Faux leather items look beautiful and elegant. The cost of such clothing is an order of magnitude lower than leather items - this explains the popularity of leatherette jackets. These wardrobe items do not require much care during use, since washing a leatherette jacket at home will not be difficult.
Is it washable?
Many people are interested in whether it is possible to wash a leatherette jacket in a washing machine or whether it is better to use the manual method. Both options involve immersion in water, but improper manipulation can lead to partial or complete loss of the consumer appearance of the item of clothing. Information on the label with recommendations for cleaning clothes helps determine the method and conditions for cleaning the product.
Care label
Manufacturers place them in conspicuous places, and they are not difficult to find. Commonly accepted icons indicate processing methods, permissible temperature conditions, drying tips, etc. Some prohibitions and restrictions are presented in the following table:
Can only be washed by hand at a temperature not exceeding 40.0 °C. The spin is gentle, without twisting. |
Extra delicate wash. Water up to 30.0°C in large volumes. The mechanical impact is gentle. Rinsing is quick and spinning is prohibited. |
Streaking is strictly prohibited |
The use of bleaching agents is prohibited. |
It is recommended to dry only in a dark place. |
The use of automated squeezing and drying equipment is prohibited. |
Twisting during spinning is not allowed. Water should drain naturally, with the product placed in the recommended manner (horizontally or vertically). |
Dry cleaning is prohibited. |
Any “wet” cleaning is prohibited. Home care is limited to local removal of contaminants. |
The use of an iron is prohibited. |
Compliance with them guarantees the preservation of consumer qualities after processing in one way or another.
Attention! It is not uncommon for the information on the label to be unreadable or for the tag to be lost. In this case, you should soak an inconspicuous area of the product with water. If after 10-15 minutes the original appearance has not changed. You can use a “wet” wash, but still with extreme caution.
How to remove stains?
To remove various types of stains, you can use a mixture of liquid soap and glycerin :
Take two large spoons of liquid soap and pour into a small container.- Add one large spoon of glycerin. Stir the mixture.
- Apply it to the contaminated area of leatherette. Leave for 10 minutes.
- Use a foam sponge to gently rub the stained area on the clothing.
- Wipe off any remaining mixture with a damp cloth.
- Wipe the treated area of the product with a dry cloth.
The Fill Inn cleaner must be used according to the following scheme:
- shake the bottle with the product;
- spray it evenly over the dirt;
- rub the cleaner with a sponge;
- wait 2 minutes.
After treatment, it is necessary to remove the product from the leatherette product with a dry, clean cloth.
Handwash
In cases where the manufacturer allows only hand washing, they recommend:
- use a container sufficient to immerse the entire product;
- the water temperature should not exceed 300C;
- to improve the quality of cleaning, dissolve one tablespoon of vinegar in 7-8 liters of water;
- place the product in the solution and begin washing it without soaking;
- a small amount of dishwashing detergent is used as a detergent, which is applied to a sponge;
- Using patience and care, remove dirt without applying excessive pressure;
- Rinse in clean cold water.
Places of heavy contamination (collars, pocket linings, sleeves) should be wiped with medical alcohol or ammonia before hand washing. When oil stains are detected, they are removed with more aggressive compounds - gasoline or turpentine, after testing their effect on an inconspicuous area of clothing. Pre-treatment will increase the chances of completely eliminating stains, and washing will destroy the accompanying odors.
Local pollution removal
Expert opinion
Kristina Samokhina
Experienced housewife.
Attention! Leatherette remaining in water for a long time leads to stretching of the material and cracking of the surface. To avoid negative consequences, washing is carried out quickly, identifying the most problematic areas in advance and paying attention to them first.
The most vulnerable places
As a rule, the cuffs and collar are the first to get dirty during wear. Unpleasant dirty stains appear especially quickly on products made of light leatherette. To restore their neat appearance, it is not necessary to wash the entire jacket.
Take a damp cloth, sprinkle a little baking soda on top and rub the stains for a few minutes. To remove soda residue and stains, wipe the surface with a slice of lemon and wait until it dries completely. Since dirt on the collar and sleeves is often quite persistent, it is recommended to carry out this treatment even if you plan to wash the entire item afterwards.
Washing machine
You can wash items made of leatherette (leatherette skirt, eco-leather jacket, etc.) in a machine, unless otherwise indicated on the product care label. Do not overuse the washing machine, as the material may change shape or become cracked. The following recommendations will prevent a negative effect:
Preliminary preparation. Before washing a leatherette jacket, you should empty the contents from the pockets, fasten the zippers and turn it inside out. This will reduce the likelihood of damage to the outer surface of the product.
Packing before placing in the drum of the machine. To avoid the loss of falling off fittings and prevent machine breakdowns when they get into moving parts, it is necessary to wash your pants, like other clothes, after packing them in a special bag or an old pillowcase.
Bag for washing clothes made from leather substitutes
Washing mode. The jacket should be washed in a washing machine on a delicate cycle, with a maximum temperature of 300C, unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer. To avoid deformation of the product, the automatic spin is turned off.
Detergent. Use gel-like mixtures recommended for wool and silk products. The use of washing powders is not advisable - cold water will not be able to rinse the detergent and stains and stains will remain on the clothes. It is prohibited to use chlorine and other aggressive bleaches.
Expert opinion
Kristina Samokhina
Experienced housewife.
Advice! If, after washing, abrasions or minor surface irregularities are detected, then they should be eliminated only after the product has dried. Special products in the form of aerosols and impregnations for all types of leather and its substitutes are widely available in stores.
Drying rules
Washed clothes should be turned right side out. All zippers and buttons on the product must be unfastened. Immediately after washing, hang the item on hangers to allow water to drain from it. After 10 minutes, the eco-leather is shaken and straightened with your hands.
After washing, it is recommended to place leatherette jackets on a terry towel and roll them up. The product should be kept in this position for 15 minutes. Then the item can be put out to dry.
Eco-leather can be dried on hangers. It is advisable to use plastic hangers for this. You can also place the item on a horizontal surface and dry it in this position. An ironing board or a special clothes dryer is suitable for this.
You don’t have to turn the artificial leather right side out, but continue to dry it on the wrong side. It is recommended to dry leatherette backpacks turned right side out .
Do not place leatherette products on heating appliances. Do not dry even near radiators. You should not dry such clothes with a hairdryer. Do not hang eco-leather in the sun to dry. It makes the thing wrinkle quickly.
Eco-leather shoes and leatherette bags are recommended to be stuffed with dry paper . It will absorb excess moisture faster. It is important to periodically change the paper filler. Items should be stored in a room that is regularly ventilated.
You will find maximum useful information about washing clothes and various fabric products here.
Tips and tricks
Experienced housewives who have repeatedly removed dirt from clothes made of various materials give the following recommendations on how to wash artificial leather:
- Before washing a leatherette dress, in addition to standard recommendations, you should make sure that there are no loose seams. If they are found, they are restored, and then the product can be washed.
- How to wash a leatherette skirt or jacket if there is no tag with the manufacturer’s recommendations, and after soaking an inconspicuous area it is difficult to draw clear conclusions. You shouldn’t do things “at random”. Before processing a dermantine item, you should consult with specialists at your nearest dry cleaner or laundry.
- If you need to wash a dress made of eco-leather with inserts made of regular fabric, then you should not use an automated wash. The density of the fabric is different, the seam is combined, and there is a high probability of its damage.
- Before washing leatherette trousers or a jacket in the washing machine, you must make sure that it is not possible to remove dirt by local cleaning. To do this, hang the item out, apply a foam solution to the stain with a soft sponge, and then wipe it with a clean soft cloth. If the result is negative, then washing cannot be avoided.
- If you had to completely wash an eco-leather skirt, then after drying it, to soften the material, you need to wipe it with glycerin. The leather substitute will become elastic and pleasant to the touch.
Methods for properly washing leatherette items are presented in the following video:
The information presented on how to wash a leather jacket at home, first of all, prevents unintentional damage to things due to failure to follow the rules for caring for things made from this material. Recommends methods for cleaning contaminants if wet cleaning is prohibited by the manufacturer. The tips will help bring the item of clothing into proper condition manually or automatically, using exactly those cleaning products that are optimal in each case.
First of all
To decide whether an outerwear made of material that imitates genuine leather can be washed, you should first carefully examine its labels. As a standard, they are located inside the clothing and contain information about the composition, manufacturer and possible methods of exposure to the material.
And if such small pieces of paper with the help of special icons signal a ban on washing, then you can resort to less radical ways of putting things in order.
It will be enough to treat the kurta with vinegar diluted with water to completely get rid of dirt or persistent unpleasant odors.
How to do it?
- Dilute 2 tbsp in 250 ml of warm water. l. vinegar with a concentration of 9% .
- Soak a soft, clean sponge in the solution.
- Wipe “greasy” or heavily soiled areas well . They are usually located on cuffs, collars or around pockets. Inside the product, the “pain points” of the jacket are the armpit area.
- Repeat the treatment several times until all stains are gone..
- Rinse the sponge well under running water and wipe the product with it again to remove vinegar from the surface of the material.
Then just let the outerwear dry naturally and you can continue to use it.