and minimize the spin. Warm water is the real risk, since felting and shrinkage become far more likely as the temperature climbs.

Cashmere doesn't need washing after every wear. Airing it out between wearings often refreshes it completely, and washing less means less wear on the fiber.

How to Dry Cashmere Without Shrinking It

Drying is where good washing often goes wrong. The tumble dryer is the fastest way to ruin cashmere, because it combines the exact heat and agitation that lock the fiber scales together. Never put cashmere in the dryer unless the label specifically allows it.

Lay it flat instead. Roll the sweater gently in a clean towel to press out excess water, then reshape it on a fresh dry towel or a mesh rack, easing it back to its original dimensions while it's still damp.

The Woolmark Company advises drying knitwear flat and in the shade, since strong light fades color and drying too fast can leave the fiber feeling coarse.

Never hang a wet cashmere sweater. Soaked knitwear is heavy, and gravity pulls it into a stretched shape that rarely recovers. Let the piece dry completely before folding it away, since even slight dampness can create conditions where mildew could develop in storage.

How to Care for Cashmere When It Pills

Pilling happens when fabric fibers come loose or rub against themselves, or against bags, seatbelts, and coats. The result is little fuzzy balls, sometimes called bobbling, that form on your garment.

Preventing Cashmere Pilling

While there may not be a guaranteed way to prevent pilling entirely, high-quality cashmere generally pills much less often than lower-quality cashmere. Your best bet to prevent cashmere piling, therefore, is to do your research and buy the best possible product.

Factors including fabric cover factor (how thick and tightly packed the yarn is, literally how completely the yarn covers the fabric’s surface), yarn count, fibre length, and yarn twist all affect the quality of your cashmere. Cashmere that uses longer fibres produces stronger, smoother yarns with fewer loose fibre ends, reducing the tendency to pill.

Aside from choosing the right fabric when you buy, it can help to rotate your knits rather than wearing the same sweater day after day, giving the fiber time to recover between wearings.

Reduce friction where you can, since cross-body bag straps and rough outer layers are common culprits. Washing gently helps too, because rough handling roughens the surface and frees more loose fibers.

Removing Pills From Cashmere Safely

If pills do appear, lay the garment flat on a firm surface and remove them with a fabric comb, a sweater stone, or a dedicated cashmere comb. Work in one direction with a light touch.

Avoid dragging hard or using anything sharp, which can cut threads and create the very holes you're trying to avoid. Done gently and occasionally, de-pilling refreshes a sweater and can make an older piece look close to new again.

How to Fold and Store Cashmere

Storage is where most cashmere care succeeds or fails, because your sweaters spend the overwhelming majority of their lives folded away rather than on your back. Good cashmere sweater care is mostly good storage.

Why You Should Fold Cashmere, Not Hang It

Cashmere should be folded, not hung. Knit fabric has no internal structure to hold its shape, so a hanger lets the weight of the garment drag downward, stretching the shoulders and lengthening the body over time.

Fold sweaters along their natural seams and stack them loosely on a shelf or in a drawer. Avoid cramming them in tightly, since crowded storage prevents the air movement that natural fibers need.

Breathable Cotton vs. Plastic for Storing Cashmere

Cashmere is a natural fiber, and it needs to breathe. That single fact makes plastic the wrong environment for it, full stop.

The fiber is hygroscopic, absorbing and releasing moisture from the surrounding air as conditions change, and that quiet exchange helps keep it stable. Cashmere shares this trait with wool and other fibers that need to breathe.

Seal it in a plastic bin or a dry-cleaning bag and you trap moisture against the fabric. The Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute explains that natural fibers absorb moisture quickly and release it slowly, and that high humidity, warm temperatures, and poor ventilation encourage mold growth on textiles.

Plastic also gives off fumes as it ages, which can yellow light-colored knits over time. Vacuum-seal bags create a separate problem, because compressing cashmere crushes the lofty fiber structure that gives it warmth, and that loft does not always recover once flattened.

Museum conservators don't store textiles in plastic. They reach for breathable, chemical-free cotton, which lets air circulate and moisture regulate naturally while still blocking dust and light.

Several details matter when you shop for that cotton, and they affect how well your cashmere survives storage. The first is bleaching. Truly unbleached cotton appears cream, beige, or ecru, never bright white, because bright white cotton has been chemically treated to get there.

Those residual chemicals are exactly what you don't want against a delicate protein fiber for months at a time, which is why unbleached matters for cashmere specifically. The second is the word "organic," which you'll see often in this category and which causes real confusion.

Organic refers only to how the cotton was grown, without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, and says nothing about how the fabric was processed afterward. Organic cotton can still be bleached, dyed, or chemically finished. For something as delicate as cashmere, look for cotton explicitly labeled as unbleached and undyed, showing its natural cream color.

The Deluxe Cotton Storage Bags are made from exactly this: 100% breathable cotton, free of dyes, bleach, and harmful chemicals. Each bag holds one to two sweaters depending on bulk and closes with a fine, moth-prevention zipper, the kind that seals snugly rather than slipping to create gaps or snagging and damaging the knit.

They're machine washable and double as packing cubes when you travel. For a closer look at storage materials, our complete guide to cotton storage bags compares the options side by side.

Seasonal and Long-Term Cashmere Storage

Cashmere is seasonal for most people, which means your sweaters spend the warm half of the year put away in storage. Those stored months are when the biggest risks accumulate, because anything you didn't address before packing has uninterrupted time to do damage.

Clean Your Cashmere Before You Store It

The most important rule for storing cashmere long-term is to put each piece away clean. This isn't about tidiness. Clothes moth larvae are the real threat to natural fibers, and the research is clear on why clean storage works.

Researchers have consistently found that clothes moth larvae will not grow on clean wool, and that damage to clothing is generally restricted to the parts soiled by dirt and sweat.

Later research explains the mechanism: the larvae depend on nutrients like B vitamins found in those soils, not in the clean fiber itself. A sweater that looks clean to your eye can still carry the invisible body oils and perspiration that feed them.

Cleaning each piece before storage, whether at home or through professional cleaning, removes that invitation.

Where and How to Store Cashmere

Store your cashmere in a cool, dark, dry location with stable conditions. The Smithsonian Institution recommends keeping textiles in a clean, cool, dry, dark place free from drastic swings in temperature and humidity, which rules out hot attics and damp basements, and it cautions that light damages natural fibers over time. A bedroom closet shelf or a drawer is far safer.

For sweaters put away during the summer months, fold them into breathable cotton bags and store them where air can still reach the fabric. For bulkier seasonal storage, or when closet space runs short, the Deluxe Large Canvas Bag for Under Bed Storage is made from unbleached and undyed cotton canvas with a soft knit cotton lining, and it fits two or more of the smaller cotton bags inside, so you can organize a whole season of knits in one breathable home under the bed. For a fuller walkthrough of seasonal knit storage, see our guide on how to store cashmere sweaters long-term.

Air your stored cashmere out periodically. The Smithsonian Institution recommends removing textiles from storage from time to time to let them breathe and to inspect them, refolding them along different lines so the same fibers aren't always under tension.

The Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, which classes cashmere among the wool and hair fibers, adds that regular cleaning and brushing matter because household dust carries wool lint that fabric pests feed on. If you ever notice a musty odor, that's moisture talking, and our guide to why your closet smells musty explains how to address the cause.

How to Care for Cashmere Coats, Scarves, and Socks

Not all cashmere is a sweater. The same fiber principles apply across the board, with small adjustments by garment.

Cashmere coat care is the one exception to the no-hanging rule. A structured coat holds its own shape, so it can hang on a sturdy, broad hanger, ideally under a breathable cotton cover that keeps dust and moths away during storage.

Cashmere scarf care is simpler still: store scarves flat or loosely rolled rather than knotted, which prevents permanent creases, and wash them with the same gentle cool-water method you use for sweaters.

Cashmere socks see hard wear and frequent washing, so follow the care label closely, wash them gently inside out, and dry them flat to keep their shape. Across every piece, the fundamentals of cashmere care hold steady: clean gently, dry flat, and store the fiber so it can breathe.

Keeping Cashmere Beautiful for Years

Cashmere rewards the small amount of attention it asks for. Wash it cool and gently, dry it flat, de-pill it with a light hand, fold it instead of hanging it, and store it clean in breathable cotton rather than plastic. That's the whole of how to care for cashmere, and none of it is complicated once the fiber's needs make sense.

The difference shows over time. The sweater that still feels soft and holds its shape after years of winters is almost always the one that was cared for properly between them.

Explore the Butler's Closet collection of breathable, unbleached and undyed cotton storage to give your cashmere the kind of protection museum conservators have trusted for generations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you wash cashmere at home?

The safest way to wash cashmere at home is by hand in cool or lukewarm water with a small amount of mild detergent made for wool and delicates.

Turn the garment inside out, submerge it, and let it soak for about ten minutes. The Woolmark Company suggests rinsing thoroughly afterward, first in lukewarm water and then in cool water. Throughout the process, handle the fabric as little as possible.

Don't rub, twist, or wring it, because that agitation is what causes cashmere fibers to felt and shrink. Press the water through gently with your hands instead. When you lift the sweater out, support its full weight so the wet fabric doesn't stretch.

Always check the care label first, since some cashmere is finished differently and may call for dry cleaning. Washing less often, and simply airing the garment between wearings, is one of the easiest cashmere care habits to adopt, keeping the piece fresh while reducing wear over time.

Can you machine wash cashmere?

Sometimes, but only when the care label allows it. Some cashmere is finished to tolerate a gentle machine cycle, while other pieces are marked hand wash or dry clean only, so the label is the deciding factor. If machine washing is permitted, use the wool or delicate setting.

When your machine has no dedicated wool cycle, a cold-water delicate wash is the safer choice, since warm water dramatically increases the risk of felting and shrinkage.

Place the sweater in a mesh laundry bag to reduce friction against the drum and other items, use a mild wool detergent, and skip or minimize the spin cycle to avoid distorting the shape.

Even when a machine wash is allowed, many people still prefer hand washing their finest cashmere for the extra control it gives. If you're ever unsure whether a piece can handle the machine, default to hand washing, which is always the gentler option for delicate knitwear.

Can you dry clean cashmere?

Yes, and for many people it's the simplest, lowest-risk option. Dry cleaning uses solvents rather than water, so the cashmere fibers don't swell and the scales don't interlock the way they can during an improper wash.

This makes it well suited to structured pieces or garments labeled dry clean only. Always follow the care label, which tells you whether dry cleaning is recommended for that specific garment.

Choose a cleaner experienced with delicate natural fibers rather than the cheapest option available, since careful handling matters with cashmere. One thing worth knowing for storage: have cashmere professionally cleaned before you put it away for the season, because clean fibers are far less attractive to clothes moths than soiled ones.

If you alternate between home washing and professional cleaning, that's perfectly fine. The goal of good cashmere care is the same across both methods, which is gentle treatment that protects the softness and structure of the fiber.

How do you dry cashmere without shrinking?

Lay it flat and keep it away from heat. Never use a tumble dryer unless the care label specifically permits it, because the combination of heat and tumbling agitation is the fastest way to felt and shrink cashmere permanently.

Instead, roll the freshly washed sweater in a clean, dry towel to press out excess water without wringing. Then lay it flat on a fresh towel or a mesh drying rack and gently reshape it to its original dimensions while it's still damp.

The Woolmark Company advises drying knitwear flat and out of direct sunlight, since strong light fades color and drying too quickly can leave the fiber feeling coarse.

Never hang a wet cashmere garment, because the weight of the water stretches the fabric out of shape, and that distortion rarely recovers. Let the piece dry completely before folding it away. Even slight leftover dampness can create conditions where mildew could develop once the garment is in storage.

Should you hang or fold cashmere?

Fold it. Cashmere is a knit, and knit fabric has no built-in structure to hold its shape, so hanging lets gravity pull the garment downward over time. The result is stretched shoulders, a sagging body, and a sweater that no longer fits the way it should.

Folding along the natural seams keeps the shape intact. Stack folded sweaters loosely on a shelf or in a drawer, and avoid packing them in too tightly, since natural fibers need some air movement to stay healthy.

The one exception is structured cashmere outerwear. A tailored cashmere coat holds its own shape and can hang on a sturdy, broad-shouldered hanger, ideally inside a breathable cotton cover that protects against dust and moths.

Scarves are best folded or loosely rolled rather than hung or knotted, which prevents permanent crease lines from forming in the delicate fabric over months of storage.

How do you store cashmere long-term?

Store cashmere clean, folded, and in breathable storage kept in a cool, dark, dry place. Cleaning first is essential, because clothes moth larvae feed on the body oils and stains in soiled wool.

A study in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that the larvae will not grow on clean wool, with damage restricted to soiled areas. Fold each sweater rather than hanging it, then place it in a breathable cotton bag rather than a plastic bin or dry-cleaning bag.

The Smithsonian Institution recommends a clean, cool, dry, dark spot free from drastic temperature and humidity swings, so a closet shelf or drawer beats a hot attic or damp basement.

Avoid sealed plastic entirely, since it traps moisture and mildew could develop, and skip vacuum bags, which crush the lofted fiber structure that gives cashmere its warmth. Air your stored pieces out periodically and inspect them for any early sign of pests. For a full walkthrough, see our dedicated guide on how to store cashmere sweaters long-term.

How do you prevent cashmere from pilling?

You can't prevent pilling completely, since it's a natural result of fibers rubbing against each other, but you can reduce it significantly. Pilling, sometimes called bobbling, happens most where the fabric experiences friction, so the first step is minimizing that friction.

Rotate your sweaters instead of wearing the same one repeatedly, which gives the fiber time to recover between wearings. Watch out for common friction points like cross-body bag straps, seatbelts, and rough outer layers worn over the knit.

Washing gently also helps, because aggressive handling roughens the surface and works more loose fibers free. Expect a little extra pilling during the first few wears of a new sweater, as loose surface fibers naturally shed.

This early pilling settles down over time and isn't a sign of poor quality, even on excellent cashmere, so don't let it discourage your cashmere care routine. A gentle de-pilling now and then keeps the surface smooth and the sweater looking its best.

How do you remove pills from cashmere?

Remove pills gently with the right tool and a light touch. Lay the garment flat on a firm, smooth surface so the fabric is fully supported and won't bunch. Then use a fabric comb, a sweater stone, or a dedicated cashmere comb to lift the pills away, working in one consistent direction.

The key is gentleness. Don't drag hard, and never use scissors or anything sharp, because cutting risks snagging the knit and creating actual holes in the fabric, which is far worse than the pills themselves.

Some people use a battery-powered fabric shaver, which works well as long as you keep it moving and don't press it into the fabric. Done carefully and only occasionally, de-pilling can make an older cashmere sweater look remarkably close to new again.

It's one of the more satisfying parts of cashmere care, since the difference is immediate and visible. Just resist the urge to overdo it, because the gentlest approach is always the safest for delicate knits.

How do you stop moths eating cashmere?

The most effective defense against clothes moths is prevention, and it starts with cleanliness. The larvae are the culprits behind holes in knitwear, while the adult moths don't feed on fabric at all, as University of Kentucky entomologists note.

Research in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that clothes moth larvae will not grow on clean wool, with damage concentrated on parts soiled by dirt and sweat, because the larvae depend on nutrients in those soils rather than the clean fiber.

So the single best thing you can do is store cashmere clean. Beyond that, keep it in breathable storage with a secure closure that physically blocks access, place it in a cool, dark, dry spot, and inspect stored pieces periodically. 

Penn State Extension recommends laundering or dry cleaning items and storing them in a closed bag or container, and a snug-closing cotton bag keeps new pests out. Regular vacuuming of closets and drawers removes the lint and debris these insects also feed on.

Why does my cashmere stretch out of shape?

Cashmere stretches out of shape for two main reasons, and both are avoidable. The first is hanging. Because cashmere is a knit with no internal structure, a hanger lets the weight of the garment pull it downward, gradually stretching the shoulders and lengthening the body.

Folding instead of hanging solves this entirely. The second reason is improper washing and drying. Handling a wet sweater roughly, lifting it by the shoulders while it's heavy with water, or hanging it to dry all stretch the saturated fabric out of its intended shape.

Wet cashmere is especially vulnerable, so always support its full weight when lifting and lay it flat to dry. If a sweater has already stretched slightly, you can sometimes coax it back by reshaping it while damp and letting it dry flat to your desired dimensions.

Going forward, fold it for storage, wash it gently in cool water, and always dry it flat rather than hung to keep its shape intact.

How long should cashmere last?

With proper care, quality cashmere can serve you well for many years and remain soft and beautiful throughout. There's no fixed lifespan, because so much depends on how the garment is treated.

A cashmere sweater that's washed gently in cool water, dried flat, de-pilled with a light hand, folded rather than hung, and stored clean in breathable storage will hold its shape and softness far longer than one that's machine-washed hot, tumble-dried, hung on hangers, and sealed in plastic.

The fiber itself is remarkably resilient when respected. Many people own cashmere pieces they've worn for many years that still look excellent. The threats to longevity are almost always preventable: felting from heat and agitation, stretching from hanging, holes from moths in soiled storage, and pilling from friction.

Address those, and the fiber rewards you. Think of careful cashmere care as protecting an investment, since the small effort involved pays off in continued wear.

How do you care for a cashmere coat?

Cashmere coat care differs from sweater care in one key way: a structured coat can be hung. Unlike a knit sweater, a tailored coat has enough internal structure to hold its shape on a hanger, so choose a sturdy, broad-shouldered hanger that supports the garment properly rather than a thin wire one.

Between wearings, a gentle brushing with a soft garment brush removes surface dust and lifts the nap, keeping the fabric looking fresh. Always follow the care label for cleaning, and for most cashmere coats, professional cleaning is the safest route given their construction.

For seasonal storage, clean the coat first, then store it hanging inside a breathable cotton garment cover that protects against dust, light, and moths while still allowing air circulation. Avoid plastic covers, which trap moisture against the fabric.

Keep the coat in a cool, dark, dry location, and air it out occasionally during long storage. These cashmere coat care steps protect both the fiber and the tailored shape that makes the coat worth owning.

How do you care for a cashmere scarf?

A cashmere scarf needs the same gentle treatment as a sweater, scaled down. Wash it by hand in cool water with a mild wool detergent, soaking briefly and then rinsing without rubbing or wringing.

Press out excess water in a towel and lay the scarf flat to dry, away from direct sunlight and never on a radiator or in a dryer. For storage, fold the scarf neatly or roll it loosely rather than hanging it or leaving it knotted, since hanging can stretch the fabric and tight knots create permanent creases over time.

Store it flat in a drawer or on a shelf, ideally in a breathable cotton bag that protects against dust and moths. As with all cashmere, put it away clean before any extended storage, because soiled fibers attract clothes moths.

Scarves often pill where they rub against coat collars and bag straps, so de-pill gently with a fabric comb when needed. With this simple cashmere scarf care routine, a good scarf stays soft and elegant for many seasons.

Is cashmere really hard to take care of?

No, cashmere isn't hard to care for, it's just specific. The reputation comes from people treating it like ordinary clothing and then watching it shrink, stretch, or develop holes.

Once you understand what the fiber needs, the routine is genuinely simple. Wash it gently in cool water rather than hot, since heat and agitation cause the fiber to felt.

Dry it flat instead of in a dryer or on a hanger, which prevents shrinking and stretching. Fold it for storage rather than hanging, and keep it clean and in breathable cotton rather than plastic to protect against moths and moisture. That's essentially the whole of it.

None of these steps takes much time or effort, and they quickly become habit. The payoff is significant: cashmere that stays soft, holds its shape, and lasts for years.

Far from being high-maintenance, cashmere care simply asks for a little understanding in exchange for being one of the most comfortable and luxurious fibers you can own.