In recent years, synthetic fur has gained more and more recognition. This happens for several reasons. Firstly, artificial pile, unlike real pile, is environmentally friendly. Secondly, clothes made from synthetics can also look elegant, expensive and fashionable, and cost less. Often, faux fur is used to trim the collars of jackets, sheepskin coats, and the cuffs of winter boots.
Unfortunately, it becomes dirty, fades and turns yellow no less than natural, especially light-colored pile. Some people think that this finicky material can only be cleaned by dry cleaning, but this is not true. Along with professional methods, there are also folk ones. It is possible to clean faux fur with your own hands, and it is quite easy to do, you just need to know a few secrets.
Features of cleaning faux fur
This material is so popular and in demand because its appearance is in no way inferior to natural fur. It is made to look like a fox, rabbit or raccoon, but it is more affordable and does not require the destruction of animals. In order for things to retain their attractiveness for a long time, you need to provide them with proper care, so it is important to know how to clean faux fur at home.
It is worth remembering that you cannot use acetone or vinegar for cleaning. It is best to use potato starch, soda, and gasoline for this. However, you must first test the product on a hidden part of the fur so as not to disturb its color.
You can clean faux fur at home quickly and easily, as it is much easier to clean than natural material. In addition, it is important to store such products correctly, because synthetic materials attract moths. Therefore, to keep the item attractive, it should hang in the closet, packed in a special case.
If stored improperly, white fur can turn yellow, and removing the yellowness is not so easy. It is worth remembering that products made from this material can even be washed if the dirt is very strong.
How to Clean White Fur
Many people are interested in how to quickly clean white fur at home in order to eliminate dirt and yellowness. If the label indicates that the product can be washed, then the item must be washed by hand at a temperature of approximately 40 degrees. It is worth remembering that if the product is heavily soiled, it is best to go to dry cleaning, as the fur can be damaged.
You can clean faux white fur at home with starch. To do this, mix starch with water until a paste forms. Apply the resulting mixture to the yellowed areas and leave for a couple of hours. Then carefully brush and dry the product in the fresh air. Even with the most severe contamination, it is best not to completely wet the fur product, but only treat the most contaminated areas with a soap solution.
Is it washable?
In rare cases, it is allowed to wash a fur product. You should follow the manufacturer's recommendations: the tag indicates at what temperature the fur can be washed.
Hand wash in cool water (up to 40°C) is preferred. Laundry soap shavings are suitable as a detergent. During washing, it is not recommended to twist or rub the product; just knead it with your hands and rinse.
You can try washing the removable elements (collar, cuffs, hood) in the machine on a delicate cycle. How to do it:
- Place the fur in a laundry bag for washing.
- Load the drum, pour in the cleaning agent.
- Set the gentle mode (“Wool”, “Synthetics”, “Silk”, “Delicate”) or set it to 30 °C and turn off the spin.
- Wait until the cycle ends.
It is recommended to use liquid powder for delicate fabrics. If the product foams heavily, additional rinsing is necessary.
Preparing for cleaning
We clean fur at home quickly and carefully, since the appearance of the product will largely depend on this. Properly carried out, high-quality cleaning of fur begins with its preparation. The fur product is carefully inspected beforehand to ensure there is no tangles or tangles.
Cuffs and collars are inspected separately. Detected defects are smoothed out carefully with a brush. Then you need to shake the product well to remove excess dust and hang it on a hanger to smooth it out, and then just start cleaning.
Cleaning fur on a jacket
It is very important for everyone to know how to properly clean faux fur on clothes, since using simple methods you can return it to its former attractive appearance without resorting to the services of specialists. You can try a solution made from lemon juice or citric acid.
To do this, you need to dilute lemon juice with water in equal proportions, moisten a sponge in the resulting solution and clean the fur strictly in the direction of the pile. Hang the product on a hanger to dry. After complete drying, you need to comb the fur with a sparse comb.
Lemon juice should be used very carefully as it may slightly change the color of the fur. That is why you initially need to experiment in an inconspicuous area.
Removing surface contaminants
If dust has formed on the faux fur during storage, you can remove it by knocking it out. This is done as follows:
- spread a piece of damp cotton cloth on the tabletop;
- place the fur item on top so that the lint is on the fabric;
- take a dust blower and lightly hit the clothes.
As a result of such an event, the dust that has accumulated in the down part will transfer to the wet fabric. Then the item is straightened and dried.
If knocking out is not successful, a soap solution will help remove the dust. The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- To begin, hang the product on a trempel so that the surface to be cleaned is positioned vertically.
- Take a bowl, pour a liter of warm water into it, add 3 tablespoons of uncolored shampoo and whisk the liquid until a thick foam appears.
- Carefully remove the foam with a brush and apply it to the pile. Make sure that the cleaning mixture does not get on the fabric base.
- If the pile is long, it is cleaned as the hairs grow. Fur up to 2 cm is cleaned, performing movements in the opposite direction.
- After the foam has been applied, its residues are removed with a damp cotton cloth.
- To dry things, use a clean terry towel. Next, it is taken out to dry in a room with good ventilation or outside. Do not hang fur clothing in direct sun or dry it near heaters. The minimum distance from the item to the heat source must be more than 2 m.
- Once the item of clothing has dried, it should be carefully combed with an iron comb or a metal comb with a wide range of teeth.
To make the fur shine, crumble and be fluffy, spray it with this solution:
- ½ l alcohol;
- ½ liter of water;
- 1 teaspoon glycerin.
Mix the ingredients well. Pour into a spray bottle and spray the liquid onto the fur. If you don’t have a sprayer, you can apply the mixture with a cotton pad. After drying, the item is combed again.
Cleaning fur on boots
If dirt has formed on your boots, then you should definitely use practical tips on how to clean faux fur on shoes. To do this, you need to use products that will remove dirt without changing the color of the product. An effective remedy is baking soda, which is rubbed into contaminated areas with your hands until it changes color to gray. Thanks to this product, you can quickly and effectively deal with dust and dried dirt. Remaining soda can be removed by shaking the boots several times.
In addition to soda, you can also use flour, talc or potato starch, which are also rubbed into the fur edge of the boots, and then shake them thoroughly.
How to wash a fur collar with long pile
There are situations when simply cleaning the fur does not help to deal with stains, and then the question arises: is it possible to wash the fur? The answer is yes, but not all such products are recommended to be washed. Some blankets, hats and fur coats contain a large amount of synthetics, for which prolonged exposure to moisture has a detrimental effect, the item becomes dull and deformed.
You can paint a thing if it loses its color, but if it loses its shape, this is unlikely to help.
Things made of dark fur deserve special attention, because they tend to shed. So that you don’t have to look for a product that can be used to dye your favorite fur coat, it is enough to follow the basic rules for caring for fur items.
Cleaning the fur on the collar
The collar is distinguished by its vulnerability and the fact that dirt most often forms on it, as it comes into contact with skin, hair and cosmetics. Cleaning it is quite complicated and time-consuming, so you definitely need to know how and with what to clean faux fur at home. In this case, gasoline or a mixture of salt, alcohol and water are considered effective. You need to take all the components in a ratio of 3:1:50, mix thoroughly and apply to the fur collar with a sponge, then blot with a cloth and knock out.
Strong, persistent stains are very easy to remove with bran. To do this, you need to warm them up a little, stirring constantly so that they do not burn. Place the product with a fur collar on the table, sprinkle the dirt with bran and rub strictly in the direction of the pile, and then back. After this, beat the fur well, and it will become clean and fresh.
Handwash
Removable collar or fur coat with artificial pile on a synthetic base:
- Wipe any visible dirt with warm water and liquid soap or shampoo.
- Soak the product (water temperature 30°-40°) for 10-20 minutes.
- When washing, do not rub, wrinkle, or twist the fur too much.
- Rinse in warm water several times until the detergent is completely rinsed out. When changing the rinse water, you should reduce its temperature (start with warm water, end with cooler water).
- Squeeze very carefully, running your hands over the product from top to bottom, then blot with a towel or any non-fading soft cloth.
- Hang on a hanger in a well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
- When the fur dries slightly, you need to comb it with a comb with infrequent teeth.
Removing stains
Many people are interested in how to clean fur at home. You can remove grease stains on white faux fur using gasoline and starch mixed in equal proportions. To do this, the resulting mixture is rubbed into the contaminated area, and after it has completely dried, the product is simply removed with a brush. Since gasoline is a fairly aggressive substance, you initially need to treat a small area on the wrong side of the product with it and check the reaction of the material.
In addition, to remove stains, you can mix starch and any dishwashing detergent in equal proportions, apply the resulting slurry to the dirty area and leave until completely dry, and then brush well with a brush.
You can get rid of stubborn stains using any product used to clean carpets and furniture. To do this, you need to dilute it according to the instructions and thoroughly treat the stain, and then wipe with a slightly damp sponge to wash off any remaining product.
There are a variety of ways to clean faux fur, one of which is to use sawdust. To do this, spread a sheet on a horizontal surface, moisten it a little and place the fur product so that the pile is on the bottom. Use a carpet beater to knock out the dust well. Then hang the product on hangers and sprinkle with sawdust. After a couple of hours, clean them thoroughly with a clothes brush.
Heated sand works well for cleaning fur. Lay the fur item on a perfectly flat, hard surface, pour in hot sand and rub it into the fur. Simply shake off the remaining sand. The procedure must be repeated until it becomes perfectly clean.
It is important to know how to clean fur at home. Dishwashing detergents or just shampoo can thoroughly clean fur products. Initially, you need to dissolve it in warm water and beat the foam well, which is applied to the fur, rub it into the pile and leave for about 15-20 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly with shampoo.
Wash in washing machine
It is better not to machine wash a faux fur coat, as the lining may change shape, which will lead to deformation of the entire garment. But a faux fur blanket can be washed in a washing machine.
How to proceed:
- Look at the label. If there is no sign on it prohibiting automatic washing, then feel free to put the blanket in the washing machine.
- Use only low water temperature (30–40 ° C ). Hot water will cause faux fur to shrink.
- Use only liquid washing powder. Any granular powder can get stuck in the pile and leave visible stains. In addition to gels, you can use a soap solution.
- Determine the washing mode. Front loading allows you to soak the blanket in water, and after 20 minutes turn on the “rinse” function. Horizontal loading will allow you to fill the washing machine drum to the middle.
- Dry on hangers. The item should hang until the water has completely drained. Then the blanket needs to be hung closer to an open window or ventilation system. Do not hang decorative fur near switched-on batteries.
Faux fur should not be wrung out; hang it on a wide hanger above the bathtub to allow water to drain. Photo: chistoto.ru
Removing yellowness
You need to know not only how to clean faux fur at home, but also how to remove the resulting yellowness. Blueing will help restore the original whiteness of a fur product. You need to dilute it in water until it turns pale blue, wipe the inside of the fur product to check the reaction to this product.
Then moisten the foam sponge in the blue solution, squeeze out a little and wipe the fur item well. Leave until completely dry.
Ordinary hydrogen peroxide will help renew white fur. To prepare this solution you need to dilute 1 tbsp. l. peroxide in 0.5 liters of water. Stir this mixture well, and then carefully treat the surface of the fur product, hang it on hangers and leave it in a sunny place until completely dry. Then comb the pile thoroughly with a brush.
You can get rid of any type of dirt and yellow spots formed over time using semolina. To do this, you need to lay out the clothes on a flat surface and sprinkle them well with semolina, and then thoroughly rub it into the fibers. To remove grain residues, you need to thoroughly vacuum the product.
Basic cleaning rules
In order not to spoil your favorite item, you definitely need to know how to clean faux fur at home, and also take into account certain rules for this procedure. You need to dry things made from this material naturally; you cannot use a hair dryer, radiator or iron.
To give the product additional shine after cleaning fur products, you need to use acetic acid. Thanks to this, the pile will become smooth. If concentrated or hazardous products are used for cleaning, then safety rules must be followed.
Precautionary measures
- Before starting the cleaning process of a fur product, test the detergent in an inconspicuous place to see the reaction of the lint to the substance. If the color remains the same, the shine has not disappeared and the pile has not stuck together, you can treat the entire fluffy surface in this way.
- Wear rubber gloves when cleaning faux fur. If you use ammonia or gasoline, open the windows and turn on the ventilation.
- Do not process clothing near open flames.
- After cleaning, ventilate the room.
- Dry the product in a non-living area.
If you follow all the recommendations and adhere to the recipe, your favorite fur item will serve you for many years.
Adding shine
To give a fur product a beautiful shine, you can use a weak solution of acetic acid, glycerin or lemon juice. You need to thoroughly treat the fur with one of these products, and then wipe it with a napkin.
In addition, a special product made from fish oil (100 g), ammonia (12 drops), ordinary laundry soap (10 g) and boiling water (1 l) will help to add shine to a fur product. All these components must be thoroughly mixed, then the resulting solution must be cooled to a temperature of 35 degrees and the fur must be thoroughly treated with it. If the fur coat is dusty, then you need to wrap it in a damp sheet and then knock it out.
