Products made from polyester entered the masses back in the 60s of the last century and immediately gained enormous popularity. Depending on the thickness of the thread, polyester can resemble either wool or silk in appearance. All wardrobe items are made from this material - from women's stockings to warm coats. The latter, by the way, are in good demand among urban fashionistas.
A coat made of 100% synthetics is easy to care for and costs much less than those made from natural fabrics. But with daily wear, the outer garment is exposed to road dust; traces of slush may remain on it and various stains may appear. Is it possible to wash a polyester coat at home without risking damage to your favorite item?
Features of washing polyester coats
In order not to spoil your favorite item due to washing, you cannot do the following:
- Washing in boiling water. Too high a water temperature can cause subsequent deformation of the fabric.
- Use of bleaches and low-quality washing powders. Bleach will leave a white stain on colored fabric, and a yellow stain on white fabric. Poor quality powder is difficult to rinse out of synthetic fabric and can leave behind white streaks on dark-colored coats. It is better to give preference to modern oxygen stain removers and high-quality washing powders, which are available in abundance in any store or supermarket.
The washing itself can be done in three ways: dry, manual and in an automatic washing machine. Which method is better is determined by the condition of the coat itself.
- If there are minor stains, you can do it using the dry method, washing the coat in certain places.
- If the item is designer or has many small decorative items in the form of embroidery or rhinestones, then it is better to wash the item by hand.
- An ordinary coat without decorative stripes can be successfully washed in an automatic washing machine.
Raincoat: wool and polyester
How to do laundry in this situation? Does the procedure become more complicated? The combination of two materials makes the raincoat practical and allows you to wear clothes in cold autumn. Wool helps retain warmth and softness, while polyester increases strength, reduces shrinkage and the risk of clothes becoming wrinkled.
It is advisable to wash it rarely, as otherwise the raincoat will cease to be beautiful: pills will appear and the shape will be lost.
Wash the raincoat by hand or in the “Delicate Wash” mode. The water temperature should not exceed 35 degrees. Use a special powder that is designed for wool. To preserve the original properties of clothing, use conditioner. Set the spin cycle to a minimum without putting unnecessary stress on the raincoat.
Hang the clean item on a hanger above the basin or bathtub. If the clothes dry in this form, the stylish appearance will remain.
Detergents
When choosing a detergent, you need to proceed from the color scheme of the coat. If it is black, then it makes sense to purchase a special liquid laundry detergent for black items. It not only refreshes the appearance of dark fabric, but is also able to hide faded or faded color, as it contains tinting particles.
Light coat colors can be washed with regular and liquid powder, just add 2 times less of them than with regular washing. Synthetic foams the detergent well, and a small amount is enough to wash even a very dirty coat.
How to wash by hand?
When deciding to wash an item by hand, pay attention to the temperature and type of wash.
Select the appropriate detergent based on the material of your clothing.
For example, models made from lightweight fabrics can be washed in warm water. It is recommended to add a small amount of washing powder. It is not advisable to wring out and twist the raincoat if you want to preserve the original properties of the fabric. After you wash the item, shake out the excess water and then hang it on a hanger. To avoid extra drops on the floor and keep your apartment clean, dry your raincoat over a bathtub or over a basin.
Do you want to speed up the drying process of your raincoat? Open the room to allow air circulation.
After the item has dried, iron the coat. Remember: ironing on the front side is not allowed. Heat the iron to 110 degrees, maximum 125.
Dry wash
Dry washing does not imply a complete elimination of the use of water, but only allows you to avoid soaking the product completely. If you need to remove any stain, you don’t have to do a huge wash, but you can get rid of it quickly and efficiently by local washing.
All stains, without exception, can be removed with a good oxygen bleach, which is available for white and colored fabrics. By consistency, it can be a powder or liquid gel of transparent or blue color. The latter are very convenient to use, since they do not require preliminary dilution with water, but are applied directly to the site of contamination.
The applied bleach is left for some time indicated on the packaging of the product, and then washed off with water.
Washing
If you decide to wash small stains on your wool clothes at home, you will need a soft sponge or piece of cloth. As a stain remover, you can use laundry soap, hair shampoo or special detergents for washing woolen products.
Remember, it is not the product itself that is applied to the stain, but a thick foam obtained from dissolving the selected product in water. The dirty area to which the foam has been applied should be rubbed very carefully and gently with a sponge or cloth. Do not scrub the stain too vigorously or press the sponge too hard. After removing contamination in this way, the area of fabric should be washed with warm water and blotted with a dry terry towel or thick cloth.
- How to wash a polyester jacket in the washing machine
Handwash
It is dangerous to wash an expensive designer coat in a washing machine due to the risk of damage, so many housewives resort to dry cleaning or wash the item by hand. Steps for hand washing a polyester coat:
- Dilute the detergent in a large container with warm (no more than 30 degrees) water. If it is a dry powder, then wait until it is completely dissolved;
- place the coat in water and let it lie for 1-1.5 hours;
- lightly rub the dirtiest places (sleeves, area around pockets and collar), and then wash the whole coat with weak movements, reminiscent of kneading dough;
- Drain the dirty water, add clean, cool water and rinse in a circular motion. Change the water until all the foam has dried up.
Preparation
- We check the resistance of the fabric to detergent. When purchasing clothes, along with spare accessories, the manufacturer puts in a small piece of fabric from which the product is made. It is necessary for testing the product that will be used for washing. Apply a little and watch the reaction: if there are no changes in structure and coloring, then this type of powder can be used when washing coats;
- Remove all detachable decorative parts: belt, fur inserts, metal badges, cuffs;
- Check your pockets. Keys, lighters, coins, paper clips, pens, buttons and any other objects can damage not only the washing machine, but also the coat itself;
- Fasten all buttons and zippers and turn the outfit inside out;
- Place in a washing bag.
Tip: pay attention to the information on the label. The usual cleaning temperature for polyester clothing is 40º, but sometimes the manufacturer reduces it to 30º, or increases it to 60º.
Machine washable
If a polyester coat has a regular straight cut without all sorts of frills, and there are no small details on it, it can be safely washed in a washing machine. In automatic mechanical machines, they use the “Synthetics” or “Delicate Fabrics” program for this, a temperature of 30 degrees and no more than 600 spin speeds. Automatic machines equipped with electronics, when selecting the above-mentioned programs, will themselves determine the degrees and number of revolutions, which, if desired, can be adjusted at will.
The washed item is dried away from direct sunlight and heating devices. To avoid ironing later, you need to dry your coat on hangers in a well-ventilated area. If, nevertheless, the unevenness is not smoothed out, then they are removed using an iron using steam and steam.
Using these tips, you can wash any polyester coat without resorting to expensive dry cleaners.
In what cases is it better to trust professionals?
There are situations when home appliances are unreliable and you should take help from specialists or contact a dry cleaner.
- according to the manufacturer's recommendations;
- white color of the product;
- the presence of difficult to remove stains from fuel oil or oil;
- there is no possibility for independent removal;
- there is no desire to spoil products if you are unsure of your own methods.
Taking good care of your coat, timely cleaning and washing will help extend the life of your favorite item.
What is the difference between nylon and polyester?
How to wash a polyester jacket
What to do if washing is prohibited?
There is nothing wrong if the label indicates that any wet cleaning of the product is prohibited. There are several alternative ways to clean a coat at home without washing:
- An excellent dry cleaning method for tackling stains and heavy soiling is a steam cleaner. It has a delicate effect on the fabric, does not cause deformation, allows the item to maintain its bright color and is suitable for cleaning even such delicate materials as cashmere, wool, satin or silk.
- Use a ready-made set of products for dry cleaning clothes at home (sold at a household chemical store), which includes: a special stain remover, a washing case and wet wipes soaked in fragrances. This method is suitable for those who have a drying function in their automatic machine.
- You can remove minor stains from outerwear using folk remedies. So, ammonia solution, purified gasoline and vinegar are used as solvents. Hydrogen peroxide will remove stains from white clothes. Baking soda or starch applied to the problem area will quickly absorb all the dirt. Fur can be cleaned well in just 30 minutes with sand heated in a dry frying pan.
Proper preparation for cleaning and competent care will keep the coat in new condition for many years, and will save its owner time and resources. If for some reason not one of the cleaning methods given in this article is suitable, there is always a backup option with dry cleaning.
How to wash a drape coat?
However, these outerwear are made not only from cashmere. Therefore, it is also useful to know whether a drape coat can be washed. If the label does not indicate a categorical prohibition, then yes. In the case when the sleeves are shiny or you just need to wipe off the stain, it is worth doing wet cleaning. To do this, add a small amount of detergent intended for wool to the water. Apply it to the affected areas with a soft brush, and you can rub it lightly, but without pressing hard. Then use a sponge to treat the entire surface of the product.
We recommend: Is it possible to wash a leather jacket in a machine or at least by hand?
This procedure is not always enough to put things in order. You can wash a drape coat in the same way as a cashmere coat: in lukewarm water, followed by thorough rinsing and horizontal drying.
How to dry?
Polyester dries quickly, especially if you hang the product in a draft. Synthetic items should not be hung in the sun or near heating appliances. During push-ups, pressing movements are used; twisting the product is not recommended. If you squeeze the fabric, it may leave creases that are difficult to iron out. It is best to let the water drain naturally by hanging the item on hangers or pat it dry with a terry towel.
Does viscose shrink when washed?
Items made from viscose fabric are highly susceptible to shrinkage, especially if they are not washed correctly. It is also worth considering that those products whose fabric contains impurities of other fibers suffer the most. For example, if the composition contains natural cotton or acrylic, then high-temperature water may cause the item to shrink. Also, clothing may shrink in size due to temperature changes if wool is present. But the presence of polyester contributes to the formation of pills if washed incorrectly, especially in an automatic machine.
Attention! A product made from 100% viscose is less demanding on the washing process, unlike mixed fabric.
When planning to wash a viscose product, you should consider the following factors:
- at high or unstable temperatures, things can shrink significantly, especially if the composition contains wool or acrylic;
- the product must be dried correctly and completely; a wet item can stretch greatly without the possibility of recovery;
- if the composition contains polyester thread, then the formation of pills is possible, so it is recommended to wash such an item in a special bag;
- For viscose clothes, it is not advisable to use steamers, as is vertical hanging for drying, since under its own weight the material can stretch without restoring its original size.
If a viscose item has lost its shape after improper washing, it will be almost impossible to restore it
Temperature
If the label is missing any instructions, or is cut off and lost, there are general recommendations that apply to all polyester products. You can wash items made from synthetic thread at a temperature of 40°C. To ensure that the front side of the fabric undergoes changes to a lesser extent, things are turned inside out.
If the item only needs to be refreshed and there are no traces of dirt on it, then water heated to about 20-25°C will do. In colder water, it becomes difficult to use the powder, since it will not dissolve and will not show its cleaning properties.
On some less delicate items, the label indicates a temperature of 60°C - this is the maximum permissible limit. When exposed to harsh detergents and higher temperatures, the fibers split faster and the strength of the product is lost. It is strictly forbidden to boil the material.
