Tips and life hacks: how to make sure that the fluff in the down jacket does not fall off during washing, and how to act if the fluff is still knocked down.
After washing the down jacket, the downy filler in it can fall off, losing the previous volume and the ability to warm. Below are tips and life hacks: how to wash a down jacket so that the fluff does not fall off, and how to act if it still happened.
My favorite and therefore often worn down jacket is light in color, plus it is sewn from a fabric that easily gets dirty. The bottom of the sleeves and the area of the entrances to the pockets he quickly lose their neat appearance. The down jacket is often washed - once every 2-3 weeks. At first, I was faced with the problem of lumping down in dense clumps of fluff constantly. I had to disassemble them with my hands - an occupation that required time, diligence and patience. Gradually, I learned and tried different methods, some came up better, some got worse. I’ll tell you about those that I can call optimal in my experience, plus - they are easy to use for almost everyone.
How to wash knitwear
But first, about the methods that are not always available:
* Wash down jacket with special products for down
Manufacturers of such special products claim that their use will prevent the down of fluff.
Plus: after washing with such products, fluff really gets off less. But you still have to fluff it a little after drying.
Less: these funds, as a rule, cannot be bought in every hardware store or in the corresponding department of a supermarket.
* Wash down jacket on a special mode of the washing machine
Some washing machines have a mode for washing things with fluff, for example, "Duvet" or "Down Jackets".
Plus: when washing in these modes, fluff, according to reviews, gets off less.
Cons: firstly, the fluff is still straying; secondly, this mode is not in every machine.
* Dry wash replacement
So that the fluff in the down jacket does not stray after washing, you can not wash it at all, but use a dry cleaning service.
Plus: if everything goes well, you will get a clean, “fluffy” down jacket.
Cons: firstly, dry cleaning, alas, does not always work adequately; secondly, it takes time, which may not be.
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Now - about the methods of washing and care, which are more affordable.
How to wash a down jacket - action diagram:
1. Make sure the down jacket is washable
Check the label: if only dry cleaning is indicated on it, it is better to use dry cleaning. It is definitely not necessary to wash things with inserts of both leather and suede and with fur that does not come unfastened.
2. Prepare the down jacket for washing
Unfasten the fur trim, if any, and make sure nothing is left in the pockets. Close the zippers. You can turn the down jacket inside out before washing - do this by first completing step 3.
3. Treat stubborn stains and stains.
It is especially important for bright things. I do not want to re-flush the down jacket once again, so it is better to immediately take care of the maximum stain removal. It is necessary to inspect the entire (still dry) down jacket and, having found strong pollution, treat them. I tried a liquid stain remover and a special laundry soap to remove stains: both work well. Put the product on the sponge (or soap it with soap) and transfer it to the down jacket fabric. For fidelity, a down jacket with treated spots can be left for a couple of hours, so that the product works better.
4. How to wash a down jacket?
If there is a special tool - wash it. If not, use a liquid detergent (it is better not to wash with powder). If the down jacket is sewn from membrane fabric, it is worth taking the appropriate tool to preserve its properties.Regarding the use of the conditioner: more often it is recommended to refuse it, since after rinsing with the conditioner, fluff may start to climb.
5. What mode to wash the down jacket?
If there is no special mode for downy items, select the delicate or hand wash mode. Temperature - 30−40 degrees, spin - 600−800 revolutions. Just in case, it’s worth checking the tab again: it is possible that the down jacket cannot be wrung out completely or it is possible, but at lower speeds. Do not wash other things with the down jacket, let it be in the machine alone.
6. Use balls or balls for washing
Checked: this is a life hack that really works. Although not 100%, it’s definitely not worth neglecting it. After washing with special balls or tennis balls, down in the down jacket gets much less. Of course, then it will still need to be fluffed up, but it will be much easier to do this than after washing without these devices. Just put 2-4 balls / ball into the drum of the machine, they will do everything themselves.
7. Is it necessary / possible to wash the down jacket with my hands?
In principle - it is possible. But is it worth it? If the down jacket cannot be washed at all (see point 1), this also applies to hand washing. If there is an icon depicting a basin and a hand dipped in it on the label of a down jacket, it means that the product is recommended to be washed by hand. But if at the same time there is NO icon prohibiting machine wash, then a thing with a "hand wash" icon can be tried to wash in delicate mode. But if there is a prohibition sign for machine wash, then it is better not to take risks (the decoding of the icons is in paragraph 1).
8. How to wash the down jacket by hand?
Follow steps 1-3. It is better to use a large capacity, at least 20-30 liters. Fill it with water at a temperature of no higher than 40 degrees, dilute the detergent in water (see paragraph 4) and soak the down jacket for 1-3 hours. Then rub the soiled area with a washing brush. Then you need to rinse the down jacket well (it is more convenient to do this by filling the bath with clean water). You can not squeeze the down jacket, twisting: the fluff will doubt it. It is better to let the water drain and squeeze out the remaining as much as possible, squeezing it with your hands.
7. How to dry a down jacket?
Someone thinks that you need to dry the down jacket on a hanger, vertically, someone on a horizontal surface. Experience says: horizontal drying is better. With vertical drying, the fluff can slip into the lower parts of the pockets and cram a little there, it will be more difficult to fluff the down jacket. If the down jacket is very wet after washing, lay out thick towels on a horizontal dryer, and a down jacket on top. When moisture is absorbed, dry the down jacket on an empty dryer.
About machine drying: someone likes to use it, others are categorically against it. Look at the label of your down jacket: if there is a sign "machine drying" and there is NOT a sign "machine drying is prohibited", you can try.
8. How to fluff a down jacket?
It is likely that even with all the recommendations, down in the down jacket at least a little, but falls down. Now the main life hack: how to fluff a down jacket after washing. The carpet knocker, known as the knocker, will help us. Beat off only a completely dried down jacket. Cover something soft like a bed or sofa with a clean cloth. Lay down a down jacket on it. You can also put fabric on top (an unnecessary sheet, for example). This must be done if you are afraid of tearing a down jacket with sharp blows of a knocker. Now work as a knocker as if you were knocking out a carpet. Tap the entire down jacket, so that for each section there were several hits. You can turn the down jacket and go for a knock out from the inside.
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