How to wash a wool coat (including camel hair) in an automatic washing machine at home, is it possible by hand?

A wool coat is an expensive wardrobe item. During seasonal wear it gets dirty. Contamination is especially visible on a light-colored coat.

It would be natural to take the item to the dry cleaner, where it will be cleaned by professionals. But dry cleaning is an expensive pleasure, and clients are not always happy with the results, since sometimes stains remain.

You can wash your wool coat at home yourself. Read the article on how to properly wash a wool coat.

Is it washable?

To answer this question, you need to look at the coat tag and pay attention to the icons shown :

If the label has a drawing of a basin with two crossed out lines, this means that this product cannot be washed either by hand or in a machine.
Only dry cleaning is allowed. If there is no image, washing is possible.
It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the composition of the material from which the coat is made. If the wool content is no more than 80%, then you can wash it by hand and in a washing machine.
If, after studying the tag, you still have doubts, you can conduct an experiment with a piece of fabric, which is always attached to the label by the manufacturer.
Many people believe that a small portion of the material is sewn on in case a patch needs to be made. In fact, the manufacturer offers a sample of the material to see how this or that effect will affect the fabric.

Before washing a sample, it is necessary to measure a piece of material so that after washing you can see whether the fabric will shrink or not, or whether the color will change.

Polyester

A polyester coat can be safely thrown into the washing machine. But the material is afraid of hot water; under its influence the fibers are deformed.

To wash the product in an automatic machine, set the temperature to +30 ... +40 °C. Turn off the spin mode: the creases that form during this process cannot be straightened with an iron. Set the washing mode to gentle, pour liquid detergent into the powder compartment. After the wash cycle, carefully straighten the coat and hang it on hangers over the bathtub to drain.

How to prepare the product?

If the composition of the material and the tag on the coat indicate that the product can be washed in a machine, precautions must be taken.

So that the item does not become deformed, does not “shrink”, or the color fades:

remove all attached additional parts (fur collars, scarves, belts, jewelry);
empty their pockets;
button the coat with all the buttons;
turn a thing inside out;
Particularly dirty areas and stains are cleaned with a soap solution and a soft brush or sponge, using laundry soap or stain remover.

Some housewives on the forums share their experience of pre-cleaning stains on a woolen coat using Vanish for carpets . Apply the product to contaminated areas, leave for an hour, then wash in the machine. They note that the result is excellent.

Basic washing recommendations

If the desire to deal with stains on a woolen product is great, then it is better to act without deviating from the tactics specified by the manufacturer. But in addition to the designations on the coat label, it is necessary to take into account several universal rules, the observance of which will allow outerwear to become clean without shrinkage, deformation and damage.

Evaluate the naturalness of the item. Everyone knows that the more natural fibers a coat contains, the higher the likelihood that machine washing will negatively affect the material. The same applies to natural fur - if the clothing has a fur collar or inserts, it is better to unfasten them, wrap them with film or clean the dirt manually.
Don't skimp on detergent. Using the first powder you come across, you can put an end to your favorite coat. It is necessary to select special gels designed for delicate cleaning of woolen items. We also look separately at the colors – colored, white or dark. The more nuances you take into account, the lower the risk and the more effective the result.
Prepare the item for loading into the drum. Be sure to check all pockets and lining so that forgotten pieces of paper, keys or coins do not fall into the tank, cause a blockage and damage the coat itself. We also make sure to turn clothes inside out, fasten buttons, zippers and rivets. It is better to place the coat in a special protective bag.

You can select the “Delicate” or “Wool” program.

Take care of taped areas. If water, especially hot water, gets on the glue, it will definitely cause delamination and softening, which will lead to a loss of viscosity. The result is simple, but unpleasant - the coat will fall apart into several parts.
Focus on the quality of the item. Remember that woolen materials are often dyed with low-quality dyes to reduce the cost of production, which are easily washed out during prolonged contact with water. Machine washing will easily cause color loss, and the coat will look much worse.

If you forget the basic recommendations, you can end up with a colorless and shapeless thing instead of a stylish coat. So we advise you to weigh the pros and cons several times and only then place the wool in the drum. Most often, it is better to go to a dry cleaner or hand wash instead of a machine. This will require more time and effort, but the risks will be reduced to a minimum.

Washing in an automatic washing machine

After preliminary preparation, the wool coat:

Load into an automatic washing machine.
Set the temperature no higher than 30°C, maybe even 20°.
A special detergent for washing wool products (Laska, Nordland Eco gel, Frosch balm, Royal Powder Delicate washing powder concentrate) is poured or poured into the powder cuvette.
Turn on hand wash mode. If this is not available, use the mode for woolen items or delicate.
It is advisable to add rinse conditioner. It is gentle on the fabric, making the coat softer, fluffier, and smelling clean and fresh.
The spin is set to minimum (no more than 600 rpm). If it is impossible to independently set the push-up mode, it is turned off completely.

This video will show you how to wash a coat in a washing machine:

Can a wool coat shrink or stretch when washed?

If used incorrectly or not following the instructions on the tag, the clothing may become too small or too large. It is possible to return to the previous form if the following conditions are met.

How to properly wash a wool coat if it has stretched?

To restore its size, it should be completely immersed in water, then removed without squeezing, and wrapped in a dry, thick cloth. When the excess liquid is gone, the item must be carefully laid out horizontally, giving it a compact size to reduce it.

When machine washing, you can increase the temperature to 50-60 degrees, this also promotes shrinkage. You will have to dry it, as with hand washing - carefully, without hanging it on a line.

If your wool coat shrinks after washing, what should you do?

This is not difficult to fix, just wet it well again and hang it on a hanger to dry. The hem and sleeves will lengthen slightly under your own weight. You can carefully place small weights on them if you need to stretch them more. How to stretch a product both in length and width? You need to make a model of the required size from cardboard or a piece of plywood, secure the wet product on it with clothespins or pins and leave it in a horizontal position until it dries completely.

How to wash a wool coat so that it retains its size?

The main thing is to read the symbols on the tag correctly. If the maximum temperature is indicated as 30 or 40 degrees, it means you cannot wash in hotter water. A crossed out iron cannot be ironed. There are gentle wash and no steam symbols - if you do not follow these instructions, your clothes will be damaged.

Manual

If you are concerned about the safety of an expensive woolen item from being washed in a machine, you can wash it by hand. Hand washing is more gentle.

to wash your coat by hand in the bathtub, where you can lay it out:

Fill the bath with lukewarm (20-30°C) water so that it covers the product, no more than 15 cm.
Pour in a little hair shampoo. Just as shampoo cleanses hair of impurities, it also has a gentle effect on fabric fibers.
They put on rubber gloves (or without them), carefully move their hands over the coat (with their hands on the material, not fabric against fabric), and press effortlessly. The water is drained.
Take clean water and rinse the coat with light movements. You can use running water, pouring from a shower head.
Squeeze slightly, but do not twist. Lay it out on a towel or first leave it in the bathtub or sink for a while so that the water completely drains, and then spread it out on a flat surface.

When washing by hand, not only shampoo is used. Use washing powder for wool, Laska, and gels for washing woolen items.

If the coat is very dirty, you can immerse it in soapy water and leave it to soak for 2-3 hours. And then wash it.

How to wash a wool coat by hand?

How to remove light stains and yellowness?

To remove small stains, you can soak these areas by hand. In this case, you will need a piece of foam sponge or soft cloth. With its help, foam from the detergent is applied directly to the dirty area, then you need to lightly rub it and rinse it in clean water. After this, the wet area should be thoroughly blotted with a terry cloth and placed to dry on a flat surface.

You can bleach woolen items with ammonia. It is enough to dilute 1 bottle in 10 liters. water, stir well and immerse the coat in this liquid for half an hour. Then normal washing occurs. In case of old yellowness, it is permissible to double the dose of ammonia to restore the color.

How to wash a wool coat at home by hand?

If machine washing is contraindicated, you will have to wash your favorite coat the old fashioned way, by yourself. Some types of wool - capricious cashmere, complex camel hair - can only be saved by your hands. This is not an easy job: the wool quickly becomes saturated with water and becomes very heavy. You will have to get a thermometer yourself to control the water temperature, arm yourself with detergent and a large basin and get to work.

Preparation includes the same steps as for machine washing: remove and unfasten all excess, close the pockets and turn the product inside out.
Pour warm water into a basin. At what temperature should I wash a wool coat? In manual mode, washing also occurs at a temperature of 20-40C.
Add a couple of capfuls of detergent and mix it thoroughly with water until foam forms.
Immerse the coat in a basin, lightly rub it with foam and leave for 10-20 minutes.
After this, wash the contaminated areas with your hands or a soft sponge.
Rinse several times in clean water at the same temperature.

How to wash a coat made with camel hair?

Camel wool is one of the most difficult to handle. This delicate fabric can only be washed by hand, observing the following rules:

The water should be heated no higher than 20;
Add 1 cap of washing gel and stir thoroughly;
Leave the clothes in the water for a few minutes, then rub gently with your hands;
Rinse well in several waters.

Is it possible to wash a coat made of camel hair? Only if it is very dirty. In general, there is a steam cleaner for these types of wool. This is a device for cleaning with hot steam generated by heating water, the purpose of which is to safely disinfect. In this case, the fabric can be cleaned without deformation.

Dry clothes after hand washing in the same way as after machine washing.

How to dry?

After washing, the coat is laid out on a flat surface on a large terry towel or sheet and carefully straightened. When the towel becomes very wet from the moisture received, it is replaced with a dry one.

It is necessary to ensure that water does not accumulate at the ends of the sleeves or at the cuffs . Gentle stroking removes moisture. Otherwise, smudges may remain, which are then difficult to get rid of.

Dry the woolen coat on hangers indoors with good air circulation or outside. It is unacceptable to dry the product near heating devices or use additional items, such as a hair dryer.

Partial washout

Sometimes it is enough to partially wash the clothes. Typically the most contaminated are:

coat hem,
sleeves,
pockets,
collar,
places where the item is fastened.

In such cases, only the contaminated areas are washed.

The instructions are as follows:

Take a bowl of water, the temperature of which is not higher than 30°C, and dissolve detergent for wool in it. The solution is foamed.
Use a soft brush or sponge (preferably with natural bristles).
Rub particularly dirty areas with a brush dipped in soapy water.
Rinse the product under running water, then dry it, as after washing in any other way.

When the coat is completely dry, iron the washed areas with an iron through gauze.

Cashmere

Cashmere can be washed if the label indicates that the fibers have synthetic additives. Pure cashmere can only be washed by hand. If you need to clean sleeves, hem, or remove a stain from clothing, it is better to treat them topically without resorting to washing. Thoroughly dilute the detergent in water, apply it to the dirty areas with a sponge, and then remove excess foam. When processing, be extremely careful, as the fabric easily rolls and shrinks.

Only cashmere coats with synthetic additives can be machine washed.

If you need to wash a cashmere coat and the information on the clothing tag allows this treatment, adhere to the following rules. The water heating temperature should not exceed +30 °C. In warm water, the fabric quickly shrinks and becomes deformed. The detergent should be the softest and most gentle. Aggressive components will quickly lead to the formation of pellets, the appearance of fluff and stretched threads. If you plan to machine wash, do not remove stains first. It’s best to immediately take your cashmere coat to the dry cleaner and not try it at home.

Dry cleaning

To take care of your coat without washing, special devices will help:

Sticky rollers.
Special brushes that have a coarse velvet attachment instead of hairs. She combs the fabric, removing dirt.
Device for removing pellets. Pills appear at the sleeve seams and along the hem, giving the coat an unkempt appearance.

Often, to prevent an item from looking worn, it is enough to clean individual stains. There are several ways to get rid of them:

Talc will help remove grease stains.
They sprinkle it on the contaminated area. After 10 hours, the fat is absorbed by talcum powder. After which the residues are removed with a stiff brush. If the stain does not disappear after the first procedure, it is repeated. On the front side of the product, apply a paper napkin to the stain. From the wrong side this place is wiped with gasoline.
The greasy fabric on the wrists (sleeves) is cleaned with a mixture of salt and ammonia (1:4).
Tea and coffee are removed using glycerin or ammonia. To remove beer stains, use hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and vinegar. To prevent wine stains, sprinkle the stain with salt, but only if the dirt is not old.
Bread crumb rolled from black bread will clean the coat from dust. The crumb is rolled over the fabric, all the dirt remains on it.

How to clean and care for a coat, video tips:

Dry cleaning at home

This method of cleaning a coat is suitable for those housewives who, in addition to a washing machine, have a clothes dryer.

The store sells special kits for washing wool coats. The kits are cheaper than dry cleaning services.

This includes:

1 bottle of liquid (spray) to remove dirt;
2 moistened laundry wipes;
1 ziplock bag;
instructions for use.

The tool is easy to use:

Heavily soiled areas are sprayed with a spray.
They put the item in a laundry bag, put in napkins, and lock it.
Place in the clothes dryer for half an hour at medium temperature.

After 30 minutes things are unloaded . The coat took on the appearance of being washed, it even became fluffier, the pile straightened out. The smell is amazing, fresh.

How to wash a camel wool item at home?

Bactrian wool can be partly part of the material from which the coat is made, or it can be used as insulation.

Camel wool is special, so caring for clothes made from it is also different. As with a wool coat, information on how to care for the item is on a tag sewn to the side seam.

Clothing containing no more than 20% camel wool can be washed, but only by hand:

The water temperature should not exceed 30°C.
It is necessary to use special detergents for wool, liquid ones containing lanolin extract.
It makes woolen items stronger and silkier.
Before washing, foam the water, lower the coat and leave for 2-3 hours.
Twisting or squeezing is not allowed. Dry on a smooth surface, placing a terry towel or sheet, away from heating appliances.
Pre-soaking for 2 hours in water not hotter than 20°C is acceptable.

Items containing more than 20% camel hair should not be wetted at all . Manufacturers do not recommend washing coats with camel wool insulation, but only dry clean them.

Preparing the item for washing

Preparing outerwear should begin by carefully reading the label. Having received all the available information, you can decide whether it is advisable to use an automatic machine or whether it is better not to take risks. If you can wash it, then the next steps are:

Buy a special detergent (preferably liquid).
Buy a washing bag (necessary for all types, except synthetics and holofiber).
Remove all fur elements - otherwise they will turn into a continuous roller.
Remove metal inserts.
Carefully inspect the integrity of the seams - if there are holes, then when washed in the machine the fabric will “sag” and the item will lose its shape. Therefore, it is necessary to fix all the threads, and then carefully sew up the broken seam.
There is a recommendation for delicate fabrics, which it is advisable to follow for all items - before washing in the machine, the item must be turned inside out. In this position, there is less chance of stretch marks appearing on the front side.
Select the operating mode of the washing machine that is most suitable for a particular material.
Decide on the type of drying (machine spin for synthetics and no spin for delicate fabrics).
Determine whether it is possible to use double rinsing in the machine, whether it will be necessary to clean the material in a suspended state with a shower with cold water.
If the material allows ironing, it should be done at the lowest possible temperature and placing the fabric between the iron and the coat.
All fasteners must be closed. Some recommend fixing them with scraps of fabric.
Some synthetic fabrics can pill, so they need to be washed with special balls that will prevent the formation of clumps.

These are general recommendations that must be followed when washing any outerwear. But it is important to know how to machine wash a coat, depending on the material used and the manufacturer's recommendations.