Scouring

Scouring Charges

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TVWM Pricelist 08.xls
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Scouring Information

Where to Scour
What to expect
Vegetation
How to Scour

Where to Scour

All fiber processed by Taos Valley Wool Mill, including llama and alpaca, must be scoured before mill processing begins. Most fibers lose from 15% to 40% of the starting grease weight. There is no fiber loss during scouring. We have just started up our new scouring line at the Mora, NM location and we think it is going to be one of the best small scale scouring facilities in the U.S., our scouring prices, as of October 31, 2006 are $3.00 per greasy (unwashed) pound with a 10 pound or $30.00 minimum.

However, if you would prefer to use other scouring facilities than ours we would recommend the following services.

Western States:	Eastern States:
Big Sky Quality Wool 120 East Holt Broadus MT 59317 phone: 406-436-2184	Pat Tirrell Centennial Farm 700 Tirrell Road Charlotte, MI 48813 phone: 517-543-7395

If you are shipping fiber to a scouring service, have them send the scoured fleece to us at :

Taos Valley Wool Mill, c/o Tapetes de Lana
Junction 518 & Highway 484
Mora, NM 87732

Send processing instructions directly to TVWM. Do not ask scourer to pass them on. Pay scouring service directly.

What to expect from Scouring

Many people refer to the scouring process as ''washing", which has led to the notion that scouring is a method to "clean" fiber, and remove all contaminants. Scouring is less comprehensive -- it is done only to dissolve and rinse away greasy residue and animal oils. While a certain amount of dirt or vegetation or other contaminants (dung, baling wire, twine, plastic, all sorts of stuff!) can be rinsed away during scouring, that is really a lucky byproduct of the operation, and not its primary purpose. Simply stated, if there is any vegetation (or other contaminants) in your fiber, it will still be there after scouring.

We do strongly recommend skirting your fleece very carefully. Only good quality fiber makes good quality yarn.

Scouring Alpaca and Llama: We have found over the years that even camelids deposit grease on their fiber in amounts that make it difficult or impossible to process, so we require that alpaca and llama fiber is scoured first. But we don't require that any fiber be perfectly clear of vegetation, dirt or other contaminants, which would be a nearly impossible standard to meet.

Washing yarn: A note on washing yarn after it is spun: We do this, or recommend that you do it yourself, for the purpose of removing the water soluable spinning oils we use, and to finish the yarn so it will 'blossom' into its final, set state.

Vegetation and Other Contaminants

Remember that the scouring process will not remove vegetation from your fiber.

What happens then when we spin fiber that contains vegetation? Sometimes we find a quantity of vegetation, or a type, like burrs, that snarls or neps fiber, messes up our machines, or in other ways compromises the spin so that we are unable to meet our quality standards. In those cases, we stop or never begin processing. Generally however we are able to proceed, knowing that the finished yarn is likely to contain bits of vegetation. When we card fiber, most of the dirt (which is heavy and small) falls out. Most vegetation is crushed, and if it is slippery, it falls out too. But not all.

To make vegetation an even more exasperating issue, we (and most small-scale mills in the country) do not specifically process fiber to remove vegetation. There are mechanical methods to remove vegetation, like combing, which cause significant further fiber loss as well as adding cost. Taos Valley Wool Mill does not currently offer combing or complete vegetation removal.

* * * * *

If you prefer to scour your fiber yourself, consider the following method. If you are unsure on any point of tecnique or the cleanliness of your fleece, please contact the mill for advice at :

phone: 505-387-5928 or

Scouring Your Wool Yourself

Pre-soak: First place the fleece in the bathtub or a washtub or other large container and cover it with cool or room temperature water. If the fleece is matted, it should be picked before washing. Grease and dirt will be retained in dense clumps of fleece. After soaking for at least twenty minutes, squeeze out the water and place the fleece in an automatic washer. This pre-soaking removes the worst bulk of mud and sludge and keeps it out of your washer.

Fill the washer with water too hot for your hands and add detergent (2 or 3 times what you would use for a load of laundry). You may add washing soda (sodium carbonate). Use only your favorite detergent. Orvus is fine or Arm and Hammer or Tide etc. DO NOT USE fabric softener or any other additives. They leave a residue which interferes with carding.Turn off the machine. DO NOT ALLOW IT TO AGITATE.! Some people remove the agitator to prevent accidental agitation. Agitation of wool in hot water will cause it to felt, and that is irreversible and irrevocable.

Allow the fleece to soak for about 20 minutes. During this time gently move the fiber through the hot soapy water with a smooth stick or a rubber gloved hand two or three times. Then move the dial ahead to the drain and spin cycle and spin dry it. Add hot clean rinse water; soak for another 5 minutes and spin dry again. Repeat until the rinse water is clear.

Spread the fleece to dry on a horizontal screen such as an old screen door laid across saw horses. A fan to move air through the fiber will speed the process.

When it is thoroughly dry, try this test for any residue. Warm it in a sunny window or warm room then rub a small lock between your thumb and forefinger. If you feel any tackiness on your fingers, repeat the washing process. Do the rubbing test on several different parts of the fleece.

Keep this in mind: If we receive scoured fleece with a residue on it from either incomplete scouring or improper additives, it must be rescoured before processing. We will inform you and either return it to you for rescouring or have it scoured for you as you choose.

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