Down jackets (down jackets, raincoats, coats,Overalls) have become almost the most popular type of warm outerwear today. They are worn by both young and old, regardless of gender and social status. What is it? Warm, comfortable, light, practical and fashionable! And no wonder: after all, they were developed by research institutes specifically for equipping Arctic expeditions. It is unlikely that there is a family where at least one of the household members did not have a down jacket in their wardrobe. And therefore, sooner or later, we are faced with the task of cleaning or washing this clothing, especially if it belongs to a child or is light in color. And here the question arises: how to wash a down jacket? It is clear that the most convenient way is to take the down jacket to the dry cleaner. Everything will be done professionally and carefully there. But it is reasonable to take the down jacket to the dry cleaner after the end of the cold season, before putting away warm clothes for summer storage. Because, firstly, it costs money (and sometimes a lot of it), and secondly, it takes time. And so during the winter and autumn, we have no choice but to wash the down jacket in a washing machine or by hand. Those of us who are faced with such a need for the first time are often frightened by the prospect of washing the down jacket ourselves. However, there is nothing to worry about. Everything is quite easy and simple. You just need to learn some of the features of the product itself and the rules for washing it.
What's inside the down jacket?
We call all voluminous insulated jackets down jackets.jackets, regardless of what they have inside. In fact, a real down jacket should be stuffed with down (eider, goose, swan or duck). On the label of such a down jacket there will be a mark "down". But this mark is quite difficult to find. Most often, inside such jackets, the down is mixed with feathers, and the inscription on its label is the word "feather". It is these real down jackets that require especially careful handling when washing. In addition to real down jackets, there are clothes with insulation made of other materials: "cotton" - batting, "wool" - wool, "polyester" "hollow fiber" and "fiberteck" - synthetic insulation. With them, things are simpler than with down, but careful handling of such clothes also does not hurt. Therefore, the rules of how to wash down jackets are quite suitable for other insulated winter jackets. According to the manufacturers' recommendations, clothes with feather-down insulation should not be washed or ironed at all. But, as the experience of our enterprising and risky housewives shows (and it turns out that we have plenty of such experience), a down jacket can be washed. The question is how to do this without causing much harm to the item.
How to wash the down jacket in a washing machine?
Washing rules for down jackets explainednamely their special filler – down. The fact is that in addition to such undoubtedly excellent qualities as lightness and warmth, down also has some properties that are inconvenient for us. Down tends to accumulate dust, clump when wet, absorb detergents well and poorly release them. Therefore, before washing down jackets, remember that:
- in the drum of the washing machine you can load only one down jacket;
- The temperature of the water for washing should not be more than 30 degrees;
- detergents can be used only special or the simplest liquid (liquid soap);
- The washing mode must be set to a delicate, with the lowest speed;
- wash the down jacket should only be turned inside out, with buttoned zippers and buttons;
- rinse down jacket preferably at least three times;
- Press only at the lowest speed of the washing machine.
Some down jackets are sold together withspecial balls for washing. Such balls are placed in the drum of the washing machine and down jackets are washed and dried together with them. If such balls were not included with your down jacket, then, on the advice of enterprising housewives, use tennis balls (for tennis). Three or four balls in the washing machine will not allow the down to clump together during washing. Why is it undesirable to use washing powder? It does not have any harmful effects on the down, it is just very difficult to rinse the powder out of the down. Therefore, when washing with powder, you will simply have to rinse the down jacket more thoroughly. You can also wring it out in the washing machine and also with tennis balls. If the down jacket is not very dirty, then it is not necessary to put it in the washing machine. You can do with a more gentle method and wash the down jacket by hand.
How to wash the down jacket manually?
Cuffs and pockets get dirty most often and quickly.and the collar. To clean them, apply a little mild shampoo or laundry soap to the fabric. Lightly wet and rub the dirty areas with your hand or a brush. Then rinse off the foam thoroughly with a wet cloth. If you need to wash the entire down jacket, hang it on a hanger or on a rope over the bathtub, completely lather the fabric, and then rinse off the foam with water from the shower. A down jacket made of water-repellent fabric will not get wet and will become clean (though only on top). And if the fabric lets water through, only the top layer of the down "filling" will get wet. Therefore, the fluff will not get lumpy, and you will not have to dry it for a long time.
How to dry the down jacket?
If you dry your down jacket in the washing machine, thenYou need to put tennis balls there, which will fluff up the fluff and prevent it from sticking together. The process itself should last about two hours. By the way, after such drying, the down jacket may look dry, but the inner layers of the lining may still be damp. Therefore, leave it to hang in the room for a while, and do not put it away in the closet right away. Remember that down jackets cannot be placed on a heating battery or dried very close to other heat sources. The hot air will make the feather brittle and stop warming. Dry the down jacket in an upright position, periodically removing it from the hanger, shaking and kneading. This is necessary so that the feather does not stick together and does not slide to one side. In fact, this periodic and vigorous shaking is the most tiring in the entire washing process. But the more intensely you shake the down jacket, the better it will look from such shaking. So, take note of the recommendations on how to wash down jackets and decide for yourself: is it worth it to start washing at home or still prefer dry cleaning. And you will have to choose - after all, a down jacket should not only be warm and fashionable, but also clean. We recommend reading:
