A British mother who believes wool does not need washing even after her children have urinated on it has worn the same dress for 100 consecutive days to prove the material is self-cleaning.
Brittany Balinski, 34, uses her TikTok platform, where she has more than 50,000 followers, to talk about the “versatility’ of wool, showing off bedding she never washes and wearing the same wool dress every day from December 17, 2024 to March 26, 2025.
The mother-of-four, from the English county of North Warwickshire, said she wants to change people’s minds about wool, which has “connotations of old ladies’, and demonstrate the material’s impressive benefits.
However, her challenge has prompted negative responses, with people commenting on her videos that she is a “tramp’.
She said she learned about wool’s “natural water resistance’ while raising her children “nappy free’.
“If you allow your children to be nappy free as much as we did, wool is a really useful tool to have around the house because of its natural water resistance,” she said.
This resilience is why wool was a staple of wardrobes for centuries, she said, adding: “When cared for appropriately, wool does not need to be rigorously washed.”
In one video, she showcases her woollen bedding, complete with a “huge sheepskin throw’, a wool duvet and pillowcase, and a wool mattress topper which she says moderates her temperature in the night and does not need washing.
Guidance from British Wool, a farmer-owned trade organisation, states that the natural oils and wax found on wool can help the material resist stains and odours.
In December, to prove her point about the longevity and resilience of wool, Brittany undertook a challenge to wear the same wool dress for 100 days.
“I started without any thought, I didn’t plan to do it at all,” she said. “I ordered the dress, and then I joined their Facebook group and saw that people talk about the 100-day challenge.”
She recorded a TikTok video showing off her new plum-purple dress and mentioning the challenge. “Then I was like, I’ve said that now, I might as well do it,” she said.
“The whole premise of the challenge is to demonstrate the versatility of wool.
“Wool isn’t really part of people’s wardrobe any more, it’s a historical fabric. It’s got connotations of old ladies and warmth.”
Brittany would show her outfit on TikTok each day to demonstrate that she was wearing the dress, mixing things up by accessorising it with belts, tucking it into jeans, and layering it under wool jumpers.
“I probably had one snotty-nosed child in the whole three months, and the dog jumped up and left paw prints, but mud just dries and brushes off,” she said.
“If that happened to a white cotton T-shirt, it would be massively annoying, because you would have to wash it. But not with wool.”
Brittany’s challenge has been met with intense criticism.
“I don’t understand how it shocks people because I’m not doing anything obscene and I’m not doing anything weird,” she said.
“I’m just doing things with a very natural perspective.
“It’s about being more sustainable, mindful and minimalist, which is beneficial for your economic status too.”
At the end of her challenge, she said she is not yet sick of the dress. “Come the autumn, I’m sure I’ll want to wear it again,” she said.
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