Regular dry cleaning is not affordable for the majority of ordinary people, so they are looking for cheaper alternatives. This article will tell you how to wash your coat at home. It should be noted that washing of a coat made of drape, wool or polyester will be different, and will cause a lot of trouble, as you may even have to remove some decorative elements (so as not to damage them).
How to prepare the coat for washing
A correctly conducted preparatory stage will reduce the risk of damaging the coat during washing.
- Unfasten fur collars and cuffs, if the design of the product doesn’t allow that, then cut them off. In case that would ruin the coat, just forget about washing it.
- If you are going to wash the coat in the washing machine, you need to get rid of the metal garnish and large details of the decor (to prevent them from damaging the coat itself).
- Wash the coat only in warm water (about 40 degrees).
- If you are going to wash a woolen coat, including a cashmere one, then do it with a special detergent (preferably a gel one), or use children’s shampoo.
- If you want to wash the piece by hand, apply as little force as possible. Just crumple it in water or dip it into the water, and lift it out (in case you just need to refresh your coat).
- Rinse your coat several times after washing (this will prevent white stains on dark fabrics and yellow ones if the garment is white).
- You should hang the garment on the hanger vertically to dry, or lay it on a horizontal surface (depending on the material).
- To iron your coat, do not wait for it to dry out – iron a slightly damp piece through a piece of gauze (thin cotton fabric) and hang it the same way to finish drying.
Washing Cashmere
If it is possible not to wash the coat completely (there are just 2-3 stains on the entire garment), then treat only the stained areas with a special cleaning product. For that, just rub the spots with a damp sponge (use water or a weak solution of a special detergent for cashmere). After removing the stain, rinse the area with cold water.
In case the result hadn’t satisfied your expectations, you can wash your coat by hand at home. Fill the tub with cool water (no higher than 30 degrees), add a few spoons of a special detergent for washing delicate fabrics (or for cashmere) and mix the soapy solution. Put the coat into the bathtub, pull it from one end of the bathtub to the other, wait for 10-15 minutes, and then squeeze the item a bit (the movements are similar to kneading the dough).
Before washing a wool coat, you need to make sure that the fabric will not fade and water washing is not prohibited for it (that information can be found on the care label).
Drain the soap solution out of the bathtub, and refill it with cold water. Rinse the coat in it. If necessary, repeat 2-3 times until the fabric is completely rid of the detergent residue. Do not wring it out, but spread the coat out flat and wait for the excess liquid to drain. Dry cashmere clothes in a horizontal position on a cotton pad (bath towel or sheet) exchanging the base material for a dry one from time to time.
It is not allowed to wash a cashmere coat at home in a washing machine.
If you have a drape coat
Before you wash a drape coat, carefully read the care label on the garment. If the sleeves and the collar zone have turned glossy, use wet cleaning on them – it will be safer for the fabric than washing the entire drape coat at home.
Prepare a weak solution of the detergent for wool and, using a not very rigid brush for clothing, apply it to problem areas: cuffs and sleeves. You can rub them a little with a brush without strong pressure. Then, treat with a sponge the entire drape coat, rinse well and hang it on the hanger. It is better to place it outside (on the balcony).
If these procedures were not enough to restore the cleanliness of the clothes, then wash the drape coat the same way as the cashmere coat.
If you have a woolen coat
How to wash a woolen coat at home so that it does not have to be thrown away afterward? You have to observe several conditions.
Wash only by hand (or in a washing machine using the delicate or manual mode), using detergents specifically created to care for such delicate fabrics. You can wash woolen clothes at home in the bathtub following the rules for washing a cashmere coat.
Do not spin the coat in the washing machine; it is better lay it out flat and let the water drain. When the coat is almost dry, you can iron it at low temperature to recover the shape, and then hang it up.
How to wash polyester
How to wash a polyester coat so that it does not turn into a rag? This is the only material among all the ones discussed in this article that can be washed in the washing machine safely at home. Although it is still preferable to manually wash such a large piece of polyester. In any case, it won’t hurt to read the warning on the label on the inside of the coat.
How to machine-wash the coat:
- You can wash outerwear properly in the washing machine only on the delicate setting (not higher than 40 degrees temperature, “delicate washing” or “manual washing” mode, no spin).
- It is better to use special linen pouches or mesh bags in order to reduce the mechanical impact on the fabric.
- Use only detergents for delicate fabrics, and for the appropriate color of the clothing (a white coat can be washed with a washing powder for colored clothes, but colored items after contact with white clothes powder can only be used for rags).
- Before loading your stuff into the machine, fasten all the fasteners like zippers, snaps and all others, except for the buttons, to prevent the deformation of the clothes.
- In a special compartment (usually used for a softener), add a bit of hair conditioner – this will make the garment softer.
If you are afraid that you will not be able to cope with the task of cleaning the coat at home, then consult a dry cleaner. It will be very disappointing if a hand-washed coat gets a musty smell due to an incorrect ventilation mode (this happens when fan is not working well in the bathroom and the item requires a long drying period) or will stretch (gather) in some places because of the wrong drying position. In professional institutions, your things will be taken care of, although you will have to spend a large part of the family budget for this procedure. But if you take into account the fact that you can spoil everything by cleaning it yourself and make the coat unwearable so that you will have to purchase a new one later, then the expense is worth it, and then some.