When cold weather sets in, each person takes out warmer outerwear from their wardrobe, which protects them from both moisture and the cold wind. Such a universal and most common outerwear is a jacket with “padding” made from natural or artificial materials.
But after wearing a jacket with down or holofiber for one season, you will certainly have to clean it, but how to wash a down jacket in a washing machine so that the down doesn’t tangle is a pressing question that can arise both during winter and after it.
Is it possible to wash a down jacket in a washing machine?
Of course, a yellowed collar, worn sleeves and a darkened hem are the main reasons why a jacket should be washed. And then the question arises: is it possible to wash it in a washing machine, especially if its “filling” is natural feathers and down.
The thing is that the exact answer is contained on the tag sewn into your jacket. If it indicates that such a product can be washed in an automatic machine, then feel free to put it in the drum.
But if you can only use delicate manual or dry cleaning, then you can forget about an automatic machine.
So, if you know about the upcoming cold snap and are aware that you will soon need outerwear, you can wash your down jacket, but only in the way indicated on the tag left by the manufacturer. If you find out whether it can be washed, then you need to follow some rules that will help keep your clothes in proper condition.
After all, when asking questions about the possibility of automatic cleaning, you probably assumed that a down jacket could be damaged, at least by soapy “drawings”, and at most by filler matted or knocked out of the seams.
How to remove stains
By washing a down jacket, even in an automatic machine, it is sometimes impossible to solve the typical problems of its contamination: darkened edges of the sleeves, a soiled collar, dirty edges of pockets and the sides of the product. In addition to typical stains, various specific stains may also occur: from food and drinks, traces of blood, oil and greasy stains on fabric. And the presence of yellow stains on a white product is a common and difficult problem to solve. First you need to learn how to remove each of the stains. More often this is done by treating the fabric and soaking it before the main washing process.
Fat
When starting to wash a down jacket yourself, you can achieve the best result only through careful preparation: initial inspection and processing of the product. This type of winter outerwear is very difficult to handle and use, but all this is covered by its heat-saving and hypoallergenic properties.
Several familiar techniques can save any item from greasy stains: using mustard powder, liquid dishwashing detergent, salt or even shaving foam. It is better not to take risks on white material with mustard powder due to its coloring pigment. But dish degreaser and salt will handle the stain just fine.
It is better to choose a degreaser that is as pure as possible, without dyes or odor. Many organic dish soap options work great on stains without leaving behind streaks or dye tints.
The powder must be dissolved in warm water until it reaches a mushy consistency. Place the mixture on the site of contamination. Hot water should absolutely not be used; feather fibers will quickly absorb the mustard pigment and risk deformation. Foam and degreaser should be applied without first diluting anything, just like salt. Salt particles absorb contaminants through diffusion. It is best to replace them several times until the salt remains clean and white and the stain is discolored.
Shiny
If a greasy stain has gone unnoticed since last season, it will be more difficult to remove it, since in order to properly wash a down jacket, you also need to act delicately. A specialized stain remover for wool and fluff, as well as delicate fabrics, will help remove old greasy stains. Typically, these products have a liquid consistency and are applied topically or added to laundry detergent. It is not advisable to use powdered stain removers. After them, the clothes will have a long recovery from stains and a whitish tint.
Ink
It would seem impossible to ruin washed clothes with stains. But even worse would be to discover an ink stain on a white down jacket before putting it in the washing machine. If such contamination has recently appeared on your jacket, it will be easy and quick to remove.
Take a sponge soaked in alcohol and gently wipe the stained area on the fabric. After this, the final treatment will be wiping with a damp cloth. In the car, after these manipulations, the down jacket does not risk becoming stained with ink. The older the ink blot on your outerwear, the more effort it will take to remove it.
Glycerin, milk, heated whey of dairy products and hydrogen peroxide are suitable for treating ink that has become embedded in the fabric. To avoid further damage to the material, try applying peroxide or stain remover somewhere inconspicuous, on the edge or at the seam junction, for example, inside the garment on the lining side.
Having finally made sure that the reagents do not harm the structure of the fabric and its pigment, feel free to proceed to cleaning the stain. Stain removers and bleaches will do the job well. Chlorine-based products are best avoided. They guarantee that the item will be washed without streaks.
Preparing a down jacket for washing
If you find out that your jacket can be washed in a washing machine, then you need to prepare it properly. How to properly wash a down jacket depends on its further appearance after washing. The main problem that can await you when washing a down jacket is stray pieces of filler.
Therefore, for gentle and more efficient operation, automatic machines use special balls or ordinary tennis balls. Washing in an automatic machine, even on the most gentle mode, will certainly lead to the fact that the “stuffing” begins to fall off.
If you wash it in a washing machine with balls, you can avoid this.
Of course, washing without balls is also quite possible, but when washing in a machine with tennis balls, they will perform a kind of “massage” function. Spinning together with the jacket in the drum, they help wash without streaks due to additional pressure on the filler (as if squeezing the detergent out of the fluff), and each ball washes out the clumps, thereby “beating” and distributing them evenly.
How to dry a down jacket correctly
It is known that washing a feather down jacket is only half the battle; the rest of the time is spent on proper drying. Naturally, it’s easier to use a special dryer and dry the down jacket on it using electricity. But not everyone has such a device, so you have to dry the item outside (balcony). But in damp weather this will be problematic, so many can try drying with a hairdryer or near a radiator.
Returning the down jacket to its original appearance
Of course, if you get your down jacket dirty, washing is inevitable, no matter what the weather is like outside. But if washing a down jacket ends with the formation of lumps from the filler, then do not despair and throw the item away.
The main steps are as follows:
- Try to distribute the “clumps” with your hands;
- Take a vacuum cleaner and with light chaotic movements (without stopping in one place), from the inside out, go over each “square” with a tube without a nozzle;
- Try beating the inside out with a carpet beater;
- If this does not help, re-wash the jacket with the tourmaline spheres.
Washing a down jacket at home in a washing machine
Naturally, do not wear down jackets, they will still get dirty over time and will need cleaning.
Therefore, to wash down jackets at home without unnecessary delays, follow the basic rules:
- When washing, use high-quality (preferably liquid) household chemicals;
- When washing any down jackets, turn on the gentle (gentle) mode with a temperature no higher than 30-40°.
- Set the spin speed to low (no more than 400-600 rpm).
- After the washing unit has washed and wrung out, repeat the rinsing and squeezing procedure.
- Dry on the back of a chair or on a hanger (hanging on the door) in a ventilated place.
Washing features
To ensure that washing your down jacket does not become the last time for it, follow the following sequence of actions:
- Carefully fold the down jacket and place it in the drum of the washing machine.
- Pour a suitable detergent into the powder compartment.
- Select the appropriate mode. Some automatic machines have a program for washing down jackets and blankets. If there is no such program, select one of the modes - “Washing woolen items”, “Washing delicate laundry”, “Delicate washing”, etc.
- If you set the water temperature manually, make sure it is no higher than 30 degrees. At high temperatures, the filler may clump and lose its properties.
- At the end of the program, additionally turn on the “Rinse” mode. It is advisable to rinse the down jacket 3-4 times. This will help rinse the detergent thoroughly and prevent streaks.
- The jacket should be wrung out at low speed (about 400-500 rpm).
Hand washing tips - video:
Washing with balls
The main difficulty in washing a down coat is that the filling easily clumps. As a result, outerwear becomes ugly and uncomfortable to wear. You can prevent the problem if you wash your down jacket with balls and tourmaline spheres. They will allow you to wash your jacket efficiently and ensure fluffiness and softness of the down. In addition, they have an additional antibacterial effect.
If there are no special spheres, you can use tennis balls instead. You need to throw them into the drum of the machine along with the down jacket. Consider a few simple tips:
- Before putting the balls in the washing machine, make sure they are not shedding.
- Tennis balls should be washed separately as dirt from them can transfer to the jacket.
- To wash a light down jacket, do not use brightly colored balls.
During the washing and spinning process, balls or balls fluff the fluff well, preventing it from clumping and deforming. If a coat is washed without balls, it will be much more difficult to restore its appearance.
Important tips when washing a down jacket in the washing machine - video:
Advice! If you don't have tennis balls or special spheres, you can replace them with rubber massage balls. Women who love to craft can put a ball of thread or yarn in a sock and put it in the machine. The main thing is that they do not shed.
How to wash a down jacket by hand
If you do not find a machine wash permit on the tag, then you need to know how to wash a down jacket at home without using equipment. If washing a down jacket is only allowed by hand, you can wash it in the bath. The same rules apply for water and detergent temperatures as for automatic washing.
First, you fill your outerwear with a bath of diluted product and then soak it for a while. The most problematic areas can be washed separately, and then using a shower (after hanging it on a hanger) rinse off the detergent.
So we’ve figured out how you can wash your outerwear yourself, without resorting to dry cleaning services. It’s better to clean the down jacket yourself and not pay a lot of money for almost the same procedure. The main thing is to follow the basic rules.
- Replacing the hatch cuff of a Samsung washing machine
- Replacing heating element in a Bosch washing machine
Hand wash
If the manufacturer allows washing only by hand, cleaning a down jacket at home will not be difficult. Carefully inspect the clothing and determine the degree of contamination. A not very dirty item can be cleaned by hanging it on a hanger, focusing on particularly dirty areas.
Then the appropriate technology is selected, depending on what type of washing is chosen. When washing by hand, use warm water in which the detergent must be diluted. Laundry soap works well. The solution must be foamed and a sponge soaked in it. First, they wipe the dirty areas with it, achieving complete cleansing, and at a further stage they treat the jacket’s coating, making movements from top to bottom.
This way the entire product is washed. Then it is placed under the shower, and the foam is washed off with a strong stream. It is necessary to rinse the item thoroughly so that its composition does not retain fragments of the detergent.
If the dirt is very strong, it is recommended to wash it in the bath. The water should be cool, about 30 degrees. Detergent is poured into it. Mix everything until the substance dissolves, then add the jacket to the liquid. It must be left for 10-15 minutes.
After this, wash the product, change the water and rinse it well. It is better to repeat this action again. The spin should be gentle, and then the item is straightened and placed on a hanger to dry.
