Down jackets are comfortable, warm and beautiful. But they have one drawback – they are difficult to wash. The filler in such jackets is down, which can clump together, deteriorate, lose its qualities due to improper washing, and wrinkles may appear on the fabric. To avoid all this, you should carefully understand how to wash a down jacket in a washing machine. After all, this option, if done correctly, is even better than hand washing.
Can the down jacket be washed?
It is better to contact a dry cleaner. Down is quite a sensitive insulation, so it is not necessary to wet it once more. Yes, it is a slow business.
If you do not have the opportunity to turn to specialists, you will have to try to do the laundry yourself. Hand washing will be more delicate, but it is more suitable for external dirt, stains and will require some effort, since if the product is not well rinsed, it will show streaks. How to wash, read in this article .
If you also need to clean the down or you need a short program, the down jacket can be machine washed.
How to wash
Before washing down products, you should prepare in advance. Here you need not only to prepare everything you need, but also to monitor the drying process, which takes some time, but more on that later. Let’s start with what is needed for washing:
- Detergent for down or wool products. This is a mandatory requirement. Ordinary powder cannot be used, as it is poorly washed out of the insulation, leaving a specific smell and traces on the upper layer of the jacket. If there are no special means, then a liquid detergent for delicate washing or baby shampoo is suitable.
- 2-4 tennis balls. They are necessary to prevent clumping of down during the washing process. Rotating together with the down jacket in the drum, they will break the insulation, preventing it from collapsing.
To wash a down jacket in a washing machine, consider how to correctly set the washing mode:
- The water temperature is up to 30 degrees
- Mode – “delicate” or “manual”
- Spinning – disable or set the minimum number of revolutions
- Automatic drying – disable
- Additional rinsing – turn on (it is important to thoroughly wash the detergent from the fluff)
Before putting the down jacket in the washing machine, you need to prepare:
- Unclip the fur, if any. Natural fur cannot be wet. If it is sewn, then cut it off, sew it again after washing.
- Remove all metal parts. If the belt has a metal buckle and inserts, remove it as well and wash it separately.
- Wash all stains on the down jacket before washing. Most stains can be treated with laundry soap, or you can use the tips on our website.
- Fasten all pockets, zippers, buttons.
Everything is ready – install the washing machine!
When the washing in the washing machine is finished, take out the down jacket and give it a good shake. Don’t be alarmed if its shape has changed. It’s just that the fluff lost its volume from getting wet, as it dries, it will fluff up again. If you did everything correctly, there should be no problems.
How to dry
This stage is no less important than washing the down jacket in the washing machine. If it is dried incorrectly, the down will not return its volume, it will be deformed, and the jacket will have an unpleasant musty smell, which will be very difficult to remove.
- Shake the still wet down jacket well.
- Since you can’t wring it out too much, you can absorb excess moisture with a terry towel.
- It is not recommended to dry near heating devices, and even more so on them, since under the influence of high temperatures, the down becomes brittle, loses its qualities as a heater.
- It is best to hang the down jacket on a hanger in a well-ventilated place or lay it out horizontally. The second option is better, as you will be able to evenly distribute the fluff on the jacket so that it does not fall to one side. In the same suspended state, it will simply roll down continuously.
- Every half hour, go to the down jacket and beat it, shake it. This must be done so that the fluff dries evenly and does not clump together. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to distribute it in dry form, and the jacket will become bumpy from the unevenly distributed insulation.