How to wash a winter jacket in a washing machine: in what mode, instructions

Long gone are the days when soiled winter outerwear was dry cleaned. Jackets and parkas made from modern materials can be refreshed or washed in a regular washing machine. If the general rules are followed, the product will not deform or deteriorate.

General rules for cleaning jackets of all types

To ensure that the item that will be machine washed does not lose its original appearance, it needs to be prepared.

Inspect the jacket for heavy soiling. Treat greasy stains with a special product, remove dirt and dust with a clothes brush.
If the item of clothing has holes, sew them up.
Check the seams for strength.
Unfasten the fur parts if the design allows this.
Remove the hood and liner.
Empty and zip your pockets.
Turn the item inside out.
Use the instructions on the label to determine the wash cycle.

Most demi-season clothing can be washed by hand or in an automatic washing machine.

Preparation

The volume and weight of the item being washed is important. A large down coat, which will weigh 10 kilograms after taking on water, should not be subjected to this method of cleaning. The drum of the machine simply cannot “turn” the weight. Information about the permissible weight from the instructions for the household appliance will help here.

Before placing your jacket in the machine, you should check the pockets and remove any hard objects or debris.
Be sure to fasten the zippers! During machine washing, the teeth may become deformed and the lock will become faulty.
Usually the fur on the hood or collar is removed. Just in the interests of washing. It’s worth doing the same with metal, plastic or glass decorative elements - tear them off or unfasten them so that they don’t lose their brightness or rust.
There is an opinion that things should be turned inside out before washing. However, there are no significant arguments to substantiate this statement. You can wash it either way.
There is another secret to cleanliness. Glazed areas: collar, sleeves, greasy stains may not be washed off. Before loading into the machine, these areas can be wiped with dish soap (it degreases well) and, without rinsing, loaded into the drum.

Important! Products with fur or leather inserts cannot be washed. It's better to go to a dry cleaner.

Using the machine

Washing your jacket at home is easy. If the product does not indicate that it cannot be cleaned yourself, then home appliances will come to the rescue.

Important! Any product must be inspected and prepared before washing. Be sure to check the information on the inside label (usually attached to the pad) and select the correct program and temperature. If there is no label, you will have to use dry cleaning services.

Modern models of automatic washing machines are equipped with a variety of programs that allow you to refresh products from a wide variety of fabrics: from silk to Thinsulate, so you can clean jackets made of padding polyester, polyester, down jackets, sports models and parkas yourself.

The following is used as insulation:

Sintepon. A material that loses its quality after frequent washing. It does not restore volume, the thing becomes flat.
Holofiber.
Isosoft. Restores its shape well after frequent washing and dries quickly.
Thermofinn is a quick-drying insulation material.
Thinsulate.
Down is a natural insulation material and requires delicate handling.
Holofan is a modern synthetic filler that is resistant to frequent washing.

Synthetic jacket

A jacket made of synthetic padding, an inexpensive popular filler, well restores its shape and its protective properties after washing for three to five years. After this, the product becomes flat and does not retain heat.

Synthetic winterizer items cannot be pre-soaked. Contaminated padding polyester items with leather, fur and suede inserts cannot be washed by yourself.

How to wash a winter jacket made of padding polyester correctly so that it retains its quality and appearance.

Inspect the item, sew up the holes, fasten the pockets, remove the hood.
Turn inside out.
Set the washing program: 300, no spin, plus rinse.
Wet the jacket with water and place it in the drum while wet.
Add powder or balm to the detergent compartment.
Place a washing ball in the drum and start the machine.

Things made from padding polyester are wrung out by hand. This must be done carefully, without rolling the clothes into a tight rope. Place washed jackets on a hard surface (you can do this in a bathtub or basin) and press them with your palms until most of the water pours out. The garment is then wrapped in cotton cloth and left for a couple of hours. During this time, the cotton will absorb moisture.

Wring out the product regularly, and after two hours, place it in a well-ventilated room (for example, on a balcony) on a vertical surface, beat it with your hands, give it its original shape and leave until completely dry.

Down jacket

Products with down filling require a delicate approach. You can wash a winter jacket in a washing machine, provided that this type of cleaning is indicated on the inside label. If the machine is equipped with a program for cleaning down jackets, select it; if not, proceed as follows:

Prepare the item for cleaning: zip up the pockets, remove the hood, sew up the holes.
Turn the down jacket inside out.
Select delicate mode, additional rinse, temperature 300, spin at low speed, no more than 800 rpm.
Place the jacket and balls (tennis balls or ones specially designed for washing down jackets) in the drum.
Add gel (not powder or soap) to the detergent compartment.

After washing, shake the jacket and dry it on the balcony in an upright position.

Polyester products

Polyester is an inexpensive material, unpretentious, and things made from it last a long time. However, he is afraid of hot water and products containing chlorine. The label will tell you which mode to wash a polyester jacket in a washing machine. If some of the information is erased, do this:

Prepare the item for cleaning: zip up the pockets, remove the hood, sew up the holes.
Turn the product inside out.
Select delicate mode, temperature 300, no spin.
Place the jacket in the drum.
Add gel to the detergent compartment and antistatic agent or conditioner with antistatic agent to the other compartment (polyester items become electrified).
Wring out the washed jacket by hand and dry it in an upright position.

Parka jacket

A parka is a heavy product; it can become deformed during washing; you can wash it correctly as follows (in two stages):

Prepare the parka for cleaning: fasten the pockets, remove the hood, lining, cuffs, and sew up the holes.
Select delicate mode, lowest temperature, no spin.
Place the jacket in the drum.
Wash on this mode without detergents.
Select delicate mode, temperature 300, no spin.
Add gel to the detergent compartment and conditioner to the other compartment.
Remove the washed item and let the water drain in a vertical position.

Note ! Dry the parkas on horizontal surfaces in a room where there is access to fresh air, regularly shake and beat with your hands, straightening the filler.

How to dry?

Drying is the final stage of the process of putting clothes in order. Correct actions will help maintain the impeccable appearance of the item and extend its service life.

A few little secrets of proper drying:

clothes with down filling are dried only vertically, placed on a trempel;
It is undesirable to hang jackets on a clothesline, grabbing them with clothespins, they leave unsightly dents on the material;
pockets should be turned outward so they dry faster;
To maintain the correct shape of the product, when drying, you need to fasten all the zippers and buttons;
periodically the clothes need to be shaken, this will allow the filler to fluff up;
You should not speed up the drying process by placing the item above radiators or heating devices.

You can remove excess water from the product by briefly wrapping it in a cotton cloth and lightly pressing it with your palms over the entire surface. The material will quickly absorb excess moisture.

It is very important to dry your jacket thoroughly before hanging it in your closet for storage. Otherwise, residual moisture will cause mold to appear on clothing.

Washing rules: mode, temperature

Properly washing winter outerwear is not difficult. To ensure that a thing does not lose its appearance and retains its basic qualities, you must adhere to the following rules:

Do not overload the machine with heavy items. The washing mode for woolen and delicate items, which can be used to clean a down jacket, is not designed for a weight of more than one kilogram. It is better to wash a bulky, heavy jacket by hand.
Always set the extra rinse mode. Detergents may leave streaks on fabrics after they dry.
Jackets are washed at a temperature not exceeding 400C. The maximum temperature is indicated on the label.
Winter clothes cannot always be wrung out, so turn off the spin mode.

What to wash

You need to clean jackets in the washing machine using gel or balm. Powders and soaps do not dissolve dirt well and leave unsightly stains on the fabric.

Large supermarkets stock detergents for washing any product. If possible, it is worth purchasing one that is suitable specifically for your item. It could be:

Gel for washing sports items, for example, Sodasan Active Sport. It is suitable for technical fabrics.
Cotico is a product that works in cold water. Suitable for any clothing, but it must be rinsed at least twice.
Granders Performance Wash is a gel that dissolves dirt in cold water. Cleans any fabric, washes out after the first rinse.

Machine washable

Washing a winter jacket in a machine is much easier than washing it by hand, but it is not always possible. Before cleaning an item, read the information on the label attached to the back of the item; it should say whether this item can be machine washed.

Important ! If it says hand wash or dry clean only, play it safe and don't put it in the drum.

Secrets of washing membrane jackets

Membrane clothing is popular among active people. It is durable, comfortable and has good thermal insulation properties. In order for the product to retain its quality, it must be washed correctly.

In order for a membrane jacket to retain its properties, it must be washed with extreme care.

General recommendations for caring for a ski or snowboard jacket with headphones:

avoid prolonged soaking;
do not rub, twist or stretch the product after washing;
Do not use stain removers, bleaches or conditioners. If you have a question about how to clean a white jacket from grease and stains, contact dry cleaning specialists for help.

It is better to wash this jacket by hand. First of all, remove the fur and accessories, fasten all zippers and locks. Fill a large container with water at a temperature of up to +40 ℃ and dissolve the gel in it. Dip the jacket into the soapy solution and start washing. To remove old or stubborn stains, scrub the area with a brush. Avoid strong friction and prolonged contact of the product with water. At the end of washing, rinse the jacket under running cold water and dry with napkins.

Having decided to take a “desperate step” - washing in an automatic machine - place the product in a special bag for delicate items. This will reduce the aggressive effect on the fabric and protect the product from damage. Select the “delicate” washing mode and set the temperature to +30 ℃. Use only approved detergents, and turn off the spin cycle altogether.

Dry membrane clothing vertically and under natural conditions. Exposure to heaters or ultraviolet rays will damage the product.

How to wash Columbia's Omni-Heat

A type of membrane jacket is winter clothing from the famous brand Columbia, which is sewn using Omni-Heat technology, thanks to which the jackets retain heat and protect from moisture and wind. Such products also require special care.

To wash your Columbia Omni-Heat down jacket, prepare it for the process: fasten the zippers and buttons, remove the edging, and wash off stains with laundry soap. Fold the product and place it in the drum of the washing machine. Set the wash cycle to a delicate cycle and add a special liquid detergent. The water temperature should be no more than +30 ℃, and the washing duration should be minimal. At the end of the process, rinse the product several times to get rid of white streaks.

It is best to wash membrane jackets and clothes with special liquid products (ask in brand stores)

Hand washing such a product has its own characteristics. Hang the prepared clothes on a rope above the bathtub and pour water from the shower over them. Wipe the product with a soft sponge soaked in soapy water. Pay special attention to problem areas: sleeves, collar, pockets. Carry out this cleaning on the outside and inside of the jacket, and then rinse it well with cool water from the shower. Dry vertically, hanging on hangers.

Washing a jacket at home is a difficult but solvable problem that every housewife can do. Use the recommendations provided and take into account the indications on the label to maintain the original appearance and properties of the product.

Drying

Winter jackets should not be dried in a dryer or machine drum. They are hung on hangers or laid out on a horizontal surface in a well-ventilated room.

Products made from down and padding polyester, as well as parkas, need to be shaken and fluffed regularly so that the filling does not clump into clumps, but is evenly distributed. Do not try to dry on radiators, stoves and other hot items.

Which jacket can be washed in a washing machine?

As practice shows, clothing manufacturers quite often play it safe by prohibiting washing and water cleaning. For example, washing a jacket on padding polyester, if it is not made of genuine leather, suede, silk, unsteamed cotton, is the best option for cleaning.

General washing rules:

Check your pockets, take out everything in them, fasten zippers, buttons, snaps.
Select delicate mode. Optimal washing of jackets in a machine requires water at 30 degrees C, the additional rinse option is turned on (otherwise soap stains will remain), and the spin is turned off (to prevent deformation and creases).
Gel or shampoo is preferable to washing powder when caring for jackets. It is much more difficult to rinse, and the likelihood of soap stains is much higher.
Home washing of jackets with filling is carried out with two or three tennis balls. Methodically hitting the drum, they prevent bird fluff and holofiber from clumping into clumps. As a result, the clothes retain their original volume.
After rinsing, the jacket is placed horizontally over the bathtub on a net or hung vertically on hangers. Let the water drain. Shade and natural ventilation are the best conditions for drying.

It is easy to wash a padding polyester jacket in a machine. The process can be complicated by “capricious” fittings, which are wrapped with tape for protection, or trimmed with natural fur. If the edge can be unfastened, the task is simplified. If not, then you need to carefully wrap the fur in polyethylene and secure it with tape or braid. In this form, washing a padding polyester jacket will take place without deteriorating its appearance.

IMPORTANT : You can fluff the down jacket after drying by turning on the washing machine on the spin function. Place tennis balls in the drum; they will fluff up the natural filler in a few minutes.

How to wash a winter jacket by hand

When a product indicates that it can only be cleaned by hand, or you do not trust washing machines, follow the rules below:

Do not fill the container with hot water. The temperature should not be higher than your body temperature.
Before washing, dilute the detergent in water, but do not whisk it.
Slowly immerse the jacket in the water, pressing on top with your hands.
Clean contaminated areas with a sponge or brush.
Soak the product for 15 minutes, drain the water and repeat the procedure.
A product that can be washed by hand must be rinsed at least three times.

After the item is washed, do not twist it, but wring it out carefully.

A winter jacket will last a long time if, before cleaning, you carefully read at what temperature it is allowed to wash items made from this material, and whether it can be dried and wrung out.

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Program selection

Modern household appliances have useful programs “washing outerwear” or “washing a down jacket.” The set mode will automatically determine the desired temperature range. But not all housewives are so lucky. Although ordinary machines are also capable of coping with the task without harming the quality of the item. Suitable programs:

“delicate wash” - all washing machines have this mode;
“hand wash” - acceptable for items with a “hand wash only” sign on the label;
“synthetic” - for jackets made of artificial fibers;
“Down blanket” - the program is suitable for washing down jackets, the drum rotates in different directions, and the item is constantly shaken.

Advice! When washing a down jacket in the washing machine, you can put a couple of tennis balls in the drum: they will fluff up the down.

The names of washing programs may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is important that the process involves careful handling of the item at low temperatures. When choosing which mode to wash a soiled jacket on, you need to understand how washing occurs. Delicate involves a long, leisurely procedure, without sudden movements and hard squeezing. The manual mode does not spin things at all, but only moves them back and forth. Products made from synthetics are more durable and hold color better, so the special program for them is a little more intense. In any case, unless the manufacturer of the item prohibits machine spinning, the number of revolutions per minute should not exceed 600.

Attention! Do not put other items in the drum with a jacket or down jacket.

It is recommended to use the additional super rinse function. You can simply reinstall the machine for the final stage. Bulky outerwear items are sometimes not washed well enough. White powder stains are especially visible on dark things.

What could be an alternative?

If the capacity of the equipment is small, and the jacket is long and bulky, try washing the product by hand. We tell you how to wash a down jacket at home and without a washing machine:

no soaking required;
It is advisable to wash vertically - not on a hanger above the bathtub;
use a special gel that is applied with a sponge and washed off with a shower;
no bleach;
water temperature - 30 degrees;
rinse in the shower several times;
dry in a horizontal position.

This way you can tidy up your outerwear.

How to clean a suede jacket at home

Many owners do not know how to properly care for suede outerwear and how to clean the surface of the leather so as not to spoil it. Suede can be easily cleaned by hand with a damp sponge dipped in warm soapy water.

Special soft brushes are used to care for suede.

Instead of a sponge, you can use a soft brush. Wash off dirt and detergent residue with a clean, damp sponge until no traces remain. A greasy collar can be removed with a solution of vinegar or ammonia. The suede product is dried on hangers in a vertical position.

As you can see, caring for outerwear is quite simple. You need to wash your jacket at least once a year after the end of the season to prevent dirt from becoming embedded in the fabric and becoming old.

How to get rid of stains on a down jacket

As a rule, the most contaminated places on a down jacket are the sleeves, collar and hem. Before washing, you can moisten them, soap them with laundry soap and rub them gently.

There are several ways to remove difficult stains. Whichever you choose, when brushing, work from the edges to the center of the stain.

To make a universal stain remover, add 2 teaspoons of ammonia and liquid detergent to a glass of water. Beat the foam and distribute it over the contaminated areas. Wait a few minutes and then blot with a sponge.
Grease stains can be dissolved with gasoline. Soak a cotton pad in it and treat problem areas. Sprinkle talc, salt, starch or any other adsorbent on top. Rub the stain and shake off any residue. If necessary, repeat the procedure several times. When finished, wipe the down jacket with a damp cloth.
A mixture of salt and starch in a 1:1 ratio will also help in the fight against greasy stains. Add a little water to form a paste. Apply it to the stain, leave until completely dry and rinse with a damp sponge.
Traces of cosmetics, such as foundation on the collar, are washed off with micellar water. Soak a cotton pad in it and wipe the problem area.
If the stain is embedded in white fabric, it can be bleached. Mix ammonia and hydrogen peroxide in a 1:1 ratio and wipe problem areas with the resulting liquid. This method is not suitable for colored down jackets!

After getting rid of stains, it is better to wash the down jacket completely. Otherwise, streaks may remain on it.

It is not recommended to soak a down jacket, especially if it has natural insulation.

Bleaching of the product is also prohibited.

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