How to properly wash and dry a down jacket so that the down does not get lost, without streaks, at home: in an automatic washing machine; hands; with tennis balls. How to dry a down jacket

A down jacket is a popular winter clothing, characterized by its lightness and high heat retention properties. It is especially relevant in regions with harsh winters. Like every item of clothing, it needs periodic washing. Due to the fact that the filling inside the product is natural - down or down with the addition of feathers, you need to know how to dry a down jacket after washing at home. The filler, although it is a thin layer, is limited on both sides by dense fabrics, so air circulation for quick drying is difficult. As a result, the product may acquire an unpleasant, musty odor, and the downy base may form clumps.

In most cases, a down jacket can be saved by breaking up the lumps or even washing and drying the product again. But there are situations when nothing can help, so the only thing left to do is throw it away. To prevent this from happening, you must follow simple rules regarding washing and drying.

How did the down jacket appear?

At first, clothing with such filling was produced only for northern workers and climbers. Special-purpose clothing models were not distinguished by their elegance and abundance of shapes. The most important thing is that the down protected well from the cold, so the clothes performed well in low temperatures. The light weight of the filler and its heat-shielding properties have become a good reason to find use for the filler in everyday winter clothing.

Down jackets appeared in catwalk fashion collections in the 90s of the twentieth century. The famous couturier Yves Saint Laurent was the first to create clothing models that, thanks to his light hand, gained popularity all over the world. Jackets and coats take on a beautiful shape. Models with an accentuated waist appear, combined with heat-protective properties and an affordable price - this gives the down jacket every chance to become the favorite winter clothing for most men and women.

Where is the best place to dry a down jacket?

Typically, the air in the bathroom is humid and ventilation is worse than in other rooms. Therefore, it is advisable to dry your jacket in a different place.

In the summer, you can hang it outside, as long as the fabric is not exposed to direct sunlight - colored fabric often fades and loses its brightness. The ideal place is the shady side, where the product will be blown by the breeze.

In winter, it is recommended to leave the down jacket in the cold, thanks to air movement, sun and low temperature, excess moisture will leave the fabric. In addition, the fluffs will freeze and will not stick together, which often happens during normal drying.

It is better to wash the down jacket or take it to dry cleaning

When buying a down jacket, the first thing you need to do is study the sewn-in instructions for caring for the product. The simplest thing is to take the dirty item to the dry cleaner. Professionals will remove stains and all dirt using special chemicals, which will partially remain inside the fabric fibers and in the filling of the down jacket after cleaning. You can avoid this by washing your favorite item in your home washing machine.

IMPORTANT! To ensure that washing does not cause any harm, you need to find out what kind of filler the clothing manufacturer used and follow simple rules for washing such items.

Today, a down jacket refers not only to outerwear filled with down, down and feathers. There are analogues with synthetic filling - synthetic fluff and bio-fluff. Washing such items at home is recommended by the manufacturer and does not require special conditions.

It is recommended to wash down jackets with camel hair at home only if the filling contains no more than 40% natural fiber. Most down jackets are available with 80% down filling combined with 20% feather. We will talk further about washing this type of clothing.

Washing a down jacket correctly

Drying after hand washing

Before the advent of washing machines, people washed their clothes by hand, and many still do not trust washing delicate items to a device, preferring to do it with their hands.

This process is lengthy, labor-intensive, and drying the product will take much longer. But, there are several tricks that allow you to dry your down jacket faster without ruining it:

With or without spin?

After the procedure, you should not be zealous in trying to wring out the jacket - twisting the fabric can ruin both the outer material and the “filling” of the product. It is best to hang it on hangers and leave it for a while to let the water drain.

Laying out correctly

The down jacket is laid out on a flat surface, it is important to carefully straighten out all the elements and creases. It is recommended to “fluff” it a little with your hands so that air can penetrate into the fabric.

You should not put a blanket or towel under your jacket - this will cause the filling to become damp and begin to smell musty. It is advisable to lay out the clothes so that the air masses blow on them from all sides - a floor dryer, several ropes are suitable for this, you can also place suitable items in the bathtub bowl and place a down jacket on them.

The less rest, the better the effect

To ensure that the down jacket dries well and its filling does not suffocate or become crumpled, you will have to work hard. It is necessary, from time to time, to turn it over, you can pat it, knead the compacted areas. This should be done both from the outside and inside, paying special attention to the sleeves, hem, collar, hood, and seams.

The jacket should be shaken periodically, thus breaking up lumps of fluff, helping the material to spread evenly. You can disassemble the seals by hand or with a carpet popper.

Checking - has the product dried well?

A down jacket consists of an outer, often synthetic material, the moisture from which evaporates quite quickly. But drying natural filler will take much more time. To check, just squeeze part of the lining with down in your hand - moisture has appeared on the fabric, which means it is too early to remove the product. If the clothes are not completely dried, mold may grow on the inside.

How long it takes for a hand-washed down jacket to dry depends on many factors, but at least it takes 2-3 days.

Down jacket washing products

It is very important to choose the right detergent for washing your favorite items. It is better not to use powder, even if it is of good quality. Most winter jackets and coats are made from thick, windproof raincoat fabric. Raincoat fabric protects well from wind and wet snow in winter; it will be difficult to wash the powder out of the fibers of dense fabric. Most complaints about stains after washing machines are related to the use of powder.

The best choice is a liquid detergent designed for delicate items. On sale you can find a special detergent for down products. It not only washes well, but is also removed without a trace when rinsing, leaving no traces on the dried fabric.

Machine washable down jacket

Today, almost everyone has a drum-type washing machine at home. It best washes outerwear filled with down and feathers. It is very good if among the modes there is a delicate wash; the normal mode is also not terrible for most down jackets. Washing will be successful if done correctly.

First you need to prepare the item: take out all the contents of the pockets, fasten all the zippers, turn the item inside out to the lining side. If the hood of the jacket is trimmed with fur, the real fur trim will be properly removed.
The required amount of delicate detergent is poured into the washing powder tray. A down jacket and special balls are placed in the drum of the washing machine. Even if the weight of the item is small, you cannot add other items to the drum. The down product can only be washed once and with down jacket wash balls.
After washing, the down jacket gets rid of moisture in the spin mode at medium speed - 500-600 rpm.

Reference! Special balls can be bought at a store that sells products for caring for things; if you couldn’t find any, tennis balls in the amount of 5-6 pieces would be a good alternative.

Washing a down jacket with tennis balls

Some tricks

To ensure that the jacket retains its original appearance, there are several tricks. Thanks to them, it is possible to dry the product efficiently without spending a lot of time.

Experts working in dry cleaning give some useful tips:

To prevent the jacket from getting damaged during washing and wrung-out, you need to put small balls, such as tennis balls, in the machine. When the drum rotates, they will jump and whip up fluff.
A hair dryer will help speed up the drying process. When using the device, place it at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from the item.
If the jacket has been hand washed, it can be dried in the washing machine. It’s good if the device has an automatic spin function.
Sleeves and collars often get dirty. To avoid having to wash the entire product, wipe dirty areas with soapy water. Then rinse and dry them.

Such simple rules will not only preserve the original appearance of the item, but will also prevent you from wasting extra time.

Mistakes when washing down jackets

A down jacket with natural filling cannot be soaked entirely. If necessary, contaminated areas are pre-washed with laundry soap or treated with a stain remover. A special product will help remove stains during washing. To do this, add the recommended amount of stain remover to the detergent tray.
You cannot use any washing powder; stains may appear that will have to be cleaned off on a dry item or the product must be rewashed.
Bleach should not be used to care for natural down.
When washing a down jacket, you cannot use hot water; the recommended temperature is 30-40°C.
For feathers and down, you cannot use a regular rinse aid; it will glue the down, prevent the feather from fluffing up and will have to be washed out during subsequent washes.

Reference! There are rinse aids for washing natural down jackets on sale. It will not stick fluffs together and the down jacket will easily gain the desired volume after washing.

Drying after washing the product in an automatic machine

If you take into account all the nuances and choose the right mode, then the product removed from the drum will be well washed and wrung out, excess water will already be removed from it, therefore, drying will be much faster. In addition, the rotation of the unit will not allow the fluff to become too tangled and stick together.

It is advisable to shake a quilted, stitched jacket with plenty of filling and hang it on a hanger. In this case, a vertical position of the product is more suitable.

Down jackets are laid out horizontally if they do not have cellular stitching and the filler moves quietly behind the lining. The product is laid out on a wire rack, as after hand washing, so that the fluff does not fall down and become crumpled.

How to properly dry a washed down jacket

How to dry a down jacket?

Reference! Some modern machines are equipped with a drying function. This mode is also suitable for drying outerwear with natural down. The balls used in washing are also useful for drying.

If there is no drying function in the machine, the following simple rules will help dry the product without harming the natural filler.

To dry your down jacket, you need to prepare wide plastic hangers of a suitable size. They will not allow the sleeve cap to deform during drying.
You need to dry your down jacket outdoors in good weather, it’s very good if it’s a warm sunny day.
When drying indoors, the hanger should be hung so that the product does not come into contact with anything.
During drying, the product must be shaken periodically to prevent the filler from forming lumps.
You can help your down jacket dry faster by using a hair dryer.

Is it possible to use a hair dryer

If time is running out and you don’t know how to quickly and effectively dry a jacket after washing, then you can try a radical method. It is not recommended to use a hair dryer to dry the product, but if you do it carefully, the possibility of negative consequences can be minimized.

Turn on the hairdryer at low power and low temperature. Point at the jacket at a distance of no closer than 13-20 cm.
It is best to dry the underside of the down jacket with a hairdryer.
You should move the hair dryer slowly, paying special attention to the seams and edges of the product.
During the process, it is advisable to periodically turn off the hair dryer and shake the jacket so that the fluff is mixed and dries evenly.

Important! After drying, care should be taken to store the down jacket. It is better not to put it in a bag, but to store it in the closet on hangers.

Mistakes that should not be made when drying a down jacket

You cannot dry a down jacket on a horizontal surface, like knitted items. In this position, the item will take a long time to dry because air access will be limited.
You cannot dry outerwear with natural fillers for a long time. When the product dries for about two days, it acquires an unpleasant odor, which will be very difficult to get rid of later.

Washing a down jacket at home with a drum-type washing machine is not difficult, especially if there is a duvet washing mode. An item with high-quality filling, with proper care, will last up to ten seasons.

Prohibited actions when drying

When washing down items, pay attention to how the filling is positioned. If the down or feather inside is not quilted, then it will be more difficult to process them.

To avoid other problems, you need to know what you are prohibited from doing:

If you have washed your down jacket, do not dry it in a cold room. The temperature in the room should be 18-22 degrees. If the rule is not followed, the feather will bunch up and become moldy.
Do not dry near an open fire. Some women think that the process will go quickly if the clothes are placed near the stove. This opinion is wrong. Down is considered a flammable material.
Another important activity that should not be carried out: drying the product on batteries. This can lead to streaks.
If you use an oil radiator for drying, then it must be set to minimum power. Hot air can cause down to stick together and deteriorate its thermal properties.

Even if all recommendations are followed, errors may appear. Therefore, you should carefully consider the whole process, and only then wash and dry the down jacket.

Video: proper washing of a down jacket - 10 tips

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