How to easily clean white mink at home

White mink coats look very elegant, gentle and airy. The beauty of these fur products makes lovers of mink coats opt for white coats, but this color is not the most practical for dusty winter roads. All the dirt, dust, salts and chemicals that are used to treat roads in the cold winter gradually settle on a beautiful white mink coat, mixing with traces of perfume and cosmetics. Why do mink coats turn yellow, and how to correct the situation if the white mink coat has already turned yellow?

Causes of yellowness

Natural fur is considered a very delicate material that requires proper care and storage. Over time, all natural fur coats, whether expensive mink or budget mouton coats, turn yellow. The reasons are banally simple, the fur is aging. It is easier to notice that a fur coat has turned yellow on light-colored fur products.

Don’t be immediately upset when you see that the fur has turned yellow. People have a huge number of recipes using improvised means that will help restore the natural color of a fur coat and preserve it for a long time.

Actions at the first manifestations of yellowness

If you discover that the fur coat has turned yellow, you need to use a sorbent. It can be crushed chalk or potato starch. You need to spread the film and lay the fur coat on it, pile side up. Then the fur is sprinkled with sorbent and allowed to rest for a while. Then the fur coat is thoroughly shaken out and combed with a brush.

This method is very good, but only in the case when the fur coat has only recently turned yellow. Old yellow stains are very difficult to remove. For expensive mink coats, the best solution is to use professional dry cleaning. They will help you bleach yellowed fur and remove other contaminants.

Ways to get rid of yellowness

A good option for treating a fur coat if yellowness is detected is hydrogen peroxide. With its help, you can remove yellow plaque and extend the service life of a fur product. To do this, hydrogen peroxide in the amount of 1 teaspoon is diluted in a glass of warm water and a couple of drops of ammonia are added there.

You can spray your fur coat with this solution from a spray bottle or moisten a sponge. When cleaning, it is important to touch only the pile of the fur coat, so as not to spoil the interior. This solution will restore the original shine and bright light shade of the fur product.

Methods for removing pigmentation

If, however, the pigment has managed to appear, which, unfortunately, happens not only due to improper use and storage of the product, then you can try to get rid of it yourself. There are several methods for cleaning yellowed fur at home , although they all have varying degrees of effectiveness.

The use of folk remedies

If the fur has turned yellow, you can clean it using several fairly effective means, known since ancient times. The main thing is not to delay solving the problem, remembering that the older the stains, the harder it is to remove them from the fur. This rule “works” not only for cleaning fur products, but also for bleaching laundry.

The most popular and safe means of cleaning fur include:

1. Hydrogen peroxide with its pronounced whitening effect. Using this budget product is very simple, because all you need to do is mix it with clean cold water in equal proportions and spray it from the smallest spray bottle on top of the pile in problem areas. After the fur coat has dried (naturally), you need to carefully comb the treated areas using a rare comb made of natural wood.
2. Potato starch, flour or semolina. All of the products listed can also whiten a fur coat in the early stages of pigmentation without any risk to the lint. You can use these products without additional tools for applying them, by scooping the product into your palm and gently rubbing it into the edge, using quick forward movements. It is best to remove grains of used product manually, thoroughly shaking the fur coat and treating it with a special brush for natural fur. If the undercoat of the skins is too thick and dense, then a vacuum cleaner may be needed. Bran heated in a dry frying pan has a similar effect, although heat treatment can have a negative effect on the fur.
3. A mixture of gasoline and potato starch. This option is suitable for removing the most complex and old contaminants, which is why it is used in the rarest cases. To do this, it is recommended to prepare a paste mixture from the listed ingredients and apply it to the yellowed areas, trying to work in the direction of the pile, and not against it. The whole difficulty of using this concentrate is that it needs to be removed from the fur only after it has completely dried, so you will have to act extremely carefully, using water to soften the formed icicles and soft brushes.

The quality of the fur is also of great importance. Thus, minimum concentrations are used to clean rabbit fur, higher concentrations are used for light-colored mink, and maximum concentrations are used for arctic fox, which is especially prone to pigmentation. But regardless of the chosen product, in no case should you touch its core, which, in fact, holds the pile and undercoat, because aggressive agents will accelerate its wear , with all the ensuing consequences.

Treatment with specific drugs

Before applying any measures to lighten fur, it is necessary to understand why it changed its color, because pigmentation is not always to blame. An example is high stand-up collars, which often turn yellow from foundation and other cosmetics, as well as sleeves, elbows and other areas susceptible to mechanical contamination. Naturally, bleaching such stains does not make sense, so instead of the products described, it is recommended to use others:

1. Traces of cosmetics on fur can only be removed with a gentle wash. Shampoos for long-haired pets, which can be purchased at any pet store, are ideal for this. As for their use, to do this you need to dilute the shampoo in warm water until a stable foam forms, carefully apply it to the discolored pile, rub it with your hands, squeeze it out and remove the residue with wet and then dry wipes. After this, the product is combed with a comb and left to dry on hangers in an open space.
2. If the reason for the appearance of stains on a fur coat is banal dust and street dirt, then it is worth trying a homemade solution of medical alcohol and soda, using a ratio of 1 to 3. The resulting slurry must be treated with dirt, left in this form for some time, and then remove with a damp, clean cloth or napkins.
3. Blueing is another way to clean natural fur from yellowness caused by exposure to tobacco smoke. Before use, this substance must be diluted in water, acting in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
4. Stains of unknown origin can be removed using a mixture of gasoline and sawdust from the same pet store. To do this, soak the raw material in flammable material, pour it onto the fur, hold it for a while and remove the down from the pile with a brush.

The aggressive agents used tend to leave a persistent unpleasant odor, which can only be eliminated by prolonged airing of the item in an open area without direct sunlight on the fur. Moreover, any attempts to aromatize the product will give the opposite effect in the form of an explosive mixture of perfume or air freshener with gasoline.

How to slow down yellowing?

It is important to understand that the yellowness of a light fur coat is inevitable. It is worth studying the reasons for the development of this phenomenon and arming yourself with knowledge on how to remove yellowness. Don't be upset if you see that your fur coat has turned yellow. In a short time you can deal with this and remove the yellow plaque.

In order to slow down the aging process of fur, especially mink fur, you need to properly store the fur product. To do this, you need to have a spacious closet or a ventilated room as a wardrobe. The fur coat should be packed in a special case during the spring-summer period and the required storage temperature and humidity should be created.

If it is not possible to create conditions for storing a fur coat, you can take it to a professional storage facility, the so-called fur coat refrigerator (shown in the photo).

Refrigerator for storing fur coats

Dry cleaning as a way to combat yellowness

Many ladies, noticing that their fur coat has turned yellow, quickly take the damaged item to the dry cleaner, without caring about its safety. The fact is that dry cleaners offer aggressive treatment of items with chemicals. This can be detrimental to delicate natural fur.

It is important to understand that it is not always possible to bleach fur even with synthetic substances. In some cases, folk recipes for combating yellowness may be more effective. Therefore, if your fur coat has turned yellow, there is no need to rush to go to the dry cleaner; it is better to try to deal with it at home using peroxide or sorbents.

Regular soap will help

The safest method for cleaning and bleaching a fur coat is considered to be a weak soap solution or foam detergent. If the fur coat has turned yellow, it is applied to the pile and the item is allowed to lie in this state for a while. After this, the soap is thoroughly washed and then dried.

After drying the fur product, all that remains is to comb the fur and give it its usual shape. It is important to remember that soap and powder can harm the inside of a fur coat, so you need to apply it carefully, only to the hairs. It is also necessary to thoroughly rinse off the soap and powder, otherwise the fur coat will lose its natural shine and beauty.

Don’t despair as soon as you see that a coat of light shades made from mink or other types of valuable fur has turned yellow. This is far from a death sentence; people know many ways to get rid of yellowness. In addition, there are professional dry cleaners that provide cleaning services for fur products.

You should also not forget about proper storage of your fur coat. Do it yourself or take the fur coat to a professional storage facility - a refrigerator, the choice is only up to the owner of the fashionable item. This point will help preserve its original appearance for a long time and delay the appearance of yellowness.

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Nowadays, fur products are made from a wide variety of materials, from expensive natural rare animal skins to artificial ones, such that every woman can afford to buy. But no matter what expensive material (silver fox, raccoon, etc.) a fur coat is made from, no one is safe from the fact that it will turn yellow and lose its chic appearance. Then the question arises: how to remove and remove yellowness from fur?

To clean your fur, you can go to a dry cleaner or do it at home using effective, proven cleaning methods.

Why does the fur turn yellow?

Yellowing may appear on the collar, sleeves and overall fur. The main reasons why fur loses its original appearance:

1. Fur products do not like to be exposed to water, and it is not easy to predict the weather. Rain and snow damage the attractiveness of a thing.
2. Accumulation of dust on the pile of the product, especially if you forget about its proper storage and do not carry out regular ventilation.
3. Secretion of the secretion of human sweat glands, which are well absorbed by a fur product.

Important! Perhaps your fur item is simply very old. Then it’s better not to waste your time and energy on restoring it, but to think about buying a new one. In this case, use our advice:

How to remove yellowness from fur?

To begin, take into account the general rules for cleaning delicate items:

1. Before cleaning yellowed fur, check what material the item is made of so that cleaning is effective and does not damage it.
2. Always perform the procedure very carefully and thoughtfully, choose the most suitable method specifically for your item.
3. Test the effectiveness of your chosen method on a less visible area of ​​the product to make sure you made the right choice.

How to clean fur?

To easily cope with the task, use one of the suggested tools below:

• brush for cleaning clothes;
• sponge;
• cotton swabs or disks;
• blue;
• flour;
• petrol;
• ammonia;
• washing powder for delicate washing;
• wheat bran;
• chalk;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• sawdust;
• shampoo for bathing pets;
• semolina;
• potato starch;
• detergent.

Popular means for removing yellowness from fur coats

Natural adsorbent for fur

• semolina;
• potato starch.

It is known that natural absorbent fine-crystalline substances can give light fur a second life, remove dirt and remove dust deposits. The white surface will most likely not be damaged if you clean it with semolina or regular potato starch. Position the fur coat in such a way that the processing is convenient for you. For example, you can spread the product on a clean floor or put it on a table. If you need to remove dirt from a fur hat, you can put it on a three-liter jar, around which a terry towel is pre-wound. The cleaning process is extremely simple: a small amount of the selected absorbent substance needs to be poured onto the problem areas of the fur coat, and then carefully work the entire surface using a soft-bristled brush. You can use your hands without brushes. Soon you will notice the darkening of the powder, it will take on a grayish tint. Complete the fur coat cleaning process by shaking or removing dirty powder with a vacuum cleaner.

Blue for cleaning white mink coats

For the operation you will need:

There is an old, slightly extreme method of bleaching fur products. You use it at your own risk. In a bowl of water you need to dissolve a little so-called laundry blue. You should have a pale blue solution prepared. Pour the prepared liquid into a container with a spray bottle. Apply the blue product to the yellowed fur coat, spraying it evenly. Do not wash off the bluing. All that remains is to dry the product. Never leave it near heat sources. Finish the process by gently combing the fur. For this purpose, use a brush purchased from a pet supply store.

Cleaning a fur coat with alcohol and salt

Having prepared a solution of water, salt and alcohol, it should be used to treat fur. It is convenient to do this with a sponge.

How to clean yellowed fur?

If you see your favorite fur coat that has lost its original color, do not be upset.

There are many ways to clean white fur from yellowness, as well as other colors of your favorite products, which do not require large financial costs.

Method 1

The simplest and most harmless method of cleaning a white fur coat:

1. Take out the fur item.
2. Wet and place the sheet on a flat surface.
3. Carefully place the product on it, nap side down.
4. Lightly tap and vacuum using low suction.

Method 2

You can return the color to the product using this method:

1. Take a fur coat.
2. Sprinkle it with potato starch.
3. Add delicate laundry powder to the water.
4. Place the product in a spray bottle.
5. Spray the product with this liquid.
6. Gently distribute this mixture throughout the item.
7. Wait for the mixture to dry.
8. Take a clothes brush.
9. Carefully remove the mixture from the fur with a brush.

Hydrogen peroxide for cleaning fur coats

Treating fur with ammonia and peroxide

For the procedure, prepare:

• hydrogen peroxide;
• ammonia.

You can remove the yellowish coating from mink fur using a pharmaceutical preparation called hydrogen peroxide. Take a glass of water, dissolve three large spoons of liquid in it and add a small spoon of ammonia. It can also be purchased at a pharmacy and is inexpensive. Pour the resulting solution into a spray bottle and wet the fur from it. Then you don’t need to do anything, just dry the product, it is advisable to hang the fur coat in such a way that the sun’s rays fall on it. Alternatively, you can place it in an environment at room temperature; it should dry out within a few hours. This solution is also suitable for preventing yellowing of snow-white mink coats. To protect a long-term stored product from damage to its appearance, use a weakly concentrated solution, that is, you can take more water and less drugs.

Cleaning a white fur coat with peroxide shampoo

• pet shampoo;
• hydrogen peroxide.

If you don’t know how to clean a white mink coat from yellowness, then try a primitive method - washing the surface with soapy water. To properly prepare the product, you need to take a bowl of warm water, pour shampoo intended for pets into it, and also add several large spoons of the above-mentioned hydrogen peroxide. Taking a foam sponge, you need to soak it in the prepared solution, then start treating the fur coat. You should move strictly in the direction of its pile. At the end, the fur is washed with a piece of damp cloth and then dried naturally.

Cleaning a white mink coat from yellowness: should be done with safe means that do not damage the structure of natural fur

How to care for white fur?

If you want to keep your favorite fur item white for a long time, do this:

• store it in a blue linen bag;
• wrap the fur in blue paper.

Important! Tobacco leaves, geraniums, and orange peels will help protect your fur from moths.

Method 1

If you want to prevent white fur from turning yellow, do the following:

1. Prepare the fur.
2. Take a glass of water.
3. Dissolve 1 tsp of hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of ammonia in it.
4. Soak a cotton swab in this solution.
5. Wipe the surface of the product with it.

Important! A concentrate of this solution will help return yellowed fur to its whiteness; it should be applied using a sprayer, but only on the surface of the product, and not on the inside, so as not to damage it.

Method 2

If the white fur has faded and you still can't decide how to remove the yellow from the fur, follow these steps.

1. Lay out the product.
2. Take 9% vinegar.
3. Dampen a rag with it.
4. Wipe the fur pile with a rag.
5. Hang your fur coat out for airing.

Method 3

Do you want to easily clean white fur from yellow spots? Then follow this procedure:

1. Take lemon juice and vinegar.
2. Wet the yellow stains with them.
3. Take the brush and lightly rub it over the fur.
4. Dry your fur coat.

Prevention as a cleaning method

Any fur tends to age and turn yellow, even if we are not talking about snow-white skins, but about other natural and artificial colors. Thus, over time, the silver fox, polar fox, as well as gray and pearl mink necessarily acquire a yellowish pigment. True, the last fur looks advantageous even in this case, since it initially has a slight warm undertone.

The hardest thing is for owners of white fur coats, who are primarily at risk, even if the furs themselves are considered elite. Typically this category includes the Arctic fox, mink and ermine. Moreover, each of the listed types of fur has its own safety margin, which depends on many factors. For example, the Arctic fox turns yellow and wears out the fastest, and it is extremely difficult to get rid of its pigment due to its long pile and rather thick underfur.

In second place is mink, since it tends to turn yellow only after 5-10 years of wear of medium intensity, provided that we are talking about the use of high-quality undyed fur. As for the ermine with its signature black tails, this fur lasts for years, however, it has another serious drawback - the exorbitant price , because it was not for nothing that in the old days it was this type of fur that was used to line royal robes and muffs.

How to clean arctic fox fur from yellowness?

Arctic fox fur looks beautiful and is very pleasant to the touch, but unfortunately it most often turns yellow. If you encounter this problem and don’t know how to remove yellow spots from an arctic fox, we recommend using the following methods. The Arctic fox coat can be cleaned:

Option 1

1. Lay out the fur item carefully.
2. Make a paste from the following ingredients: semolina, crushed chalk, potato starch.
3. Heat the mixture until warm.
4. Apply to yellowed areas.
5. Wipe thoroughly.
6. Shake the mixture from the pile.
7. Take a soft clothes brush and remove any traces of product from the fur.

Option 2

There is another popular, very effective way of cleaning natural fur:

1. Mix hydrogen peroxide with talcum powder.
2. Apply the mixture to the surface of the fur.
3. Leave the paste until it dries.
4. Shake the thing.
5. Go over it with a dry, clean brush.

Option 3

An arctic fox fur coat can also be cleaned using gasoline and starch, for this:

1. Take a sponge.
2. Moisten it with gasoline.
3. Walk it through the pile of fur.
4. Wait for the gasoline to evaporate.
5. Sprinkle the surface of the pile with potato starch.
6. Wait 20 min.
7. Shake the item well.

Important! If you have a fur coat made from the skins of other animals, then you must understand that there is a difference in care. Read all about how to clean a natural fur coat at home.

Option 4

You can very easily clean the white fur of an arctic fox from yellowness in this way:

1. Take flour.
2. Heat it in a frying pan.
3. Scatter it over the pile.
4. Take a brush and brush the flour off the product.

Important! Apply the flour quickly before it cools down.

Option 5

If you don’t have time to do such a complex task at home, you can turn to a dry cleaner. There, specialists will select the necessary method, and, if necessary, can tint the fur to the desired tone.

Important! Choose a special dry cleaner (for cleaning fur products). And do not skimp when choosing it, so as not to spoil an expensive item.

Home cleaning of light mink fur

Precautions when working with fur

We do not guarantee complete elimination of yellowness from fur products, but only present popular techniques that are easy to implement at home. In any case, first test any product on the most inconspicuous place of your fur coat. Only after you are completely convinced of the safety of the chosen method of cleaning fur can you use it on the entire surface.

Washing and drying fur

Under no circumstances should you wash the product with regular detergents. Do not dry natural fur coats near artificial heat sources, such as a heater, hair dryer, or radiator. To dry the fur you need room temperature. You should not use an iron on your fur coat, including smoothing out creases from the inside out. To straighten a fur coat without an iron, you need to place it on hangers.

Does a white mink coat turn yellow?

In fact, not only mink coats, but coats made from any other fur: arctic fox, rabbit, etc., suffer from the gradual acquisition of an unattractive yellow tint. There are several reasons why light fur coats turn yellow. The first reason is improper storage (read the article “How to care for a mink coat”). The second reason is the frequent wearing of a fur coat during precipitation, which in the city is often of a chemical nature, and exposure to smog, soot and dust on the fur coat. The third reason is spraying perfume and other cosmetics directly on or near the fur coat. A white, or any other fur coat, should always be worn with a silk scarf so that your foundation does not settle on the collar of the mink coat.

Bran against pollution

Any white mink coat will sooner or later have yellow spots. You can try to bleach the product using wheat bran. They need to be prepared as follows:

• take metal utensils;
• put a small amount of bran;
• put on fire;
• The bran must be thoroughly heated and stirred constantly.

Cool the mixture slightly and pour the warm bran onto the fur coat, fur-side up. Rub the mixture in with a dry brush or sponge. The product must be cleaned along the pile. Shake the clothes thoroughly afterwards.

Bran can be replaced with wooden cat litter, and water with gasoline. Soak the sawdust in it and clean the fur coat with the mixture.

What to do if the mink coat has already turned yellow?

We rarely think about a problem until it happens, so what to do if the mink coat has already turned yellow? Firstly, do not try to do this at home using a variety of improvised materials and chemicals. Mink fur is very capricious, and it’s easy to ruin it.

The following method of cleaning a product at home is actively circulating on the Internet: using sorbents - semolina, starch or bran. The fur coat is laid out on a dry surface, and then a sorbent is applied to the entire area of ​​the fur. Then the fur coat is shaken and combed out. Don't waste your time! My close friend’s fur coat turned yellow, she tried this method and says that it absolutely cannot cope with strong yellowness. The fur turns a little white due to the fact that particles of semolina and starch remain inside. And then you will be tortured to comb this semolina out of the fur. But this method is at least a dry cleaning method, and it did not ruin the fur.

So what to do? Contact the best dry cleaner in your city that specializes in fur. To begin with, just consult whether this dry cleaner can handle your specific case, or whether the yellowness has become too ingrained in the fur, and only repainting the product will help. You can also contact a bio-cleaning service - this is cleaning products without the use of chemicals.

You should not be afraid of repainting the product. Almost all fur coats on the market are either dyed or tinted. If this is done by a competent specialist, using good dyes, the fur coat will look simply great after painting. The product can be dyed in professional fur studios, as well as in fur factories by agreement. At home, again, it is almost impossible to dye a mink coat efficiently and evenly.

Drastic measures

If none of the above methods succeeded in bleaching a white fur coat, then there is only one way out. Contact a studio that specializes in fur and ask to repaint the product. Please note that this service should only be carried out by specialists using high-quality dyes.

Do not try to dye your fur coat yourself at home. The result may disappoint you.

When buying a white mink coat, remember that it will still begin to turn yellow during wear and it will not be easy to bleach the fur. We advise you to first weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of such outerwear.