If your coat is dirty, you have two options: take it to a dry cleaner or wash it yourself. The first option is, of course, better, but not always available. Although the second option carries the risk of spoiling the thing, if you follow all the recommendations on how to wash a drapey coat, you can easily cope with everything at home.
Let’s figure it out, but is it possible to wash a drapey coat? To do this, it is enough to understand what drapery is. The drape is impregnated with a special composition that makes the material stronger and smoother. In order for the coat to keep its shape as a result, and the seams do not diverge, the joints are additionally glued. From this it follows that washing the drapery can lead to the washing out of impregnations and glue, which, accordingly, will deteriorate the quality of the product. To avoid this, you should carefully study the label, which indicates exactly how you can care for your drapey outerwear.
The best solution is to give it to the dry cleaners.
If you have decided to rely on your own strength, then in this article we will outline a number of practical recommendations on how to wash a draped coat, depending on what kind of washing you decide to do:
- dry cleaning;
- washing without soaking;
- hand washing;
- wash in the washing machine.
Dry cleaning
This option is used if any washing of your outerwear is prohibited. To clean , carefully knock out the dust, walk over the material with a vacuum cleaner with a special nozzle for furniture or fabrics.
If a stain has been placed on the drapery fabric, it can be removed in several ways:
- Sprinkle the stain with talcum powder or starch and leave it for several hours, changing it several times. The absorbent will absorb all the fat.
- If it is allowed to wash the drapery, then apply a paper towel to the stain and run an iron over it, it will heat up the dirt, which will be transferred to the napkin.
- You can use gasoline for cleaning, but be careful. First, test it by applying it to a hidden part of the drapery. If everything is normal, then clean the dirty area with a cotton swab soaked in gasoline, wiping from the edge to the middle. After that, use a damp cloth to absorb the remaining gasoline.
Washing without soaking
If the tag says that you can wash the coat partially without immersing it in water, then for this you need a soft brush, a sponge, a bowl for diluting the soapy solution and a cleaning agent for wool. The water should be barely warm, about 30 degrees.
Prepare a cleaning solution. Do not pour a lot of detergent, otherwise it will be difficult to wash off and stains will remain on the surface of outerwear. Dip a sponge in the solution and apply to the drape coat. Rub the most contaminated areas with a soft brush. After that, take clean cool water, wet a soft cloth in it and wipe the coat, “washing off” the soapy solution.
Dry naturally, without additional heating or direct sunlight.
Handwash
If you can wash a drapey coat by hand (the label will have an icon of a hand immersed in a bowl of water), then it is done in the following way:
- Take a bath with water at a temperature of no more than 30 degrees. Dilute a detergent for wool or delicate laundry in it.
- Place the drape coat in the water, press down so that the water completely soaks the material. If there are particularly dirty areas, then rub them with a soft brush. Leave to “soak” for half an hour.
- Drain the water, pressing with the side of the palm from top to bottom, squeeze out excess water.
- Fill the bath with clean water. Rinse the coat. Next, you need an assistant or a hanger. Hold the clothes on a scale and run the shower until all the soapy solution has run off. Hang the clothes in such a position that the water runs off.
- So that the coat does not sit down, you can try to put it on when it is wet and spread out the shoulders and sleeves. If everything is fine, hang it on a hanger to dry away from heating devices.
Machine wash
And now we will consider how to wash a drapey coat, if it is allowed to do it in a washing machine.
- Set the delicate washing mode or the “wool” mode.
- Water up to 40 degrees (or other allowed on the clothing label).
- Turn off spinning and drying, in extreme cases, you can spin at 600 revolutions.
- It is necessary to wash in powder for wool, no conditioners and rinses.
When the machine finishes washing, hang the coat on your shoulders, straightening it as much as possible. If it is wrinkled, you can iron it through wet gauze.