These products and yarns are considered a luxury product and I therefore recommend that you protect your investment by washing carefully.  Some modern washing machines do have a ‘delicates’ programme on them, and people have successfully washed their items using this method.  However I would recommend that you hand wash your item using a mild detergent that is designed for this purpose.

Place your garment or other product in a bowl of water with the recommended amount of detergent as per the instructions on the label.  Leave your item to soak for about 10 minutes.  Then gently “squish” - but never wring to remove excess water.  (I have used the gently spin on my machine successfully). 

Reshape the item whilst damp and dry flat. Alpaca fleece needs to dry slowly - and never ever put it in the tumble dryer.  This seems to change the texture of the wool.  With a small amount of patience your products will last you a lifetime.

When you are storing your item I recommend that you place it in a bag, or use wooden cedar balls to ward off the moths.  Pardon me for mentioning this, but moths are not especially attracted to Alpaca or other natural fibres, but to our human smells such as perspiration or deodorants.