Now that I have earned my own wool I can get started with the processing process. The first step is to wash the wool. Often you can also process wool unwashed, but I would like to perform this step myself to see if it works.
I take about 1/3 of a full coat and fill a container with warm to hot water and a little bit of soap. I submerge the fur and press it gently with my hands. It is important that you always make the same movement with your hands, otherwise the wool in the bath can already start to felt. I leave this for half an hour.
After the first bath, the wool is already a lot cleaner. The color is much lighter and the water that comes off is dark brown from the grease and dirt.
I repeat the first step but without soap and leave the bath for another half hour.
I use a tumble dryer to make the wool dry faster. The last bits of water are squeezed out and now I have a huge bin full of washed wool.