Looking for a new, intriguing, kind of super gross, low-tech, chemical-free way to clean your raw sheep's fleeces? Then the fermented suint method may be for you! Apparently this method is often used in New Zealand, and was also popular in times and places where commercial soap was not readily available.
When a sheep is taken in from the pasture and shorn of its fleece, its coat is dirty. Imagine your dog has been living out in the yard all year long. Pretty filthy stuff! In addition to all the dirt, grime, droppings, and bits of stray hay and seeds, the fleece is also full of the sheep's own exudations. Sheep perspire, in addition to producing oily lanolin. This all conspires to create a pretty dirty pile of wool.
Before you can spin it, you need to clean it, and most spinners opt to use heavy duty detergents and lots of hot water for this step. But in addition to being harsh on your hands and the environment, this method also risks felting the locks if you aren't careful.
Enter the "fermented suint" method. I had never heard of this until last week, and I have to admit that I am intrigued. You start by filling a large container (like a plastic storage tub or a 55-gallon rain barrel) with water. Then stick an oily fleece in there and leave it for several weeks. It will ferment and smell absolutely disgusting. I have heard it described as "like raw sewage," "like an outhouse" and "like a septic system." You get the picture.
But amazingly enough, this process also cleans all of the oils and filth off the locks. All you have to do is gently rinse the fleece in cool water, and presto: beautiful white fleece with almost zero effort on your part. And apparently once they dry, they don't smell bad. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?
Image courtesy Flickr/Wikimedia Commons
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