Article current as of: June 2021
Simply loving fur products is not enough - they also need to be properly cared for and cleaned. Dust and city smog gradually contaminate a luxurious fur coat, the fur collar of a winter coat, and over time, your luxury items lose all their attractiveness. It is not necessary to rush to the dry cleaner to, for example, clean a silver fox; you can bring it back to life at home.
Immediately prepare yourself for a rather painstaking process, because any mistake during cleaning can be fatal.
Application of cleaning liquids
For wet cleaning, you can use liquid soap at home, but it is better to take hair shampoo.
In warm water, beat a sufficient amount of the product into a foam, apply it to a cotton swab placed on a comb, squeeze so that the cotton is slightly damp, carefully comb the villi according to the growth of the integument. Constantly wash off the dirt from the swab so as not to smear it on the surface of your collar or fur coat.
Do not use harsh detergents (washing powder, dishwashing liquid): after cleaning, the fur becomes dull and brittle.
Remove the remaining foam from the villi with the same swab, only now moistened in clean water. Shake off the fur and comb it with a soft brush.
Try not to wet the fur too much so that the moisture does not saturate the inside!
Dry the fur item away from the radiator in a warm room on a hanger.
Completely cleaning the fur with gasoline will noticeably refresh and even remove yellowness: use it according to the scheme described above.
Treat grease stains or other stubborn stains with the same aviation gasoline: moisten a cosmetic disc in it and wipe the desired areas. Be sure to check the product to ensure that the specific smell of the solvent has evaporated.
Before cleaning, be sure to check the reaction of the fur to the product you have chosen: somewhere in an inconspicuous area, for example on the inner flap, treat the surface with the prepared substance. If nothing bad happens to the fur, continue the procedure.
Yellowed fur can also be bleached at home with a special mixture: add a teaspoon of ammonia and a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to half a liter of water. Soak a cotton swab or soft rag in the resulting solution, secure it to the comb and walk over the surface of the product in the right places.
Try to clean very carefully so as not to damage the delicate fur of the silver fox and not spoil its chic appearance.
How to clean from dust and dirt
Clean the silver fox from dust using wet and dry methods. Dried drops of dirt, grease, and dust particles will be removed from the surface by soap. For deeper cleaning, use heated bran.
Soap
Wipe the fur collar with a mild solution of liquid soap or pet shampoo. How to cook:
- Add a couple of drops of soap to a liter of water and stir.
- Soak folded gauze in the solution and squeeze out.
- Wrap wet gauze around the brush.
- Walk through the hairs of the silver fox.
- Wipe with a damp soft sponge.
- Comb the coat with a fine-toothed comb.
Change the gauze several times, rinse out the dirt so as not to smear it all over the surface. Try to wet only the top layer of fur.
For the best effect, combine with starch: sprinkle over the surface, rub in lightly, and brush over the top with gauze. Shake and comb the silver fox.
Bran
Clean dusty fur using a dry method:
- Heat the rye bran in a dry frying pan.
- Distribute over the product and rub in gently.
- Leave for half an hour.
- Shake the silver fox and comb out the bran.
Similarly, use semolina, talc, starch (without heating). For short pile, use sand calcined in a frying pan.
Alcohol or vinegar
One of the products will get rid of dirt, grease stains, and greasy stains. These are quite aggressive substances that are used locally in extreme cases. If the silver fox is only slightly dusty, comb it out or wipe it with soapy water.
How to use:
- Soak a soft sponge in rubbing alcohol or table vinegar.
- Wipe the silver fox in the direction of the pile.
- Remove excess product with a damp cloth.
To restore shine to the coat, spray the treated hairs with a glycerin solution. Add a tablespoon to a liter of water and spray from a spray bottle. Finish cleaning by combing.
Wear gloves in a well-ventilated area.
Petrol
Refined gasoline tackles most tough stains. Try the product locally if other substances have not done the job. How to use:
- Soak a cotton pad or soft rag in lighter fluid.
- Wipe the short pile against the growth, the long one - along the growth.
- Wipe off excess gasoline with a damp sponge.
- Hang the product in fresh air to remove the smell.
Gasoline in combination with starch will remove grease. Mix the ingredients to a paste and apply to the problem area. After drying, brush off.
Fur care
Without proper care, the once luxurious fur will turn into a dull, dusty undercoat with a yellow tint. If it is not possible to have the item cleaned by professionals, then you can solve the problem yourself.
Collars, vests, hats and fur coats are made from silver fox. For owners of a silver fox fur coat, it is necessary to be careful and treat it with care. This is not something that is worn for traveling in a car, much less for everyday use and public transport. Can't be treated like regular clothes.
These simple rules will extend the life of an expensive product for the maximum period:
- If you get caught in wet snow, the first thing you do when you get home is to hang your fur coat on hangers and comb the fur.
- Under no circumstances should you dry the fur of a black-brown fox with a hairdryer or other heating devices. If you overdry it, it will begin to turn yellow and lose its elasticity, the villi will become hard and brittle.
- Moth repellent must be used for storage. You can use both special processing solutions and special plates, which are placed in the cabinet in different ways.
- Dry cleaning of such items is strictly prohibited.
Storage
A silver fox fur coat will retain its attractive appearance for a long time if it is stored correctly:
- It is not recommended to hang the bag on your shoulder. Do not allow it to frequently rub against the surface of the product.
- After rain or wet snow, the moisture is carefully shaken off, and the fur coat is hung on hangers away from active heat flows.
- After drying, the fur is shaken more vigorously and hung in a closet on wide wooden hangers. You cannot store a fur coat folded. Before summer storage, a silver fox hat is first cleaned, a cloth bag is put on it, and hung on a rod.
- Before sending silver fox products for summer storage, they are cleaned and thoroughly dried in the shade. A fabric bag is put on the fur coat or wrapped in a cotton sheet. It is not recommended to store silver fox products in plastic bags.
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The storage area is kept dry. To avoid moisture in the fur, use silica gel or camphor powder. Bags of the product are placed in pockets or attached to the outside of the product.
Ways to refresh your silver fox
If there are no visible stains or other contaminants on the product, you can try to refresh it in a simple way and do a quick cleaning:
- To do this, clothes are laid out on a flat surface, semolina, starch and talc are heated in a frying pan.
- The heated composition is sprinkled onto the fur product over the entire surface. Ideally, you need to distribute the sprinkle all the way to the base, this way fur items are cleaned better.
- To consolidate the effect, you can imitate hand washing and rub the fur coat.
The composition of cereals, starch and talc has excellent adsorbing characteristics: moisture, fat deposits, dust and other contaminants are absorbed like a sponge.
The silver fox turned yellow
There are a number of dry cleaning methods. Let's look at how to clean silver fox from yellowness using the most popular methods:
- The safest and most gentle way to dry brush is to use regular chalk or tooth powder. Sprinkle the product onto the fur surface, gently rubbing it into the pile. After this, the clothes should be shaken well and the remaining absorbent should be removed with a comb.
- Baby powder or potato starch. Talc should be chosen without fragrances. The absorbent is distributed in an even layer, after which an imitation of hand washing is performed. The clothes are left for several hours, after which the cleaning agent is removed with a comb.
- Wheat bran. The bran is pre-heated, sprinkled on the surface, and carefully rubbed into the pile. After 30 minutes, the product is removed.
Cleaning silver fox fur
If there is visible dirt, the above method will no longer help; wet cleaning will be needed:
- A soap solution is prepared from water and liquid soap.
- A clean cloth, preferably a light one, is wrapped around the brush and moistened in the solution.
- After this, the brush is passed over the entire surface of the product.
There is no need to wet the fur abundantly, just a little moisture is enough.
The inside of the fur coat can be cleaned with a brush without cloth, going carefully through all the spots with stains. Most often, the cuffs and collar on the wrong side are greasy. For hats, this is the inside of the forehead.
After cleaning, the pile is wiped with a clean cloth; no soap solution should remain on it. At the end of the work, the product must be dried in a ventilated area where the fur will not be exposed to sunlight. Drying may take several days.
Methods for removing stains
If stubborn stains appear that cannot be removed by simply cleaning with soap and water, special products should be used. These household products will help you quickly and effectively clean black fox fur:
- Petrol. Stubborn stains can be easily removed with gasoline. Gasoline from a gas station is not suitable for these purposes; you need a transparent product, free of impurities, which is used for refilling lighters and is sold in any hardware store. Dip a piece of clean cloth in gasoline and wipe the stain. If the stain does not want to be removed, you can leave a cloth soaked in gasoline on it for a while, and the stain will disappear.
- Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. This product can remove yellowness from the fur of silver foxes at home. One tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide and one teaspoon of ammonia are dissolved in two glasses of water. After this, the composition is mixed and applied in a small amount to the inner fur lining (to check the reaction of the pile to such a preparation). If the yellowness disappears, you can safely treat all yellowed areas with a sponge, cloth or washing sponge. After processing, the fur is wiped with a clean damp cloth and dried.
- Alcohol. If there are paint or ink stains on your fur coat, alcohol will help get rid of them. A piece of cotton wool is moistened in pure alcohol and the stain on the pile of the fur product is carefully wiped. If the stains do not come off immediately, you can leave a cotton swab soaked in alcohol on the stain. After some time, the procedure is repeated. You should not overdo it with this method; excessive friction will damage the fur.
All these methods are distinguished by their effectiveness and ease of use. The components for their preparation are found in every home, and if not, they can always be found in pharmacies and hardware stores. Using these tips, you can easily clean silver fox fur at home.
Dry method
Since strong moisture is contraindicated for furs, when cleaning a silver fox at home, liquid is eliminated using dry cleaning methods.
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To bleach silver fox fur, dry bleaches are used:
- starch;
- sawdust;
- chalk;
- talc;
- semolina;
- bran.
To increase cleaning efficiency, they are combined with ammonia, gasoline or vinegar.
- Starch, talc, chalk. The means at hand have an identical structure and perform the same function of cleaning a fur product. The advantage of these substances is that they delicately remove fat from fur. The product is sprinkled onto the contaminated fur in a thin layer. Rub over the surface with a soft brush or fingers. After two hours, the product is shaken off the fur product. The remaining product is combed out with a special fur brush.
- Bran. Wheat bran is first heated in a clean frying pan to a temperature of no more than 60 degrees and scattered onto contaminated areas of fur. Rub over the surface with a brush or hands. Noticeably darkened bran will indicate the effectiveness of the cleansing. The fur is cleaned in stages - from the cleaned area to the contaminated one. The method does not have a harmful effect on the fur, so it can be repeated several times. Remove any remaining product using a short-toothed comb.
- Semolina. Semolina is capable of absorbing dirt and dust. To clean a silver fox at home: place a fur product on a horizontal surface. To do this, use a table or a clean floor. Then the contaminated and yellowed areas are covered with a thin layer of cereal. Using gentle movements with a brush, the grains are driven over the entire surface of the product, without pressure or effort. Over time, the semolina will absorb the first portion of pollution and turn gray. At the end, the cereal is shaken off and the procedure is repeated. To extract small grains, use a low-power vacuum cleaner.
- Sawdust. Instructions: sawdust is thoroughly dried, sifted, discarding dark and rotten ones. Then add a small amount of gasoline. After the sawdust is saturated, they are distributed on the surface. And the mixture itself is rubbed in with your hands and left until dry. The procedure is completed by removing sawdust. The product is shaken and combed.
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