Should I wash my wool nursing pads before wearing them?

[laurac5]

The subject says it all.. just got my LANACare nursing pads in the mail, and I'm not sure if wool needs a pre-wash like other fabrics.  Thoughts?

[laurac5]

Bump!  I'm completely new to wool... I need help!

[Ellien C]

Well, I don't pre-wash anything before I wear it. Do the Lanacare pads come with any instructions? Are you supposed to hand wash them? In general, wool will felt and shrink with detergent plus agitation, so whatever you do, do it gently.

[hildare]

i wouldn't.  the more you wash them the sooner you'll need to replace the lanolin, which is not a big deal, you'll just squeeze some lansinoh in some warm water, etc.  the same as you do for wool diaper covers (and searching for "wool diaper care" online might yield better results for you)...  i never really washed my wool pads but a few times.. you can just air them out between uses (many folks have two pairs for that reason). 

that being said, you should wash other stuff before you wear it!!!!.they spray all kinds of pesticides and crap in those huge shipping containers!  the wool pads are more of a handmade item than a shirt from a box store, for example, so imo those are probably not treated the same way...