How to clean a mink coat at home: can it be washed, how and with what to clean white, light and dark fur at home?

An expensive mink coat needs to be carefully looked after, and this is not easy, because fur is a delicate and capricious material.

If you don’t know how to properly handle a fur product, it can be seriously damaged.

Many women refuse to take their fur pet to the dry cleaner and prefer to do the cleaning themselves.

Having chosen this option, it is important to carefully study all the information on how to clean a mink coat at home, so as not to say goodbye to it forever. How to clean a fur coat, read below.

Is it washable?

There are many instructions on the Internet that tell in detail how to wash a mink coat by hand or in a washing machine.

Under no circumstances should such instructions be taken into account, because fur coats are not washed! Moreover, even wet snow or rain is harmful to natural fur, so it is recommended to wear a fur coat only in dry weather.

Anyone who starts washing in a machine risks not only ruining the product, but also losing equipment . An already heavy fur coat, when it takes on water, becomes many times heavier and the drum simply cannot handle it. As a result, it may become damaged due to overload.

With the fur coat itself, even when washed on the most delicate cycle and at a gentle temperature, the following will most likely happen:

it will become noticeably smaller, going down several sizes;
the leather tissue will lose elasticity, become stiffer and, possibly, will crunch unpleasantly;
some of the fur will come out;
the remaining part of the fur on the product will sag heavily, shrink and roll up.

A product damaged in this way will never regain its previous appearance even after drying and combing.

You shouldn’t count on an alternative to a washing machine – hand washing. After soaking in water and drying, the fur coat will turn into a very shrunken item with fur rolled up and coming out.

Industrial products

Special industrial products can help you properly care for your fur coat, such as:

FUR FRECH SALAMANDER Professional. Aerosol for tinting fur if necessary. You need to add it to the water, treat the fur coat and hang the product on hangers.
LIVAL LICKER KONZ. This spray cares not only for fur, but also for leather products.
INSAF. A product that helps perform preventive care of the product. It helps a lot if you don’t know what to do with jammed lint. It also acts as an antistatic agent and helps protect your fur coat from moths.

Dry cleaning

Dry cleaning methods are more gentle and safe for natural mink fur . However, they are more suitable for annual preventative cleaning of a fur coat from surface dirt and will not cope with deep stains.

Cleaning with a vacuum cleaner even at the lowest power can damage the fur and create unsightly bald spots. Instead of using a vacuum cleaner, it is better to lightly and carefully beat out the fur coat from the wrong side with your hand or a special beater.

The fur coat loves to be brushed, so periodic cleaning with a special mink fur brush will be useful.

Many people buy brushes for fur coats in pet stores and use them . This is a good alternative, but it is best to use a specialized tool so as not to harm the fur.

Using abrasives

When dry cleaning, adsorbents work best - substances that perfectly absorb dirt.

Suitable for mink fur:

potato starch,
talc,
sawdust from deciduous trees (only deciduous so that there is no resin),
semolina.

Cleaning is carried out as follows:

You need to lay out a large white sheet on the floor, and lay the fur coat on it, pile side up.
Take any of the most suitable substances (starch and semolina are more suitable for white fur) and thoroughly sprinkle the entire surface of the product with it.
Lightly rub the substance into the pile using soft, gentle movements.
Leave the fur coat like this for half an hour.
After this, shake the product thoroughly - most of the abrasive will leave the fur.
Gently beat out the fur coat from the wrong side with your hands, and then brush the fur with a special brush to get rid of any remaining substance.

After shaking off, you will see how much dirt the adsorbent has absorbed .
The fur will take on a much more pleasant appearance.

Semolina

Semolina grains can give white fur a second life. They absorb dirt well and remove dust deposits. You can also use talc and chalk.

Position the fur coat so that processing is comfortable. For example, put it on a table or spread it on a clean floor. If you need to clean a fur hat, then put it on a three-liter bottle, previously wrapped in a terry towel. The cleaning procedure is extremely simple: sprinkle a small amount of cereal onto problem areas, and then carefully work the entire surface with a brush (preferably with soft bristles). Soon the semolina will take on a gray tint. Remove dirty residues by vacuuming or shaking.

Tidying up a white or light fur coat

In an urban environment, white fur requires especially careful care. In its absence, it quickly loses its presentable appearance, acquiring a gray or yellowish color.

Fortunately, there are several ways to return a white fur coat to its original appearance:

dry cleaning with starch, semolina or chalk - these substances will absorb all the dirt;
wet cleaning with a hydrogen peroxide solution using the method described above instantly removes yellowness;
wet cleaning with a solution of water, salt and ammonia also combats yellowness.

One of the most effective ways to clean white fur is to use sawdust with gasoline . To do this you need:

Buy sawdust from deciduous wood (birch, oak, beech) at a pet store and prepare gasoline.
Soak the sawdust in gasoline (this will improve the cleaning properties) and dry them slightly.
Having laid out the fur coat on a sheet, gradually pour sawdust onto the fur and process the product very carefully.
After the procedure, shake off the sawdust, carefully knock out the remains, and comb out small particles with a brush.

After the procedure, you need to hang the fur coat on hangers outside or in a ventilated area to remove the smell.

other methods

Potato starch with the addition of gasoline will help you clean a mink at home. Mix these ingredients until you get a paste. Distribute the mixture onto contaminated areas. Wait until the fur is completely dry and comb carefully with a fine-toothed comb. You can replace starch with small sawdust.

The yellowish tint can be removed using wheat bran. Heat them in a frying pan to 60 °C, stirring regularly. Then pour onto the surface of the product and rub into the pile. When the bran has cooled, shake the item and brush it out.

To keep natural fur snow-white and beautiful longer, try to clean it from dirt on time. Use simple available means for this - table vinegar, starch, chalk, alcohol and ammonia, detergents, etc. Follow the rules of careful care of the fur product and dry it properly. This is the only way to significantly extend its service life.

How to wash the lining?

The lining of a fur coat also gets dirty and needs regular cleaning no less than fur. But how can you clean it at home if the fur coat itself cannot be washed? Unfortunately, it is rare to find fur coats from which the lining can be easily removed.

You will have to proceed as follows:

Carefully tear off the fabric (this can be quickly done in a studio for little money).
Place the fabric in warm water, add liquid powder (or regular powder if it does not leave streaks) and lightly wash by hand.
Dry the product and then gently iron it at the lowest temperature.
Using a thin needle, carefully sew the lining back. You can also contact the studio for this.

You need to wash the lining very carefully so that it does not shrink during the cleaning process. The water temperature should be no more than 40 degrees.

It is best to dry it outside or in a ventilated area, but as far as possible from radiators and heaters. To clean some individual parts of the lining from stains, it is not necessary to separate them from the fur coat.

To do this you need:

Turn the coat inside out and hang it on hangers.
Make a warm soapy solution.
Soak a sponge in the solution, wring it out well and lightly rub the stains with it. The fabric should not get too wet - this can damage the product.
Dry the cleaned area thoroughly with a dry, absorbent towel.
Leave the fur coat hanging until the lining is completely dry.

This procedure is recommended to be carried out during each annual fur coat cleaning.

Blue

This ancient, slightly extreme method of bleaching fur is known to many. Dissolve a small amount of laundry blue in a bowl of water. You should get a pale blue solution. Fill a spray bottle with it. Spray the product onto the yellowed fur coat in an even layer. There is no need to wash off the bluing - just dry the product. Complete the procedure by gently combing the fur.

How to properly dry a product at home?

After all cleaning procedures, it is very important to properly dry the mink coat. Even if everything was done correctly and carefully during the cleaning process, during drying there is a risk of seriously harming the fur product.

To avoid this, you must adhere to the following rules:

You should not try to dry the fur with a hairdryer, even with cold air and at low speed - sudden drying can deform part of the product;
do not dry your fur coat near an open fire, radiator, heaters or other heat sources - this dries out the fur and flesh, causing them to lose their appearance and quality;
Do not dry the fur in the sun - direct rays are harmful to it.

After cleaning (and also after being exposed to heavy snow or rain, when the fur is slightly wet), you need to thoroughly shake off the fur coat, and then hang it on hangers and let it dry on its own.

It should hang in a cool, well-ventilated area. After complete drying, you need to shake the product again so that the pile lies as before, and lightly smooth it with your hand.

You can use a special fur brush. Naturally, under no circumstances should you try to iron a fur coat.

You cannot comb the fur with a brush while it is wet - this is detrimental to it . It is better to wait until it dries completely and only then start combing.

Why does fur turn yellow?

The yellow color gives away an old fur coat. Any white fur will turn yellow over time. This happens due to loss of pigment and drying of the hair. Two factors accelerate the yellowing process:

lack of care;
improper storage.

Precipitation, dust, and cosmetics settle and linger in the white fur, causing a yellowish or grayish tint to appear. Color is also detrimentally affected by sunlight and heat, for example from a battery. Therefore, fur products should be stored in dark cases in a cool place. It is recommended to take them to special fur storage facilities (refrigerators), where the optimal temperature for the wool is maintained.

Recommendations for removing yellow discoloration

I bring to your attention advice from experienced specialists who will help you get rid of darkening of a fur product. These include:

If you plan to dry clean the products, then, first of all, you need to indicate the type of material from which the fur coat is made. Thanks to this, specialists will correctly select chemical compositions that will not damage the integrity of the pile.

The main advantage of dry cleaning is the correctly selected method of cleaning the yellowed surface.

If you plan to clean it yourself, then you need to start with invisible areas of the product. If the composition is incorrectly selected, the defect will not be noticeable.

How and with what to clean a dark mink coat?

The main task of caring for a mink coat is to give it shine. To do this, you can use a mixture of lard, water and ammonia.

Instructions:

Dissolve 100 g of rendered pork fat in a liter of boiling water.
Add 2 ml of ammonia and shake the mixture
Pour it into a spray bottle and shake the bottle several times
Apply the solution to the entire fur coat and hang the product on the balcony
Let the product dry and comb it

How and with what to clean a dark mink coat?

We work on prevention - choose the “right” color

When buying fluffy products of a gray-blue palette, the main thing is to initially choose a stable shade and “clean” fur.

Let's start with the fact that the fur coat may have a slight yellowness from the very beginning. Against the background of dark things and thanks to artificial lighting in stores, this defect is often invisible. When purchasing, experts recommend assessing the “purity” of fur in two ways:

compare several models with each other and choose the one that has the most “cold” shade;
carefully examine the product in daylight.

The ones that last the longest and, if necessary, are easier to adjust the tone of are ivory fur coats. The situation with snow-white and blue dyed fur products is much more complicated.

Remember

Test the product on an inconspicuous area. Different fur reacts to exposure differently. After checking the product, wait 12–15 hours, and if nothing happened to the fur, start cleaning.
Remember the reasons why fur turns yellow . To avoid constant cleaning, do not allow moisture, perfume, dust or cosmetics to come into contact with light-colored fur.
Follow the rules for storing fur . To prevent it from becoming dull, caked or yellowed, store the fur correctly.
Choose the right cleaning method. Natural fur cannot be cleaned using methods that are suitable for cleaning artificial fur, and vice versa. For example, artificial fur may shed due to mechanical stress.

The author of the video demonstrates an effective method of bleaching light fur

Rules for caring for a mink coat

In order for fur to last longer, you need to know the basic requirements for caring for it.

Clothes should be stored in a moth-proof place, covered with a cover. If in doubt, pest control products should be used.

Do not leave the product in a horizontal position. Otherwise, the mink will quickly dry out.

If cleaning at home is impossible or difficult, it is better to take your fur coat to the dry cleaner. It is necessary to use the services of only trusted companies with a good reputation. The service life of the product allows you to use the services of this household sector no more than 6 times. With this type of treatment, aggressive compounds and fur cleaning products are used.

The mink needs to be cleaned regularly using special substances. All rules for processing products made from it should be carefully followed.

You need to dry your fur coat in the open air, placing it on hangers. In addition, regular ventilation is necessary. In winter, clothes must be taken out to the balcony at least 2 times a season.