I’m among the multitude of East Coasters digging themselves out of multiple snowstorms this winter, and I’ve been checking off items on my bucket list before the frozen white stuff melts and turns to depressing gray slush. Try snowboarding! Sled with the kids! Make snow cream and weigh in on the great debate! (Disgusting or delicious?) The one thing that wasn’t on my snow-day to-do list was washing my sweaters and rugs in mounds of it — that is, until my colleagues and I started seeing scores of people doing just that on social media. I’m frequently confronted with all manner of eye-rolling cleaning hacks, from de-rusting tools with flat beer to swapping dishwasher rinse aid with vinegar. At best, snow washing seemed like an extraordinary waste of time. But at worst, could this hack ruin my favorite dry-clean-only alpaca sweater? After trying it myself — and talking to a few textile pros — I need to apologize for my skepticism. I now see that snow washing is a Nordic tradition for a reason.A snowy bath refreshed my natural-wool sweaters, leaving them feeling buttery-soft and freshly washed. But before you toss any old sweater into a pile of snow, know that there’s a certain way to do it.
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