I love sweaters and have some really nice ones, but keep ruining by how I'm washing them. How do you wash your sweaters so that they keep their shape and still look like new?

Use cold water and mild detergent, gently squeeze dry..don't twist or wring. Roll in a towel to press more water out. Dry on a net sweater rack or something similar.

I was just giong to post saying that apparently we aren't the only ones who can't remember how to wash sweaters!! But I see you've gotten a terrific answer! I was going to suggest going to Martha's website! :0)

I was mine with shampoo because its mild and if they happen to be angora or wool ,well thats hair! cold water ,don't use washing machine or wring them , i squesh them around in the shampoo water then squease
out the excess water then into a rinse water squease them out as much as you can then lay them out on towels to dry after shaping them on the towel

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I use the hand wash cycle and then air dry them flat.

I turn them inside out, put them in a mesh bag and wash them on the delicate cycle in my washing machine with a little Woolite or Delicare. I really don't have anywhere to lay them flat to dry, so I usually just hang them (not with a hanger) half way over the back of my dining room chairs and rearange them every so often so they dry faster and without a bunch of wrinkles. I have some really light, thin sweaters that I eventually hang up to finish drying.

Years ago, DH was trying to "help" me by doing some laundry. I had a pretty black sweater that was thin and made out of acrylic. DH threw it in the washing machine, loose, with a whole load of towels, and then tossed it in the dryer. It was ruined. The sweater pilled up all over and had little white balls stuck all over it from the towels, not to mention that it shrank too. I tried to clean it up with one of those sweater shavers, but that was just a joke. This is one of the main reasons why I don't let DH near the washer or dryer. He also has a tendency to pick through a whole pile of dirty clothes to wash and dry only one item that he wants to wear. What a waste! Any time he gets too close to the washer or dryer, I just tell him to drop the clothes and back away. LOL

Anything that looks too delicate, I just don't buy. I don't have the time to hand wash a bunch of stuff.