Can you wash your coat in the washing machine at home?
The coat is feminine, soft and warm. It looks more than worthy, but over time, like all products, it gets dirty and salted. The weak points most often become the zones near the pockets, collar and sleeves. If professional dry cleaning is not possible for any reason, it is worth washing the coat at home in the washing machine, taking into account some of the nuances.
Features of the process by type of fabric and filler
Before you rush to put your coat in the washing machine, you should carefully study the signs indicated on the labels. In some models, machine washing is prohibited, and you should not argue with this fact, because the cost of dry cleaning is in any case significantly inferior to the price of a new coat. In the case where prohibitions are not indicated, worth examining the nature of the material and start the process.
Woolen
An automatic machine and a woolen coat represent an acceptable tandem for washing, however, you can wash an autumn or winter coat in a washing machine only if there is at least 50% acrylic in the composition. 100% wool product is washed by hand and is not subject to twisting during the spin cycle.
So, if the fabric contains wool mixture, you can start washing. To do this, you should use special products for wool, which, even after numerous washes, retain the delicate hairiness and softness of the product. You can also use baby powder, provided that it is doubled in the powder compartment.
Universal powders containing enzymes in their composition will quickly render the wool structure unusable, and therefore it is forbidden to use them even for rare washes.
When the product is selected, you should refer to the functions of the washing machine. In most modern machines, the function "wool/hand wash" is standard. In the absence of such, you should independently set the temperature to 30-40 degrees and set the lowest spin speed. Before washing a product of any composition, it is worth cleaning all pockets, ripping off fur and other decorative elements.
It should be washed separately from other products, having previously carried out a small test for paint fastness. To do this, a small corner of the coat or a sample of fabric, which is present in all solid models, is soaked in warm water for an hour.
When staining water and tarnishing the fabric, the cleaning procedure is recommended to be carried out exclusively in dry cleaning. After the machine has completed its cycle, the coat is taken out and laid out on a horizontal surface, having previously placed absorbent terry towels on it. After removing the main moisture, the coat is hung on a coat hanger in a room with good ventilation. Not drying to the end in the presence of creases, the coat is ironed at low power through gauze.
Polyester
Their polyester coat is a practical and comfortable thing, as well as unpretentious in washing.However, there are still several key points of the correct procedure. So, polyester fibers do not accept high water temperatures, and therefore the mode must be set "delicate" with 30-40 degrees. Otherwise, wrinkles will form on the fabric that cannot be restored. Also worth turn off spin. Liquid powders and specialized balms for polyester are suitable as cleaning agents.
After washing, excess moisture should be removed with a light-colored terry towel, and the coat should be hung on a coat hanger. The room must be well ventilated. While the product is wet, it is easy to straighten all the folds on it with your hands and leave it to dry completely in a presentable form.
If creases still occur, you can remove them with an iron at the lowest temperatures, after covering the coat with damp gauze.
Cashmere
Cashmere is a very delicate and thin material made from the wool and undercoat of cashmere goats. Its cleaning should be approached as responsibly as possible. Washing in an automatic machine on the most gentle mode will definitely lead to shrinkage of the product. Dry clean only or hand wash in 25 degree water mild products for wool is acceptable and has no consequences.
holofiber
Hollofiber is a warm filler commonly used in outerwear. It is considered unpretentious and can be cleaned in a washing machine with a 1000 spin cycle. Fearing that the material will lose its uniformity, several special balls made of polyvinyl chloride. Here, however, we must remember about the upper material of the product. Raincoat fabric can be washed at 45 degrees without worrying about its integrity.The membrane should be handled more carefully, and the bologna is completely cleaned only with hand washing.
Leather
Coats made of genuine and artificial leather cannot be washed in the machine categorically. Its rich texture can suffer from this and irrevocably change its appearance. The best cleaning agent is a soapy solution, and for greasy stains, soap or gasoline. Spilled pen ink can be easily removed with alcohol or vinegar. In conclusion, it can be confidently stated that leather coat does not need washing.
Drap
Drape coat is distinguished by its high properties of wear resistance and strength. With several layers of different wools, it may or may not be machine washable. To be sure of the cleaning method, you should carefully study the label on the product. When washing is possible, it is important to choose the most gentle mode, whether it is wool or hand wash at a given temperature in 30-40 degrees with no spin.
If you cannot change the modes yourself, it is better and safer to use a hand wash in the bathroom, carefully treating the surface with a sponge dipped in a soapy foam of wool products.
Other materials
Today, different materials are used for making coats, and therefore the methods of washing for them are individual. So, the bouclé fabric, interesting in its texture, reminiscent of astrakhan fur, with curls and rings made of wool, cotton or any other fibers is considered very capricious in cleaning. Washing in a typewriter and rubbing its surface is strictly prohibited, and therefore only dry cleaning can be the only solution to maintain a presentable appearance.
Cotton is a fabric used for summer coats.Varieties of fabrics from it delight with interesting weaves. So, in the group of cotton fabrics, you can see different varieties:
- Moleskin;
- Diagonal;
- Velveteen;
- Velveton.
Moleskin and diagonal coats have excellent washability and do not need professional dry cleaning. Instead, it is enough to set the delicate mode on the washing machine and determine the temperature no higher than 60 degrees. The powder can be used universal, but it is better to refuse bleaching agents.
Velvet and velveteen are soft fabrics with a surprisingly beautiful texture. Unfortunately, dust and dirt quickly stick to their small villi. It is best to get rid of this kind of pollution with a soft brush or sticky roller. With stubborn stains, the corduroy coat is washed by hand with a soft washcloth. It is not recommended to squeeze it out.
Another summer option is a coat made of viscose. It stretches well and has good dry recovery, however, wetted raw materials are very vulnerable, and therefore the rules for washing it are important. It is worth remembering that viscose can shrink if not washed properly. This is due to the different composition. Viscose coat will lose its original appearance, if it contains one of the following inclusions:
- Cotton;
- Acrylic;
- Polyester.
100% viscose practically does not shrink, but it still requires a careful attitude. So, you need to wash your summer coat on a delicate mode, after turning off the spin and dry in the washing machine. The material should not be stretched during the washing process.
Bolognese and military coats, reminiscent of an overcoat and made from baize or thick woolen yarn, are not subject to any machine wash cycle. In the first case, the bolognese material will be covered with creases, and in the second case, the wool may shrink, and the texture may lose its former density.
Another whimsical material for a coat is suede. It can be natural or artificial. You can wash a suede coat made from natural raw materials in an automatic machine, but you should not rush with artificial material. If the suede is natural and ready to be cleaned with a washing machine, remember the following rules:
- Suede cannot be kept in water for a long time;
- Difficult stains are pre-rubbed with soap;
- The washing mode is selected with a short time mode;
- The water temperature should not exceed 35 degrees;
- Spin should be turned off;
- For washing use mild shampoos or specialized products.
After washing, the suede is rubbed with a solution of pharmacy glycerin mixed with water in a ratio of 0.5 teaspoon per 1 liter. Products are laid out on a sheet and left for several hours, after which they are hung on a coat hanger and, with good ventilation, dried to the end.
Dense coats have in their composition, as a rule, not only the outer material, but also the filler. Washing should be carried out taking into account this indicator. So, a synthetic winterizer and down coat can be washed in an automatic machine on a delicate mode at a temperature no higher than 30 degrees. It is good if tennis balls or polyvinyl chloride are added to the drum of the machine when washing. Squeezing down and synthetic winterizer is strictly prohibited.
The filler, which is based on a feather, can also be washed.Temperatures above 30 degrees are prohibited. It is better to wash the feather coat with special products in the form of capsules or granules, as they tend to wash out faster. Despite this, the procedure rinsing is better to increase by 3-4 times. For coats made of feathers, the rule of washing with balls also applies.
General recommendations
Of course, it is quite difficult to remember the individual characteristics of each fabric and filler, however, it is simply necessary to know the key points of washing a coat, regardless of the material.
Program selection
If the washing machine program is selected correctly, there is little chance that the coat will be damaged. You can determine it yourself by reading the instructions for the automatic machine. The modes available for washing coats are as follows:
- Delicate wash;
- Synthetics;
- Duvet;
- Handwash;
- Wool;
- Membrane.
A washing machine that does not have such modes is extremely rare today. However, if this happens, it is enough to set the key parameters yourself.
Temperature regime
The temperature chosen for washing is one of the points for successful cleaning of the product. Home conditions in the era of modern technology allow you to set different temperature modes with an interval of 10 degrees. It is possible to remove dirt and dust already at 30 degrees. Warm water has no negative effect on dense matter.
Loading
As mentioned earlier, the compatibility of the coat with other products is excluded, because there is always the possibility that this or that thing may shed. However, it happens that the coat itself has several shades.
First of all, icons should be removed from the main surface. As a rule, they are bright and multi-colored, and manufacturers rarely think about their quality.The badge is easy to tear off, and after washing, return to its original place. Without doing this, a white and light coat will easily take on blurry shades, which will be almost impossible to remove without damaging the fabric. In the case when the coat has a black color scheme in combination with light colors, it should be washed delicately and by hand. Borders even in warm water can be blurred.
Drying
Drying coats almost always takes place in a horizontal position on terry towels or sheets. Change them periodically as they get wet. After several hours of such a procedure, the product is hung on a coat hanger. An exception here is the feather filler, since in order to maintain thermal properties, it must be ventilated without restrictions.
Handwash
Washing coats by hand is safe, but time consuming. Deciding on this, you should fill the bath with warm water at home and wash the product by hand, trying to apply minimal pressure and effort to the fabric. The advantage of this method is confidence in stain removal.
What can't be done?
To prevent the coat from shrinking and losing its properties, you cannot do the following:
- Wash in hot water;
- Use universal powders;
- Turn on the spin at high speeds;
- Squeeze by hand, twisting the product.
In the next video, you will find a decoding of the icons on clothes for washing - they will tell you how and at what temperature to wash clothes.