Dry cleaning of a down jacket is a local cleaning of dirt or stains without the use of hand or machine washing.
This option for getting rid of dirt allows you to quickly get a clean down jacket or jacket, saving time on drying.
In addition, dry cleaning does not affect the entire down jacket, as happens during washing. This allows you to extend the life of the product. In this article we will look at the process of dry cleaning a down jacket at home without washing.
In what cases is it needed?
Dry cleaning for a down jacket or jacket is chosen in the following cases:
- if the contamination is minor and you don’t want to wait a long time for the product to dry;
- if washing is prohibited by the clothing manufacturer.
A label sewn to the inside of the product will help you determine whether to wash your down jacket or not .
The padding and material will tell you how and how to clean a down jacket. Attention should also be paid to the nature of the contamination.
So, if the down jacket consists of:
- polyester or nylon with down and feather filling, you can use both wet and dry cleaning methods;
- membrane or Teflon coating, then washing the product in a washing machine is prohibited; For such jackets, a manual version using special detergents is recommended.
Manufacturer's labels on down jacket
It is very important to study the manufacturer's labels before taking any action on outerwear. A manufacturer who respects himself and his clothes prescribes what manipulations can be performed with them.
If it can be washed, at what temperature and how. Is dry cleaning allowed?
Methods for removing stains without washing
Stains on a down jacket can be easily removed using both special chemical solutions and traditional methods.
Successfully cope with stain removal:
- ammonia;
- hydrogen peroxide;
- shampoo;
- dish liquid;
- lemon juice;
- wiper;
- petrol.
Before you start using any cleaning product, you should test it on a small area of the underside of the jacket.
Ammonia and dish liquid
Ammonia removes stains from grease or dirt well . To create an effective solution, you need to mix ammonia and dishwashing detergent in equal proportions.
It is enough to take 1 tsp. each ingredient, mix them and dilute them in half a glass of water. The mixture is whipped until foamy.
Then take a sponge, scoop up foam and apply it to the stains. After this, the product is washed off and the down jacket is dried.
Shampoo
Shampoo will help remove light stains:
- 1 tablespoon of the product is poured into a small container filled with 250 ml of water,
- beat until foamy,
- then, using a sponge, apply the product to the stains and perform rubbing movements,
- remove excess with a damp sponge or cloth.
Shampoo can rid the item of grease and dirt, but it will not save it from rust or grease.
To prevent streaks from remaining on the jacket, it is necessary to carefully remove any remaining product. After this, it is recommended to wipe the wet area with a clean, dry cloth.
Wiper
You can use a glass cleaner to clean the down jacket. It is advisable that it be in the form of an aerosol - this makes it easier to spray it on contaminated areas.
After application, wait about 5 minutes and then wipe with a clean cloth . If necessary, the action is repeated several times. The glass cleaner will help you deal with many stains without extra effort and does not leave streaks.
Petrol
Using gasoline, you can clean your jacket from grease stains or paint .
This is done as follows:
a cotton swab is soaked in gasoline;- treat contamination;
- apply the absorbent and make rubbing movements;
- the remaining substances are brushed off the surface;
- repeat the action several times.
After the procedure, it is advisable to dry the product in fresh air.
Hydrogen peroxide
Peroxide together with ammonia cleanses greasy areas well . To do this, you need to mix the ingredients in equal proportions.
Then the fabric is moistened in the solution and the shiny area is treated. After the stain disappears, wipe the area with a damp, clean cloth.
You can try using hydrogen peroxide to remove yellow stains from a white jacket. A piece of cotton wool is soaked in the preparation and problem areas are wiped.
Salt and lemon juice
Lemon juice and salt will help remove greasy areas on your jacket. To obtain the product, mix a tablespoon of salt and juice squeezed from a large lemon. Add a little water or vinegar to the resulting mixture.
The finished product is applied to greasy areas and left for 10 minutes . Then the residue is washed off with a damp cloth. In addition to the fact that the treated areas are cleaned, the fabric on them becomes softer and more pleasant to the touch.
Salt and starch
Take the ingredients in equal quantities, add a little water to make a mushy mixture. Rub the mixture into the collar part of the down jacket and leave it like that. After 10 minutes, rinse with water.
How to remove coffee stains from clothes, furniture and carpet
This method helps eliminate even old oiliness. But in some cases the processing needs to be repeated.
Use of special chemicals
You can clean a down jacket or jacket using the dry method using special products, such as:
- "Vanish"
- Dr. Beckmann;
- Down Wash & Clean;
- Renew Down Jacket;
- STK Sitil.
This method of getting rid of stains will be quite fast and effective. To achieve effective cleansing, you must carefully study the instructions for chemical products.
TM "Vanish"
Vanish gel is considered one of the best stain removers . It is best used for cleaning heavy stains.
This product in the required concentration is whipped into foam and applied to the stain with a sponge. After 5-10 minutes, wipe off the remaining product with a damp sponge.
The advantages of Vanish include:
- nice smell;
- removes strong stains well;
- does not destroy fabric;
- Suitable for manual and machine use.
Disadvantages of the product:
- high price;
- sometimes additional processing is required.
The cost of Vanish fabric cleaning liquids starts from 320 rubles.
Dr. Beckmann
Stain remover Dr. Beckmann effectively removes stains from:
- fat,
- oils,
- sauce.
To do this, carefully apply the product to the stain and leave for 20 minutes. Afterwards, the contaminated area is washed in the usual way.
Pros:
- effectively removes food stains;
- practically odorless;
- compact packaging.
The downside of the gel is that one type of product does not cope with all stains; for stains of different origins, you need to buy specialized solutions.
The price of the most popular stain remover Dr. Beckmann is 260 RUR.
Down Wash & Clean
This is a professional cleaning product made with alcohol and soap . It has a very gentle effect on the fabric and, at the same time, effectively removes dirt.
Cleaning with Down Wash & Clean stain remover is carried out according to the following scheme:
the jacket is placed on a flat surface;- a sponge or cloth is moistened with stain remover;
- treat contaminated areas;
- Wipe the item with a damp cloth and wash off any remaining substance.
Pros:
- Gently cleans products with down filling;
- environmentally friendly;
- economical consumption of the product is ensured thanks to the sprayer;
- maintains the water-repellent properties of the down jacket.
Minuses:
- does not help against severe pollution;
- high price.
A similar effect can be achieved by using Renew Down Jacket and STK Sitil cleaning sprays. The cost of the Down Wash & Clean spray is about 600 rubles.
Other cleaning options
In addition to the methods described above, you can resort to somewhat non-standard methods of cleaning a down jacket from greasy stains. For example, you can take glass cleaning liquid and wipe the stain with it.
If the dirt is not very noticeable, you can use aviation gasoline. Before use, the contaminated area should be steamed, then wiped with the substance, and apply salt or starch, then clean with a brush.
Hair shampoo is also considered by housewives to be a good way to combat greasy stains. You need to beat it until foam forms, and just rub the stained area.
How to clean the fur parts of a jacket?
To decide on the fur cleaning method, you should find out whether it is artificial or real .
The first option can be easily cleaned with shampoo or soap. Simply dilute the product in water and dip the contaminated fur into it. It is lightly rubbed and then rinsed. After drying, the fur should be combed.
A natural product is cleaned differently:
- vinegar is mixed with water;
- Dip a sponge into the resulting solution and wipe the fur with it.
Drying
Drying a down jacket requires some care. It is best to place the product on a wire rack or on a special drying rack.
You cannot hang a down jacket on hangers, as this increases the risk of deformation of the product. You cannot dry winter clothes near a radiator or radiator .
The presence of special drying rules is indicated by a specific icon on the tag. You should not hang a washed down jacket in a damp, unventilated area, otherwise it will take a long time to dry and acquire an unpleasant musty smell.
It is also not recommended to dry the down jacket in the sun, as this leads to rapid fading of the color.
The best option is to hang the product in the shade:
- in the fresh air,
- on the balcony,
- loggias.
Good ventilation is especially important if the jacket was washed with products that have an unpleasant odor, for example, gasoline, ammonia, vinegar, etc.
Working with white products
The degree of difficulty in cleaning such clothing depends on the fabric from which the item is made. It is easy to clean up a product made of dense fabric with water-repellent properties. Much more difficult - made of fine synthetics. Below are recommendations for cleaning white down jackets:
- Apply the shampoo to a damp sponge and wipe the entire product, carefully treating the area of the sleeves, collar, pockets, and side seams. Then rinse with water if the material is dense, or wipe with a clean cloth.
- Shine on sleeves and pockets is removed with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia taken in a 1:1 ratio. This method refreshes an entire coat or jacket.
- Newly appeared greasy stains are removed by covering them with talcum powder or flour and placing them under a press. After half an hour, the substances are cleaned off with a brush.
- To clean an item without streaks, the entire item is treated, not individual sections. When cleaning locally, do not wet the fabric too much, as the fluff will get wet.
- Heavily soiled items require dry cleaning or machine or hand washing. In this case, it is advisable to use the detergent compositions mentioned above.
Dry cleaning
Some down jackets cannot be washed with water. Such items can only be dry cleaned - remove stains using chemical solvents.
Dry cleaners carry out this operation using:
- perchlorethylene;
- silicone solvent;
- hydrocarbon.
Dry cleaning will not remove odors from sweat or perfume. But stains from tobacco, coffee, and milk can be removed.
If the down jacket is filled with goose down, it is better to dry clean it. When washing at home, feathers break and up to 30% of the fluff is lost. This causes the winter jacket to become a windbreaker.- You should also use dry cleaning if the down jacket cannot be wetted due to the properties of the fabric. In this case, the manufacturer’s label will have a “no washing” icon.
At home, there is no way to properly dry a down jacket from traces of chemical solvent. Dry the jacket in a special container on hangers, blowing it with air.
How to choose?
When choosing a company, you need to check reviews from friends and online. Monitor how the staff treats clients and how competently the cleaning document is drawn up. Ideally, the receptionist should ask about stains and other defects.
Before handing over items, you need to find out what technologies are used when cleaning and drying items. Leading specialists use Italian and German equipment.
If necessary, you should take a sample item to dry cleaning. If after it flattened plastic parts appear, the fabric has significantly lost color, the dog or buttons are lost or broken, then it is better to clean the down jacket in another place.
Basic Rules
The first thing that comes to mind is to place the item in the drum of the washing machine, add powder and start the wash. Here you need to be extremely careful, because for some down jackets contact with water is unacceptable. For example, this applies to membrane products or clothes with down filling.
The ideal option in this case is to have the item dry-cleaned, but cleaning a down jacket can cost half its cost. Therefore, in this situation it is more profitable to use the advice of experienced housewives:
- Before starting the cleaning process, study the inside label, which indicates what type of washing is suitable for this type of clothing (dry cleaning, hand, machine);
- The cleanser must be applied in reasonable quantities. Otherwise, stains may form, which will not be so easy to remove;
- Use a small amount of water. With a large volume, moisture will be quickly absorbed into the material, so it will be more difficult to dry the product;
- It is advisable to use products that are quickly and easily washed off.
