If your favorite down jacket requires water treatment, you can, of course, give it to dry cleaning specialists who will return the clothing to its original appearance. However, this option is not suitable for everyone and not always. Firstly, the service costs money. Secondly, dry cleaning is not always within walking distance. And thirdly, as a rule, the contract for the provision of dry cleaning services states that you yourself are responsible for how your clothes will endure the procedure.
But is it possible to wash a down jacket in a washing machine? Judging by the reviews and advice of experienced housewives, yes. Just be careful and careful. If you neglect some rules for caring for this outerwear, then cleaning can end very sadly - the jacket will look like a rag with the filling knocked into a shapeless lump. After this, it is almost impossible to restore the “fluffy” look of the down jacket. Therefore, in order not to shed tears over a thing that has hopelessly lost its appearance, arm yourself with detailed instructions for washing down jackets in the washing machine.
Preparatory stage
Outerwear with natural insulation does not require frequent washing. If there are only a couple of stains on your clothes, you can gently wash them with a foam sponge and soap. Just do not rinse the item under running water; carefully remove the soap scum using the same sponge. If the jacket is heavily soiled, you cannot do without washing. Before you start washing your down jacket in an automatic machine, you need to prepare the item for the procedure.
The preparation phase consists of four steps.
- Prepare your supplies. Buy laundry detergent, preferably liquid. We will also need several tennis balls and hangers for drying.
- Free yourself from unnecessary things. Before washing the down jacket in the washing machine, remove the fur from the hood, if any, and also fasten the fasteners, buttons and empty the pockets.
- Clean “special” places. Pre-wash the seams along the jacket, the fabric of the cuffs and collar, the piping at the pockets and near the fasteners so that they can be washed better. It is better to treat with laundry soap in order to get a clean jacket without streaks.
- Wrong side up. Turning the product inside out will prevent damage to the “front” side of the product and will help avoid deformation of the jacket.
If your down jacket has begun to “shed”, that is, feathers have come out of its seams, then most likely you will have to give up automatic washing - there is a risk that in the process of spinning the item in the drum it will lose even more filler. And the latter will also clog the drain hole of the household appliance.
Proper drying
A down jacket can be damaged not only when washing, but also when drying. To properly dry your outerwear, follow these steps:
- Remove the down jacket from the washing machine and turn it inside out.
- If you used balls, shake the jacket well and hang it on your hanger. If you washed it without balls, fluff the fluff with your hands, otherwise it will take a long time to dry and lose its ability to provide warmth.
- Fasten the zipper or buttons so that the product takes the correct shape.
- You need to dry the jacket in a vertical position, hanging it on hangers. It is important that air circulates from all sides.
- Periodically shake the down jacket and turn it inside out.
You should follow a number of simple rules if you dry your down jacket at home:
- Do not lay the down jacket on a horizontal surface to dry. Lack of air access to the fluff will lead to decay and rotting. An unpleasant odor is a sign of this process.
- Do not dry your down jacket on padding polyester or with other filling in the bathroom. Due to high humidity, it will take a long time to dry and may begin to deteriorate. It's better to hang your coat in the living room.
- If you dry the product outside, choose a dark but well-ventilated place. Drying in the sun contributes to uneven drying of the down and the appearance of streaks.
- It is forbidden to dry a down jacket near heating devices and heat sources.
- Do not use a hairdryer for drying.
Advice! If the down jacket looks wrinkled after drying, a special steamer will help fix this. But using an iron for these purposes is strictly prohibited. After ironing, the filler will be irrevocably damaged.
Let's get started: how to wash a down jacket in a washing machine
Place the item prepared for washing into the drum of your household cleaner. The mode for washing a down jacket should be gentle; most often you can find it in the special programs section. These are "delicate wash", "hand wash" or "wool".
A very important point: the water during washing should not heat up to more than 30°C, and spinning should not be performed at a speed of more than 500 revolutions. If the automatic mode you have selected does not meet these requirements, adjust the temperature level and spin speed manually.
Try washing the down jacket on a delicate cycle, and next time, for example, set the regulator to o. Over time, you will decide for yourself which program is best to wash your down jacket.
It is better to wash the jacket separately from other things. You will have to give up fabric softener, otherwise there will be streaks. Especially on dark fabrics. If necessary, you can rinse the product twice to completely eliminate any remaining detergent.
Powder, shampoo or gel
The result of home dry cleaning directly depends on the choice of detergent for washing down jackets in the washing machine. The best option would be a special shampoo for downy items, which can be found on the shelves of outerwear stores or in standard departments with powders and gels.
If it is not possible to purchase such a special bottle, use liquid laundry detergents in gel form, which are currently produced by many well-known brands (Ariel, Tide, Persil). They are sold in plastic bottles or capsules. You can also use liquid gel for woolen items such as “Weasel” or “Vorsinka”.
Avoid using regular washing powder, as it does not rinse out the insulation well and causes white streaks on the jacket.
What balls are needed and their quantity
The housewife who came up with the idea of washing fluffy winter jackets together with tennis balls should have a monument erected. Washing a down jacket with tennis balls prevents the jacket from losing its shape. This is the very secret that allows you to do without dry cleaning.
Small elastic balls, spinning in the drum of the washing machine, “whip” the jacket, preventing the filling from sticking and caking, and preventing the product itself from “sticking” to the drum.
It is better to buy balls for washing down jackets at a sports store. They should be heavy, rubberized, covered with a pile fabric on top. To wash a child’s jacket you will need two balls, an adult’s - three.
Spiked rubber balls are also suitable. The same ones that dog breeders usually use to play with their pets. You should not replace rubber balls with plastic ones - they will be of no use.
Try pre-washing tennis balls for down jackets to make sure the upholstery doesn't fade. Owners of light down jackets should not neglect this advice.
If there are no balls at hand
Housewives on online forums share their recommendations on how to wash a down jacket if there are no balls. There are two main tips here.
- Maintain the parameters. Keep the temperature low and do not exceed the spin speed.
- Beat the fluff. It will be necessary to thoroughly beat the down in the down jacket after washing. Many housewives use a carpet beater for this. It is better to break up stuck together lumps every two hours throughout the drying process.
Whipping does not provide an absolute guarantee that the procedure will be completed successfully. Therefore, if you have a high-quality, expensive jacket with natural filling (feather, down), then don’t skimp and buy balls. They will last for many years, and down items will definitely not lose their shape after washing.
Choosing a detergent
Classic washing powder removes stains well. However, it is difficult to wash out, and its granules can get stuck between the fibers of the filler. This causes the internal material to lose its physical properties. Some housewives prefer to use granulated powders for children's things. They have a fine structure, so they rinse well.
How to wash a winter jacket more efficiently? It is better to use washing capsules or gel powder. They contain highly active substances that are activated at low temperatures and are not inferior in quality to classic powders. If you want to quickly wash your jacket, but there is no suitable detergent, use hair shampoo. The main thing is that they do not contain coloring pigments.
What to do if spots appear
Often, after automatic washing, dark stripes and stains appear on clothes - this is “internal” dirt and dust. To remove stains on a down jacket after washing, try gently soaping the sponge with laundry soap and wiping away the stains, then rinse with water. Or use a stain remover for colored laundry: drop a couple of drops on the stained areas and after about fifteen minutes brush with a brush. In this case, the down jacket will need to be washed again.
If you notice greasy or yellow stains that have come from nowhere, then the “resuscitation” method will be as follows: drop a little dishwashing detergent on the stain, scrub with a brush and send the down jacket to be washed again.
Whitish stains on a washed item can only be eliminated by repeated rinsing.
Video on the topic
Features of cleaning jackets with different fillings
Down and feather are the most popular fillings for winter jackets. But there are other insulating materials that are also often used by outerwear manufacturers. Cleaning products with other insulation materials should also be carried out very carefully. How to wash a down jacket in a washing machine in this case?
- Camel's wool. A jacket with camel wool filling must be washed using the “wool” mode on the machine at a temperature not exceeding 30°C. The spin speed should not exceed 600 rpm. Choose a liquid detergent for wool or silk.
- Bio-Fluff. This synthetic substitute for natural down requires special care. Products with bio-down should also be washed on a delicate cycle at 40°C and a spin speed of no more than 400. Do not squeeze or twist the product with your hands, and it is better to dry bio-down in a horizontal position.
- Holofiber. Products filled with holofiber are less capricious than down ones. They can be washed by hand or in a machine in the delicate wash mode; they are not afraid of spinning at high speeds and deformation. Drying such things is also easy: hang the jacket on hangers over the bathtub or on the balcony. After drying, shake the product to return it to its former lush shape.
It’s not difficult to wash a down jacket correctly in an automatic machine so that the down does not bunch up. The most important rule is that before you start cleaning, carefully study the icons on the label, because the manufacturer may even prohibit washing the product. In this case, of course, you cannot do without professional help. Specialized companies may offer the option of dry cleaning with organic solvents. And also, if necessary, they will remove shine on the sleeves and near the zippers.
Why not dry cleaning?
If you carefully look at the instructions for your down jacket, you will most likely notice that the manufacturer does not recommend machine washing at all, but recommends going to dry cleaning. However, this dry cleaning method contains a number of significant disadvantages:
Many housewives advise putting badminton balls
- High price . Sometimes the price of a down jacket seems ridiculous compared to the cost of cleaning it annually according to the manufacturer’s advice.
- Lack of responsibility. Many dry cleaners, before accepting a product from a client, require you to sign a service agreement, which, among other things, also states that the company does not bear any responsibility for the result. That is, if you end up with some semblance of your once cute down jacket, then no one will be to blame for this, and you will not be compensated for the damage.
- Time . Throwing an item into the machine, taking it out, hanging it to dry, or going to the same dry cleaner are actions that require very different time commitments.
- Harmfulness. It is not a fact that trace chemical elements of the substances used to clean your jacket will not remain in the filler. Contact with them will definitely not benefit allergy sufferers and small children.
No more than 30 degrees!
