I know it’s very geeky, but one of the reasons I’m so happy about the tankless water heater is that I finally get to scour my raw fleeces.

No, I don’t consider scouring fleece a lot of fun — it’s time consuming, hot, and messy –  but it is satisfying to see how filthy the water is on the first go-through to how clean it seems on the last rinse, and how pretty the clean fleece is.

My first try was last week, with an old fleece I’d attempted to wash a while ago (pre-tankless heater days).  It ended up slightly felted and really dull and yellow.  I used Eucalan to wash it, and I don’t think I can blame the Eucalan.  Rather, I think I didn’t do a good job the first time, and by this point, months later, there wasn’t much to salvage.

I’d read Clara’s review on Unicorn wash and decided to order some Power Scour, Fiber Wash, and Fiber Rinse.  The order arrived promptly and they included extras!  Fabulous!

Yesterday I scoured a raw Blue Faced Leicester fleece, setting the thermostat for 140 degrees and using the Scour for the first time through and the Wash for the next two, and the Rinse for the last.   Its locks are shiny and gleaming.  There’s a little bit of VM that should come out easily.    I loved how the Unicorn products worked.  (To be fair, though, it’s not like I’m doing a controlled, blinded study.)

Today I’m cleaning some raw yak with the Fiber Wash, set at 120 degrees.

Next up is my Mendenhall Merino.