Readers Ask: Dear Lucky About Best Way to Care for Cashmere

A: When I had a baby, someone gave me an adorable, white cabled-cashmere baby jumpsuit. Babies, for the inexperienced, are stain machines, and by "stain" I mean "vomit." And worse. So the cashmere suit stayed in its drawer until one day I was like, I'm using this. Then I'll at least have used it once! It can be doll clothes if it doesn't work. On went the suit; like clockwork, five minutes later there was an epic staining episode. I threw it in the washer, then in the dryer. Surprise: The super-expensive suit emerged not just sparkling white and un-shrunk but fluffier and more fabulous.

Emboldened, I moved on to my sweaters. And I've never had a problem; I stand by my wash 'n' dry advice (though if I super-love the sweater, I wash 'n' line-dry, just to be safe). Wash in cold, with glamorous detergent like the above from the glamorous Laundress.