A fur coat is not only an item of luxury and status for the owner, but also clothing necessary in the cold. Fur retains heat better than down jackets and helps not freeze even in the most severe frosts. However, caring for a fur coat involves some difficulties. This noble material cannot be washed and it is better not to get it wet. There are several ways to clean a fur coat at home without damaging the product.
When to clean your fur coat
Fur coat cleaning is usually scheduled for the end of the season, but sometimes outerwear may need to be cared for earlier. The following are signs of contaminated fur:
- Lack of shine. The very first “bell” is the disappearance of the characteristic shine of the product. This indicates dust has settled and a layer of dirt is forming on clothing.
- Loss of color brightness. Natural fur may look pale. Darker or lighter areas may appear.
- Entanglement. Knots and creases in a fur coat require immediate action. If cleaning is not carried out on time, the fur will completely deteriorate.
- Oily deposits or stains. Often the symptom is accompanied by the appearance of an unpleasant odor.
- Debris in the lower layer of fur. Often, owners of mink or mouton complain about some kind of “dandruff” on the product.
Features of cleaning fur products
A cap
Before cleaning, carefully inspect the headgear. If lumps of dirt are stuck between the fibers (this happens especially often with items made of long fur), then mechanical cleaning is necessary.
It is made using a fur combing brush, which must be used to carefully comb the product until there are no sticky fibers or grains of foreign substances left on it.
If the fur has an undercoat, you need to wrap a little cotton wool around the brush - this measure will prevent the fur from being pulled out from the lower layer.
After mechanical cleaning, you can refresh the fur using the chemical methods described above.
Fur on boots
Soda is suitable for light fur, and sawdust from deciduous wood is suitable for dark fur. These substances should be rubbed into the edge of the boot and then shaken out thoroughly. These steps should be repeated until the contamination disappears.
Fur on a sheepskin coat
First, wipe off the dust from the fur trim with a damp cloth, and then clean the fur with a soft brush, which must first be dipped in purified gasoline. Light fur lends itself well to cleaning with hydrogen peroxide (1 tbsp per 1 liter of water).
How to care for the flesh
If the base of a fur product has lost its former elasticity and become rough, the following procedure will help restore it to its previous appearance.
Dilute 2 tbsp in 1 liter of water. l. vinegar essence and one and a half tablespoons of salt. Apply the mixture to the fur and let the fur coat dry for 40 minutes. Next, gently knead the skin with your hands: 3 times with breaks of 2 hours. Let the product dry completely.
Is it possible to wash a fur coat?
Washing natural fur coats is completely excluded. Wet material is extremely vulnerable and subject to deformation. Any friction and twisting will lead to hair loss and baldness of the product. However, washing a fur coat made from artificial materials is acceptable in many cases. This mainly applies to fashionable plush models.
It should be remembered that before washing a product made from artificial materials, you must carefully study the information on the label. Most outerwear should be washed on delicate cycles or by hand.
Dark fur coat
In order to add beauty to a dark fur coat, you need to purchase bran (dietary additive) and take ½ tbsp. walnuts. The bran is heated in the oven or microwave to 65 degrees. Now rub the product into the fur, making movements as if washing by hand, until the bran absorbs all the impurities.
Now grind the nuts into flour and tie them with a double layer of gauze. Use this “bag” to wipe the pile from root to tip. The oil will nourish the hairs and they will get a beautiful shine.
What not to do when cleaning fur
Before cleaning your fur coat, you should find out what is prohibited when caring for fur. Strictly not recommended:
- Using washing powder. Even to partially clean the product, you should not use washing powder. The product can get stuck between the villi, causing loss of shine and causing a cloudy coating. Other non-specialized detergents are also prohibited.
- Use rough and sudden movements. The fur coat should not be intensively rubbed or combed. This leads to lint loss, tangling and brittleness.
- Apply perfume, eau de parfum or air freshener. Such liquids not only dry out the fur surface, but also give the product a stale smell.
- Dry your fur coat on a radiator or near other heat sources. High temperatures or direct sunlight will adversely affect the appearance of the product.
It is important to know that natural and artificial fur cannot be dried with a hairdryer. It is also prohibited to use a vacuum cleaner to care for the product.
How to clean a fur hat
The most common hats made of natural fur are mink and arctic fox. Let's talk about proper care for them.
Mink hat
Dry cleaning
We use simple household products. Starch and talc will cope with dust and fresh grease stains. Generously sprinkle the chosen product onto the fur and rub in gently. We leave the headdress alone for half a day, then use a clothes brush or a not very powerful vacuum cleaner to clean out the grains that have absorbed the dirt. The final step is to comb the fur with a fine-toothed comb. We clean the white mink cap with heated bran. We also sprinkle the fur, rub it in, and comb it out with a wooden comb.
Wet cleaning
Dissolve washing powder or hair shampoo in water. Whipping the foam. This is what we apply, without water, to the entire surface of the headdress with a new foam sponge. We do not overdo it with friction so as not to pull out the fibers. Remove foam with a clean damp sponge. After cleaning, place the hat on a 3-liter inverted glass jar to dry. This way it won't lose its shape. Dry in the shade away from radiators. When the fur is dry, comb it.
And a few more recommendations:
- Hydrogen peroxide will remove yellowness from your hat. Dissolve it in water, pour it into a spray bottle, scatter it over the dirt and dry it in the sun.
- Remove greasy stains on a mink hat with vodka or alcohol.
- Old stains are removed with a saline solution containing alcohol (1:2 ratio). Apply the solution to the stain, wait a little and wash off with a damp sponge.
Arctic fox hat
Sawdust, bran
To clean this headdress we use clean sawdust. Let's fill the product with them and rub them in little by little until they absorb the dirt.
After cleaning, carefully shake out the sawdust. You can use a vacuum cleaner for this. Then we comb the fur, moving along the growth of the pile. An alternative to sawdust is bran. We do the same with their help.
Gasoline, starch
We prepare a paste from potato starch and purified gasoline. We place the hat on a jar wrapped in fabric so that the headdress does not turn during our work. Using a toothbrush, apply the prepared mixture to the fur and rub in a little. Let the paste dry for about half an hour. Now remove the remaining starch with a brush and shaking. If necessary, we will repeat the process.
Vinegar, alcohol
Mix 9% vinegar, alcohol and water in a 1:1:1 ratio. Apply the mixture to the hat with a sponge and rub in. There is no need to rinse off, since all the components will evaporate after a short time.
Hydrogen peroxide, ammonia
Pour a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide and 10 drops of ammonia into 200 ml of warm water. Mix and apply with a sponge to the fur in the direction of hair growth. To remove the smell, take the hat out into the air for 6-8 hours. After this, comb it with a wooden comb.
Semolina
It collects dirt well and is preferable for cleaning white fur hats. Sprinkle the headdress and wash it effortlessly, as if washing it in water. After this, carefully shake out the hat, not leaving a single grain, otherwise moths will appear in the product.
Walnuts
To clean the hat and restore the shine of the fur, we use powdered walnuts. We place them in a two-layer gauze bag, which we use to wipe the fur.
Cereals
We grind the Hercules in a coffee grinder, heat the resulting flour in a frying pan, sprinkle the warm mixture on the hat and carefully grind the fur. Then knock it out clean.
Ammonia, salt
This solution will deal with greasy stains on the cap. With a sponge soaked in the solution, we will go over the surface - along the hair growth, if the stains are fresh, and against the growth - for old stains.
How to clean the lining of a fur hat
This part of the headdress gets dirty quickly, as it constantly comes into contact with the hair and absorbs fat and sweat. Bacteria developing at lightning speed give the product an unpleasant odor.
To clean, carefully tear off the lining, wash, iron and sew again. If this is difficult to do, clean with a sponge moistened with warm soapy water. Then wipe with a clean, dry cloth so that no moisture remains. If the smell remains, use ammonia solution. After wiping the lining, remove the moisture with a dry cloth.
There are countless ways to clean fur at home. Choose depending on the type, color and degree of contamination. Dry clean very expensive items. You will have to spend money, but specialists have more opportunities not to spoil the thing.
Fur cleaning
How to clean a fur coat is directly related to the color of the product. Some methods are only suitable for light or dark furs.
Caring for dark fur
You can restore the freshness of a black fur product using an alcohol solution. To prepare it, alcohol is mixed in equal parts with water. The resulting composition is applied with a small sponge or using a spray bottle. Afterwards, the fur is carefully combed out with a special brush. Instead of alcohol you can use:
- ammonia;
- table vinegar;
- refined gasoline.
Caring for dark fur excludes the use of any dry white compounds. The use of semolina, starch, talc, bran or soda should be avoided.
Light fur
Untidy yellowish stains often appear on white and light-colored items made from natural and artificial fur. To get rid of stains, 3% hydrogen peroxide is suitable. Half a teaspoon is diluted in a glass of warm water. The resulting composition is applied to the fur product and left until dry. Then the product is carefully combed out with a brush. When cleaning, any dyes or dark liquids are prohibited.
How to clean different types of fur yourself
When choosing a method, you should not forget about the fur itself. Care methods depend on the origin of the fur coat material.
Table 1. How to clean a fur coat made from different types of fur.
| Type | Way |
| Mink | To clean the fur, heat any bran in a dry frying pan. Oatmeal, rye, and wheat are suitable. Warm bran must be distributed in a thin layer over the surface of the product, left for 15-30 minutes, and then combed out. |
| Mouton | It is necessary to mix ethyl alcohol, table vinegar and warm water in equal parts. Apply the composition to the fur layer, leave until completely dry, and comb out the fur. |
| Arctic fox | Long fur helps regular shampoo clean. It is diluted with water and whipped until a dense foam appears. The foam is applied with a sponge and carefully removed with a clean cloth. Comb the product and leave to dry. |
| Rabbit | Sprinkle semolina onto the surface of the fur coat and leave for 10 minutes. Then gently rub the cereal into the product and leave for another 10 minutes. Comb the semolina out of the fur coat. |
| Otter | Regular lemon juice will help restore purity and freshness. It is spread over the fur and left to dry. Then comb the product. |
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Any of the above methods is also suitable for faux fur products. For long hair, it is better to use shampoo, lemon juice, and peroxide. Short - it is better to clean it dry.
How to wash the lining?
You can clean the lining of your fur coat using one of the options:
- without separating the lining from the fur coat, turn the product inside out and clean individual areas - used if the problem area is small;
- tear off the lining , wash, dry, iron and sew again - used for heavy soiling.
When cleaning the lining directly on clothing, you should dissolve the shampoo in warm water, apply the solution to problem areas with a sponge, rub, pulling the lining so as not to wet the base of the fur coat. Blot wet areas with a dry cloth and dry, leaving the fur coat inside out.
In another case, the lining is soaked in warm water with liquid washing powder for twenty minutes, after which it is washed by hand, rinsed well and air dried. Do not wash it in a machine or dry it on a radiator - the fabric may shrink.
Particularly stubborn stains on the lining can be removed using dish soap or a solution of ammonia.
A lot of useful and important information about washing outerwear is here.
Dry cleaning a fur coat at home
Dry cleaning is always done the same way. The cleanser is poured onto the fur and left for a while. Then the product is carefully rubbed into the fur coat and combed out using a special brush or comb with long bristles. Dry cleaning at home can be done using:
- talc;
- bran;
- starch;
- soda;
- hairspray;
- semolina.
Restoring the appearance of fur
Removing greasy
To rid fur of grease stains, use refined gasoline (available at hardware stores). Dampen a sponge in it and walk it along the direction of the pile, and if the stains are old, then also against it. If you have to work with old stains, you can add washing powder to the gasoline (1 teaspoon per 1 liter).
Instead of a sponge, you can use a brush: moisten it in gasoline and thoroughly comb the pile.
The procedure should be carried out outdoors or at least with the windows open so that the smell of gasoline disappears from the room faster.
Yellowing
After being exposed to heavy snow or rain, unattractive yellow spots may appear on the white fur. To get rid of them, you will need some kind of adsorbent substance: soda, starch, talc. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- Lay the fur coat out on a flat surface.
- Pour the prepared adsorbent onto it and gently rub it into the pile.
- When the substance darkens, shake the product so that all the powder falls out of it.
- Repeat the described steps until the product regains its previous appearance.
How to restore shine
If the fur has become dull, take a spray bottle, fill it with vinegar essence and water (1 to 1) and lightly spray the fur coat. Long fur should be sprayed in the direction of growth, and short fur should be sprayed in the opposite direction. Make sure that the liquid does not get on the inside.
Walnut can also restore fur to its original shine and prevent it from becoming brittle. Grind the nut kernels into powder and place them in a gauze bag folded in several layers. Rub the resulting pad over the fur in the direction of its growth to give it a lasting shine.
The third method is to wipe the surface with a soft cloth soaked in glycerin.
How to clean fur at home:
Wet cleaning
There are many methods for wet cleaning fur products. The most effective include:
- Soap solution. To prepare it, use dishwashing detergents, washing gels or crushed laundry soap. The selected product is thoroughly mixed with warm water. To apply the composition to the fur, use a sponge or cotton pad. The surface is carefully wiped with a barely damp disc, dried and combed.
- Glycerol. Regular pharmaceutical glycerin will help restore shine and freshness. This budget product is spread with a cloth and left until completely dry. Afterwards the product needs to be combed.
- Egg yolk. It is necessary to thoroughly beat the yolk until smooth and apply it to the product. Leave the yolk until completely dry and comb it from the surface of the product. It should be noted that this method for caring for a fur coat at home is not suitable for products made of light fur.
How to return whiteness to fur
After wear, the once white pile acquires an unpleasant yellow tint and no longer looks so impressive. This is not a problem, because getting rid of yellowness is not so difficult. This will help:
- hydrogen peroxide - you should walk over the surface with a cloth soaked in antiseptic;
- mixture of 0.5 tbsp. l. ammonia, 1 tbsp. l. salt and 200 ml of water - it must also be applied to the fur;
- medical alcohol mixed with soda in a ratio of 3:1. The solution should be applied to the product in the direction of the wool.
See how to care for fur so that it does not lose its whiteness.
How to remove yellowness
Folk remedies allow you to get rid of yellowish and grayish marks. These include:
- Lemon juice. It is used either alone or in combination with glycerin, vinegar, and ammonia. It is noteworthy that lemon juice does not need to be washed off the fur, which significantly speeds up the process.
- Soda. Suitable for dry cleaning at home. The powder is applied for half an hour and then combed out. Adding vinegar will improve efficiency. The mixture is quickly applied to the fur, dried and combed out.
- Salt. Coarse salt perfectly cleans a fur coat of yellowish and grayish stains, softens the fur and gets rid of unpleasant odors. Apply a thin layer of salt to the fur surface and rub it in carefully with your hands. After half an hour, the salt is shaken out and then thoroughly combed with a special brush.
How to refresh fur and restore shine
Even if the fur coat’s cleanliness test was successful, it wouldn’t hurt to freshen it up before sending it for summer storage. There are two tasks here: clean it from dust and restore shine to the hairs.
To solve the first problem, there is an excellent option: lay a wet white cotton sheet on the floor, and place a fur coat on top of it, wrong side up. Lightly beat the product with a beater so that all the dust settles on the sheet.
After that, hang it on a hanger and comb it with a wide-tooth comb or a special brush.
And to bring back the shine, try one of the recipes.
- Table vinegar (9%) or lemon juice should be diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio. The sponge should be moistened in the solution and squeezed out well, and then walk through the pile. It is important to avoid over-hydration.
- For dark things, you can use walnuts, or rather, their oil. For this method, you need to grind the nut kernels into powder, put them in cheesecloth and wipe the fur.
- It is necessary to combine 10 g of ammonia, 10 g of laundry soap, 100 g of fish oil and 1 liter of boiling water. The resulting mixture needs to be cooled and the wool treated with a rag.
After such procedures, be sure to first dry the outfit thoroughly, and then send the fur coat for storage.
Professional products
You can simplify the cleaning of fur products by purchasing ready-made household chemicals. These products are designed for fur care, which means they are completely safe for an expensive product. Among the best aerosols for artificial and natural materials:
- INSAF. It copes well with any type of pollution, eliminates unpleasant odors, and creates a protective film on the pile. It has a pronounced antistatic effect.
- ULTRA FINISH MILK. A cleanser and softener with a high content of conditioner. Suitable for fur products of any color.
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How to clean a fur coat
We treat this literally expensive item of clothing with care. But there is still no escape from stains and dirt.
You can clean a fur coat yourself, you just have to be patient.
Arctic fox coat
Let’s say right away: to clean heavy stains on a white fox fur coat, take your jewelry to the dry cleaner. If there are only a few stains, clean them yourself, but carefully. And be sure to check the effect on an inconspicuous area. Here's how to clean a white fur coat.
Shampoo
We clean the white fur of the Arctic fox with highly diluted shampoo. Wet the sponge and gently scrub the stain. Remove moisture with a dry cloth.
Soda, vodka
Another method involves using soda and vodka (1:3). Use this solution to remove dirt. Then remove traces of soda with a damp cloth.
Store products
Among the household chemicals for the Arctic fox coat, Insaf aerosols, Lival licker konz, and Biofur foam are suitable.
