How to Wash Raw Fleece Before Carding (Without Felting It)
Skirting, scouring, rinsing and drying: a practical guide to preparing raw wool for your drum carder, and why clean fleece keeps your carding cloth in good condition.
The Workshop Team
Wool Drum Carder · February 24, 2026
Freshly washed, fluffy white wool fleece drying on a mesh rack before carding
Good batts start long before the drum carder. Raw fleece contains lanolin, dirt, sweat (suint) and vegetable matter. Carding unwashed or poorly washed fleece gums up the carding cloth and makes uneven batts. Here is a reliable way to wash fleece without accidentally turning it into felt.
1. Skirt and sort the fleece
Spread the fleece on a table or clean sheet, cut side down. Remove the heavily soiled edges, belly wool, and any matted or very short bits. This is called skirting.
Shake out loose dirt and second cuts, and pick out as much vegetable matter (hay, seeds, burrs) as you can now. It is much easier to remove before washing than after.
2. Scour with hot water and wool wash
Fill a tub or sink with hot water, around 140°F (60°C), and add a scouring detergent made for wool. Lanolin melts at high temperatures, so the water must stay hot enough to remove it.
Gently lower the fleece into the water, preferably in mesh bags, and push it down. Then leave it alone to soak for about 15–20 minutes. Do not stir, rub or agitate it.
“Wool felts with heat plus agitation plus sudden temperature changes. Hot water alone is fine; avoid stirring and shocks.”
3. Rinse at the same temperature
Lift the fleece out, let the water drain, and refill the tub with fresh water at about the same temperature. A sudden change from hot to cold water can shock the fiber and cause felting.
Repeat the wash once or twice for greasy fleeces like fine Merino, then rinse until the water is clear.
4. Dry completely
Press out the water gently, or use the spin cycle of a washing machine with no water running. Spread the fleece in a thin layer on a mesh rack or towel, out of direct sun.
Wait until the fleece is completely dry before carding. Damp fiber sticks to the cloth, cards unevenly and can encourage rust on the carding teeth.
5. Open the locks before carding
Tease the locks apart by hand or with a flick carder before feeding them to the drum carder. Well-opened fiber cards faster and makes smoother batts.
Clean fiber also keeps your carding cloth in good condition. Lanolin residue gradually clogs the teeth, so a well-scoured fleece means less cleaning and longer cloth life.
Key Takeaways
- Skirt the fleece and remove vegetable matter before washing.
- Scour in hot water, around 140°F (60°C), with wool wash, and don't agitate.
- Rinse at the same temperature to avoid felting.
- Card only fully dry, well-opened fiber to protect your carding cloth.
The Workshop Team
· Wool Drum CarderThe people who design, build and test every Wool Drum Carder in our workshop, sharing what we have learned from years of carding wool, alpaca and everything in between.
