How to wash a down jacket in an automatic washing machine: rules and recommendations

Rules and recommendations

Improper washing of a down jacket leads to streaks and other problems. Therefore, you should first familiarize yourself with some rules:

initially get acquainted with the care rules that are indicated on the jacket label;
It is not recommended to machine wash other items together with outerwear;
if fluff appears in folds, then it is better to completely abandon automatic washing;
In order for the soap solution to be easily washed out of the fibers, the dosage must be observed.

Be sure to set the washing machine to the appropriate mode. This will keep the product in its original condition.

Auxiliary accessories

The main problem when washing a down jacket is the filling that falls off, clumps, or is not completely rinsed out. In addition, tisail, for example, accumulates static electricity.

The way out of the situation is additional accessories, balls that are thrown into the drum along with the down jacket. They produce special accessories, but you can also buy tennis balls at your nearest sports goods store.

How to wash with tennis balls - instructions:

Buy tennis balls.
Wash them with bleach until they turn white.
Launch 3-4 balls along with the jacket.
Wash as usual.

This is actually a very good decision. Tennis balls, due to their flat surface and fairly large weight, hit all areas of the jacket evenly during spinning, breaking down the fluff, foaming the solution, and displacing it from the filler. The result is cleaner clothes without caked-on litter.

Tip: Tennis balls are used to wash woolen sweaters, pillows and blankets and any clothing in general to enhance the effect of the detergent.

How to machine wash

To wash a jacket in a machine, you need to choose the right powder and set the appropriate temperature.

How to properly prepare for washing

The form in which the item remains after washing is influenced by the degree of preparation for this procedure. Before washing you must:

remove all contents from pockets;
unfasten the hood and all fur inserts;
check the seams to ensure there are no holes (if there are any, they should be sewn up before washing);
turn the product inside out;
fasten the locks and buttons.

Only after these steps do you start washing automatically.

Selecting a detergent

You should avoid washing with regular washing powder. It causes stains that are difficult to remove later. The store offers a wide range of special cleaning products.

Special product for downy items

Special detergents for washing products with down filling do not affect their thermal insulation characteristics and are easily rinsed with water at the last stage. The active components are able to activate in water at low temperatures.

Soap for washing delicate clothes

Instead of special preparations, laundry soap is used to care for down jackets. It contains natural ingredients that do not cause allergies and remove stains of any complexity well. Another positive qualities of laundry soap include its low price and disinfecting properties.

Most often, soap is used during hand washing, but it can also be used when washing a product in an automatic machine. Rules to follow when washing a down jacket in a washing machine using laundry soap:

it is important to consider the dosage indicated in the instructions;
It is imperative to turn on the additional rinse mode;
To give the soap a pleasant smell, adding a few drops of essential oil is acceptable.

Ways to use laundry soap in a washing machine:

Make a soap solution. The soap is ground using a grater and dissolved in hot water. The prepared solution is poured into the compartment intended for washing powder.
It is acceptable to use soap shavings without prior dissolution. In this case, the shavings are placed in the drum along with the clothes.
Washing gel is made from laundry soap. Soap is ground on a grater. The shavings are dissolved in hot water. Add soda to the resulting mixture. Add 150 ml of cooled gel to the washer compartment.

Gel concentrate for special rag products

Liquid preparations in the form of a thick consistency cope perfectly with any stains, do not leave streaks, do not spoil the fibers and do not change color. The dosage of the drug depends on the contamination of the product and ranges from 40 to 60 ml.

Preparing a down jacket for washing

Washing a down jacket in a washing machine is specific in that you cannot influence the process once it has already started. Therefore, preparing the jacket for the procedure in advance plays an important role. To do this, you should take a number of simple steps that will make washing and further caring for your jacket easier:

Unfasten the hood with the fur part from the jacket. Carefully check the contents of your pockets so that you don’t accidentally wash keys, money and other small items along with your clothes.
Pay attention to the parts of the jacket that usually get dirty most quickly when worn: sleeves, collar area, pockets, hem on the outside and inside. If you find old stains in these places, clean them manually using a stain remover or ordinary laundry soap.
Turn the item inside out and fasten all existing locks, zippers and buttons so that they do not interfere with the machine drum.
Check for loose parts and diverging seams. If there is a risk that the down jacket will tear, carefully strengthen the weak points.

Advice! It is not recommended to wash outerwear together with other linen or another down jacket. So, in one cycle of operation of the machine you can clean only one down jacket.

Which mode to use

To wash a down jacket, set a special program: Delicate wash or Bio-down. These modes will allow you to carefully remove all stains without deforming the item. If the washing machine does not provide these modes, then install the program Washing woolen products:

The water temperature should not exceed +30+40 degrees. Hot water causes clothes to warp.
It is better to avoid spinning the product in the washing machine. Some clothing manufacturers allow spinning, but at 400 rpm. It will be more difficult to straighten the stray lumps of fluff after spinning at a higher speed.
Instead of spinning, it is better to add a Rinse mode, which will completely remove the remaining detergent components from the fabric fibers.

How to wash a down jacket by hand?

Washing by hand has its own characteristics. In order to prevent the product from changing its color and matting, you need to wash it very carefully, following the list of mandatory rules.

Important! Particular attention should be paid to the most contaminated areas of the jacket. As a rule, these are the collar, cuffs and areas near the seams. They need to be washed most thoroughly.

Procedure:

Fill a basin or bathtub with warm water.

Important! The water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees.

Add detergent and help it dissolve completely.
Place the down jacket in the water and start washing with quick and light movements.

Important! Try to keep the product horizontal at all times during the process. This will protect the synthetic fluff or natural filling from excessive wetting.

Rinse the product 3-4 times under running water.
During the last rinse, you can add a little fabric softener to the water.

Important! Rinsing a down jacket during hand washing is the most important, time-consuming and complex process.

How to dry properly

You cannot completely dry a down jacket in a washing machine. Otherwise, the product will lose its shape and lumps of fluff will form:

The jacket is pulled out of the machine, the locks, buttons or buttons are unfastened.
Turn the product from the wrong side to the front.
It is better to hang the down jacket using a hanger, after which the lock is fastened again.
Shake each down cell manually.

How to properly dry a down jacket

The logical end of the process of removing dirt from a down jacket in the washing machine is the final drying of the product. It is recommended to wash such items in the warm season, as this significantly speeds up their drying time. For this purpose, you should choose well-ventilated rooms without direct exposure to sunlight.

After finishing the spin cycle in the washing machine, the jacket can either be hung on a shoulder or laid out horizontally on the clothes dryer. During the drying process, the item must be shaken periodically.

Important! It is necessary to ensure air access to the item from all sides, so do not dry it by laying it on a table or other horizontal surface. This can greatly delay the entire drying process.

It should be remembered that the optimal time for an item with down filling to dry is 2 days. Prolonging this time period can lead to the fact that the fluff begins to rot and emit a very unpleasant odor.

After the down jacket has completely dried, it is recommended to treat it with water-repellent impregnation.

Gray and yellow

To return the jacket to its original whiteness, use bleach. It is bought in the store or prepared according to folk recipes.

Bleach

Pour water into a basin, add the recommended amount of bleach and soak the jacket in the prepared solution for 12 hours. The down jacket is then machine washed, with bleach added to the gel again.

Ammonia+peroxide+salt

If you don’t have bleach on hand, a composition of three active ingredients will come to the rescue:

11.5 liters of warm water is poured into a basin;
add ammonia and hydrogen peroxide 35 ml each;
dissolve 150 g of salt;
add powder;
place the jacket in the prepared solution for 4.5 hours;
Finally, the down jacket is washed in a washing machine.

Liquid detergents for washing down jackets

There are a huge number of cleaning compounds for down products. You need to choose the right product correctly. Store shelves selling household chemicals are full of different names. Prices for budget products for washing down jackets start from 200 rubles.

List of the most popular products that have gained popularity:

Dreft gel with the aroma of a summer meadow will cope with stains on outerwear that requires a soft wash. The chamomile decoction in its composition fights fabric deformation and adds freshness to the color.
Difficult stains on things filled with down will be removed by a liquid composition with the addition of lanolin from the German manufacturer Heitmann. The mild product does not damage the natural insulation, restores its fibers, and prevents it from bunching up. Prevents fabric from washing out dye.
For inexpensive products, experienced housewives recommend Domal Sport Fein Fashion. A high-quality liquid composition for voluminous outerwear retains the original characteristics of the fabric.
Shampoo for natural down jackets Woly Sport Down Wash is one of the most popular chemical compositions. It does not harm the filler, gives a fresh aroma and brightness of color.
Ariel Power Capsules Mountain Spring are suitable for washing any fabric. Their formula works from within the fibers. Protects them and ensures the safety of the filler.
“Stork” is a budget version of the gel, suitable for down jackets and children’s wardrobes. Things after it are soft with a pleasant smell. The gel is well tolerated by tissue.
Colored down jackets can be washed well with the addition of “Caress the magic of gentle”. The product will cope even with heavy dirt and old stains.

What to do if the fluff is lost

The filler gets lost for several reasons:

washing balls were not used or there were few of them;
the wrong mode was set;
wash in a mode that provides high water heating.

If lumps of fluff are found after drying, the following method will help:

take a vacuum cleaner, remove the nozzle;
turn on the lowest power;
air flow passes over the entire inside of the clothing, paying special attention to areas with lumps.

The stuck together filler disintegrates when exposed to air, and the clothing takes on its original appearance.

How to get rid of unpleasant odor

During wear, the jacket becomes soaked with sweat. As a result of the proliferation of bacteria, an unpleasant odor is added. To get rid of the unpleasant odor, the product should be taken outside. At low air temperatures, bacteria die. Then all that remains is to wash the product in the washing machine.

An unpleasant odor may also appear as a result of improper drying of the product. In this case, you will have to wash the clothes again and dry them according to all the rules.

What to do if you washed a down jacket in the machine, but the down got lost

If any of the basic rules for removing dirt from a down jacket in the washing machine were violated, lumps of fluff matted inside will appear on the product. This will inevitably lead to the fact that the main function of the thing in preserving and maintaining heat will not be fulfilled: the down jacket simply will not warm. In such a situation, you should not immediately despair and mentally say goodbye to the product. You can try to revive a damaged item. There are several methods for this.

Important! It is necessary to begin the process of fluff beating as soon as possible after discovering what happened. If the item dries on its own, it will be almost impossible to correct the situation.

To beat the fluff, you need to act sequentially:

The most common reason for lumps appearing in a down jacket is the wrong choice of detergent for cleaning the item in the washing machine. Powders and gels are simply not washed out of the down fibers. Therefore, you need to start the process of rehabilitating the item by rinsing the jacket 2 or 3 more times in cool water;
upon completion of the additional rinsing process, it is necessary to start the “Drying” mode in the washing machine at the lowest possible speed;
after this, it is important to carefully straighten the down fibers inside the item. The final positive effect of the entire procedure as a whole depends on how responsibly and efficiently this process is carried out;
In the case where the down jacket was unsuccessfully washed in the washing machine in winter, you need to hang the product on the street (balcony) so that the item freezes thoroughly. After the down jacket has completely dried, you need to shake it well, this will greatly facilitate the process of fluffing the fibers. If the entire cleansing process took place in the warm season, then the jacket can be carefully rolled up, placed in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer of the refrigerator for 5 - 6 hours. After the specified time has passed, repeat the procedure with shaking;
As measures to further help break up lumps and fluff the filler, you can use a hairdryer and a carpet beater. Directing a stream of hot air onto the jacket, you need to gently fluff it with patting movements. The procedure takes a long period of time, but is very effective.

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