Washing Wool

Sheep wool by its very nature demands some level of washing before it is spun. Having resided on the back of a sheep for a year, it contains not only the natural grease or lanoline, but also dust, dirt, brambles, and plenty of manure. **

Because Greece is an arid environment as compared to northern Europe, and the local variant of the Valachian-Zackel breed sheep (raised mainly for milk and meat) has a less dense and crimped wool, the fleece to be washed needs minimal soap or detergent. In many cases none is used. However, it does require quantities of water for soaking out the dirt and for rinsing.

For most villagers and shepherds in Greece, this is the crux of the problem: How to get enough water to wash their wool. Here are three ways the traditional method of washing wool varies.

Washing Wool in the Sea

If the sea is within a reasonable distance from an individual’s residence, the preferred place to wash wool is in the sea. However, before traveling to the sea, the wool is placed in a large basin or metal barrel in the backyard and soaked in a minimal amount of hot water. Or if there is a large quantity, boiling water may be poured into the burlap bags full of wool. This starts the process of loosening the dirt and manure.

The warm, wet wool is stuffed into the bags, loaded on the donkey or mule or truck, and carted to the sea. Once on the beach, the bagged wool is soaked in the water. The washer sits in the water fully clothed and holding a basket. Small amounts of wool are pulled from the bag and placed in the basket. This prevents the wool from floating away.

Handfuls of fleece are opened up to allow water to reach every fiber. When a basketful is completed, it is carried to the beach where it is spread to dry. A gravel surface works best. Otherwise, a blanket or sheet of plastic needs to be put down.

The clean wool is spread out to dry in the sun. As it dries, it is flipped over often to help it dry faster. The entire process, not counting travel, takes approximately eight hours for two firmly-packed burlap sacks of wool. But it is not all work. A picnic lunch may be eaten to pass the time.

When dry enough, the wool is again loaded into the burlap bags and ferried home where, if there is sufficient water, it may be given a cold-water rinse. Either way, it laid out to dry completely in a courtyard, under a roofed patio, or in an airy room with an open doorway.

Washing Wool at Home

While everyone I asked declared the sea the best place to wash wool, by the 1990s, even those living a short distance from the Mediterranean were hesitant to take their wool there.

Zacharoula, a resident of a small coastal village in Crete just a few steps from the shore, no longer washed her wool in the sea, because of the hotels now lining the shore. “The tourists will laugh at me.” she insisted. Instead, she saved up water from the intermittent public supply for several days and only washed half a burlap bag full at a time.

The home-based process retains the same set of steps. Zacharoula heated the wool in a blackened kettle over a fire in her backyard, swished it around to release the dirt, then rinsed it twice in cold water. To avoid wasting a precious resource, the rinse water was then used to water her vegetable garden and potted flowers.

In Crete, there is another constraint on washing wool. Several weavers informed me that wool can only be washed when the moon is new. Otherwise, the dirt will stick, making it impossible to get fully clean.

Washing Wool in the Uplands

Not everywhere in Greece faces a lack of water. In the northern highlands around Ioannina, Grevena, and Thessaly free flowing streams can be found. Traditionally, small pools and eddies were used to the rinse the presoaked wool.

Again the process involves the same steps. The wool is soaked in warm water, rinsed in the cold stream, and dried.

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**For the pros and cons of using unwashed wool see Should I Spin in the Grease?