Caring for GEIGER Walk Boiled Wool Apparel
Walk is a specialty textile created from a knit fabric made from the highest-grade pure new wool or wool blends. GEIGER has developed a sophisticated felting process, that is free of harmful chemicals and uses only water and heat, thus ingeniously refining a technique that has been used in the Alpine Region for hundreds of years to turn clothing made from wool into a weather protective and water resistant textile.
Thousands of tiny air pockets are created during the Walk process which are the key to Walk’s unique climate comfort: the temperature inside a piece of clothing made from Walk stays constant – a buffer against heat and cold. At the same time the skin can breathe naturally: a comfort no man-made fiber can offer.
To preserve these innate properties it is best not to dry-clean Walk extensively. Similar to human hair – wool contains natural oils that protect the fiber – harsh chemicals used during dry cleaning destroy this delicate balance and take away from the inherent luster and beauty of this unique material. During the Walk process GEIGER takes great care in protecting these oils. After all, it is this pure and natural material that turns our GEIGER Walk styles into everyone’s favorite items - garments that are so easy to care for.
In order to eliminate odors just air out your GEIGER Walk item in a sheltered spot outside or even hang your garment in a steam-filled bathroom. Within only a few hours the garment will have lost all unpleasant scents and will smell fresh – naturally. Due to the elasticity and form recovery properties of the wool fiber the exposure to humidity will also greatly reduce the effect of wrinkles, making this material almost maintenance free.
Walk directly worn on the skin can be hand-washed as needed in luke warm water using a special wool detergent. It is best to turn the garment inside out, to gently move the item through the water avoiding any rubbing, stretching or wringing of the fabric. Gently squeeze out the water and then roll the garment up in a bath towel to gently remove any excess water. Lay flat to dry in a well-ventilated area. When your GEIGER piece is almost dry gently steam it from the wrong side (iron temperature setting on # 2) using a damp dish towel between the fabric and iron to avoid scorching using a tapping rather than an ironing motion.
Some modern front loading washing machines offer a special “wool cycle”. This cycle gently rocks the material back and forth rather than exposing the garment to a stressful spinning motion, which prevents unwanted felting of the wool. To dry the garment after washing just follow the same instructions listed for hand washing.
We recommend not drying Walk in a dryer, since exposure to motion and heat could cause excess felting of the material. Please refer to instructions listed on the care label of each item before cleaning!
As you see - it takes only a few easy steps to preserve the natural qualities of this high-grade wool fiber - the beginning of a beautiful friendship… |
