How to prepare your favorite fur coat for a summer holiday: the intricacies of storing fur at home

09.26.2016 Category: Just interestingAuthor: Natalya Ivantsova

A fur coat is not only protection from the cold, but also part of the image, giving special status to its owner. When buying a fur coat or coat, you expect to wear the item for several seasons. But if you store your fur coat incorrectly in the warm season, it will hardly last you two seasons. Therefore, it is important to know about all the intricacies of fur care.

• How to prepare a fur coat for summer?

  A few secrets before sending your fur coat on vacation - video

Preparing for "summer hibernation"

A fur coat needs special storage during the warm season, when it hangs for a long time in the home closet and waits in the wings. She needs to be properly prepared for this period.

If there is severe contamination, damage to the hem or other areas, it is better to first have the product dry cleaned. If there are none, then a natural fur coat can be prepared for summer at home. The procedure consists of the following steps:

• thorough ventilation;
• combing fur;
• selection of hangers for hanging outerwear;
• hanging in the closet in fabric covers.

By the way, experts advise ventilating clothes in a cool, dark place. If there is none, then you can hang it on the balcony in the evening or at night. The fur coat should not be exposed to direct sunlight, as it dries out the fur, which leads to rapid deterioration of outerwear. The pile should be combed only with special brushes, moving in the direction. Also make sure that the hangers are straightened and the buttons or hooks are fastened, as the product may move and become deformed.

Subtleties of home storage of different furs

Each type of fur has its own wear and storage period. To keep your clothes in perfect condition, you need to remember a few simple rules.

Mouton

The most durable is the mouton. This fur coat is often used as an everyday option. They store it, like others, in a dark, well-ventilated closet. But mouton fur has one peculiarity - if the dirt is not removed from it immediately after the stain appears, then it will be almost impossible to do so later. Therefore, the fur coat must be thoroughly cleaned before storage.

Mouton is stored for a long time in cold and dry conditions. The enemy of the muton is heat . The product is placed in a closet where even artificial light does not penetrate. The optimal temperature is 8–12 °C, otherwise the fur may lose its shine and acquire a musty smell of rags. To protect the mouton from deformation as a result of its own weight, the hangers must be exactly the width of the shoulders of the product.

Mink

Mink is a capricious and not wear-resistant fur . This product should be stored hanging on soft hangers. A suitable option is a cabinet made of cedar, since such wood practically does not allow moisture to pass through and repels moths with its smell. It is advisable to choose a storage case made of fabric to ensure sufficient breathability.

Mink is a delicate material that requires care

Before storage, be sure to clean the fur from dirt; it is advisable to entrust this process to dry cleaning specialists. Mink is a very delicate material that can be easily damaged.

How to store products made from nutria, goat and other types of fur

Nutria and beaver fur is the most wear-resistant and durable. Such fur coats will last for many years, maintaining their appearance unchanged. But there are still some storage nuances.

• The beaver product should be kept in a cool, dry room. Exposure to dampness and heat instantly spoils a fur coat, making it faded.
• Nutria fur is more durable. It is enough to protect it from moth attacks. Both of these materials must be thoroughly dried before being put into the closet.
• Rabbit fur is stored in the same way as mink. It is important to prevent caking of the product, as well as moth attacks.
• The fur of raccoons, foxes and chinchillas is easily susceptible to creases. Products are stored only on hangers. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that they are well straightened.
• A goat fur coat is placed on wide hangers, this allows it to maintain its shape. Otherwise, the storage conditions are not particularly special.

Mink products

First, we’ll tell you how to store a mink coat in the summer, since such outerwear is the most common. To do this, you will need a cover made of natural fabric that allows air to pass through. Moreover, it is worth checking first whether the fabric is fading, since traces of paint from it may remain on the pile. The paint is especially imprinted on light-colored mink products.

To protect against moths, only proven products should be used. Almost all such preparations contain alcohol, which is harmful to mink coats. You need to carefully choose the products, read the composition, instructions for use, and purpose. For prevention, you can use lavender, lemon or orange zest. They repel moths and do not spoil the fur, since they do not come into contact with it. Place herbs or other foods in small cloth bags and place them in each pocket.

By the way, mink loves a lot of free space. If you are going to store it in your home closet, then make sure that other things hang at some distance from it. It is also necessary to take out your fur coat every two months and air it in the fresh air. But hang it so that direct sunlight does not fall on the product.

Where to store real fur?

If you have several fur coats, then it is better to store them in a spacious dressing room, where they will not interfere with each other, or go to special storage facilities for fur products

It's time to decide on a place to store your valuable item. The basic requirements for the premises can be outlined as follows:

• cool - +15...+17 oC;
• dryness (humidity levels should be between 40–65%);
• darkness;
• space (a fur coat loves solitude and should not come into contact with other things).

That is, a closet or dressing room fully meets these conditions. Especially if you have air conditioning. And that's why they won't fit:

• balcony - too hot in summer;
• freezer - no matter how good the effect of low temperatures on fur, you will have to store the fur coat rolled up, and this will cause creases.

If you have the opportunity, you can put your fur coats in special storage facilities with large freezers equipped with built-in cabinets. But don't be lazy and find out:

• are the lights dimmed?
• Is the temperature optimal (from 2 to 8 °C);
• Is the humidity satisfactory (up to 65%);
• Is the room spacious (the minimum distance between fur coats is 10 cm);
• are things packed in covers;
• Is there periodic freezing to kill insects?

Karakul products

Caring for an astrakhan fur coat is radically different from all previous ones. The fur of this animal tolerates temperature changes well and can be cleaned at home. But it is still better to store it in a fabric case made of natural fabric that breathes. You can pre-treat it with moth protection products. Almost any means will do here.

As you can see, basically all fur products require approximately the same storage conditions. It is extremely important to know the rules for care and storage, and to follow them. Any neglect of the recommendations can lead to disastrous consequences and large financial losses, because fur products are an expensive pleasure.

How to prepare a fur coat for summer?

Before sending your fur coat on summer vacation, it needs to be cleaned.

You can recognize natural mink fur by the length of the hairs. This animal has them exactly the same! It is due to this feature that mink products are particularly velvety.

Before you send your fur coat “on vacation”, it needs to be prepared.

1. We examine the item from the outside and from the inside out. If necessary, we strengthen the buttons and sew up the holes in the lining.

2. Remove stains. To do this, you can go in two ways: go to dry cleaning (the best option, especially if there are a lot of stains) or try to deal with the stains at home. The best way to remove greasy marks is to mix 9% vinegar and vodka in a 1:1 ratio:

1. Wet the sponge with the solution.
2. We wipe away the stains. If the fur coat has a short pile, the movements should be “against the grain”, while for long-haired ones we iron it, on the contrary, in the direction of the hairs.
3. Dry the fur coat in a well-ventilated room at 17 ° C and 60% humidity.

3. Restore shine. Usually, under the influence of dust, the pile loses its smoothness and stops shimmering in the light. If you don’t want to go to the dry cleaner, then arm yourself with potato starch:

1. Take 1 cup of starch per 50 cm2 of pile.
2. We wipe dull places.
3. Shake the item well to remove any remaining cleaning product.
4. If the result is unsatisfactory, the operation to restore shine can be repeated 2-3 times. Many owners of fur coats use semolina or bran instead of starch. But these foods attract moths.

4. Using a metal comb with sparse teeth, comb the fur through the coat.

5. Ventilate the product on the street or balcony for 24 hours.

6. We put the fur coat on hangers and send it for storage. Just keep in mind that the coat hangers must be exactly the right size, otherwise the fur coat will become deformed on wide ones and sag on narrow ones.

A few secrets before sending your fur coat on vacation - video

Features of covers for fur products

If you are going to store a fur coat at home, then be sure to buy a high-quality and good case. After all, this accessory:

• ensures proper storage of clothes;
• able to protect against moths, dust, and sunlight.

Covers for fur coats are equipped with durable hangers with wide and round hangers. They can withstand the weight of outerwear and do not bend at all. This means that the products do not sag or lose their shape. The fabric used for sewing covers is natural and opaque to protect from artificial and natural light. Cotton, linen, and canvas are best suited. Such accessories allow you to air your fur coat without removing it from its protective cover.

The form must be fixed. In this case, the pile will not come into contact with the walls of the cover, which means it will not be deformed or wrinkled. Moreover, it should be 10-15 cm larger than the product itself.

Particular attention should be paid to the top of the case. It should be sewn in such a way that the collar and shoulders do not wrinkle. Clothes should hang freely. And even the case should not be touched by other things. Free up enough space in your closet so that your fur coat can breathe and not wrinkle.

Consequences of improper storage

Most often, creases appear as a result of improper storage of a fur coat.

No one is immune from mistakes, including those related to the storage of fur products. Of course, one of the irreparable damages is bald spots from moths or the ingress of chemicals - no amount of tricks will return a fur coat to its former charm. But there are also troubles that can be overcome.

Creases

You cannot store a fur coat folded - this is an axiom. But if you didn’t know this, and when you took out your favorite item, you saw a lot of creases, then you can take some measures:

1. We fill the bath with hot water.
2. We take the fur coat on hangers into the bathroom and close the door tightly.
3. We wait until the creases straighten out.
4. We dry the item and hang it in the closet only on hangers.

The second method is suitable if there are few creases and they are not very serious:

1. Wet the sponge with water.
2. We iron the pile “through the wool” with it.
3. Combing the fur coat.
4. Dry the product.

Deformation of the flesh

When the air is too dry, the treated skin dries out, and when the humidity is too high, it stretches. In the latter case, to normalize the flesh, it is enough to set comfortable humidity levels. But you will have to fight rigidity with slightly different means:

1. Mix 1 liter of water, 1.5 tbsp. l. table salt and 1 tbsp. l table vinegar.
2. Using a sponge, apply the composition to the wrong side of the product.
3. We knead the flesh with our hands and rinse with clean water.
4. Dry naturally.

You can use an alternative method:

1. Mix ½ cup of water and ½ cup of liquid soap.
2. Add 50 ml of any fat and 1 tbsp. l. glycerin.
3. We wipe the skin with the resulting composition.
4. We wash off and sprinkle the flesh with chalk to remove any remaining fat.

Moth protection

Many manufacturers have begun to produce models of protective covers with anti-moth impregnation. But over time, it still loses its properties, so it is better to carry out additional treatment with anti-repellent agents every two months. To protect against moths, it is advisable to use products in tablets or plates, rather than sprays. Aerosol particles settle on the pile and gradually saturate it. The pile can not only become saturated with the smell of insecticide, but also deteriorate the structure due to the contact of chemicals.

Regular ventilation of the closet and treating it with anti-repellent agents will also help protect your fur coat from moths. Pay special attention to cracks, because moths can hide in the most unexpected places.

What is the best place to store fur coats?

Where you plan to store fur coats, high humidity is unacceptable. Dampness is one of the main enemies of fur.

• The item is kept in a cool (+15C -+17C) place with low humidity (40 - 65%) away from light. A dressing room or spacious closet is suitable for this. You should not keep fur on the balcony: it is quite hot there in summer. But in the apartment you can always use air conditioning.
• It is desirable that the fur product hangs freely. Other things can leave creases on it and crush the fur.
• A case for storing a fur coat is often sold along with it. But it is always possible to buy it separately. This device reliably protects the item from insects, abrasions and damage. The fur in the case will not fade, but it will have to be ventilated periodically and checked for condition.
• You cannot use plastic covers to store fur coats, because the fur must “breathe”.
• The negative influence of the environment (dampness, heat, lack of ventilation) leads to the fact that fur clothing becomes dull and acquires a yellowish tint, and the pile loses its wear resistance and breaks, forming bald spots.

But if we are talking about artificial materials, which have become quite high-quality in recent years, exposure to sunlight is not dangerous for them, and moths will not be able to become interested in such a fur coat. Almost all types of synthetic fibers are not afraid of temperature changes and dampness, making it much easier to store the product.

Preparing a mink coat for storage at home

Cleaning should be done at a dry cleaner or yourself. Before placing the product in the closet, you need to inspect and shake off dust. Iron carefully. If you find stains or dirt, you should immediately begin removing them, otherwise your favorite item will be damaged.

Attention! Do not comb the pile so as not to damage it.

After shaking and smoothing, it is advisable to follow these steps:

1. Hang the mink coat on wide hangers and apply dry shampoo to dirty areas. Instead, talc and semolina are used. It is not recommended to do dry cleaning using “grandmother’s” methods. Vinegar, ammonia and medical alcohol, gasoline, kerosene - set aside. An unpleasant odor may appear, and if used incorrectly, the product will be damaged. If greasy stains appear, use sawdust, yellow stains - animal shampoo, traces of foundation and lipstick - vodka, vomit - starch.
2. The shine of the mink coat will help restore the solution of lemon juice and glycerin. Combine the products in equal quantities and apply to the product with a spray bottle, wipe with a paper towel in the direction of the pile and leave to dry.
3. Using a special brush, comb out the loose powder. Comb in the direction of the pile. The comb should be soft, with rare teeth.
4. After cleaning, dry the mink coat. Leave clothes on the balcony so that ultraviolet radiation does not reach them. Hang on wide hangers, hook onto a rope. Do not use clothespins; they have a deforming effect.

To clean the lining, use stain removers or foam for cleaning clothes. Apply only after wiping with a brush to remove dust and dirt. Before storing in a closet, the mink coat must be thoroughly dried. Important! Sprays, foams and lining stain removers should not be allowed to come into contact with the fur portion of clothing.

The preparatory stage ends with fastening the fur coat with all the buttons. The product is hung on hangers with an additional clip to support the case.

Moth control

Moths are a true “connoisseur” of expensive products made from high-quality natural fur, therefore, before storing a fur coat in an ordinary closet, you should provide it with reliable protection from the pest. To do this, you can use folk remedies and special tablets and aerosols.

It is the larvae that cause maximum damage to the product. It is recommended to place anti-moth tablets in the corners of the storage area, put them in a protective cover and in the pockets of the fur coat itself. It is permissible to spray the cover and cabinet walls with an aerosol. It is forbidden to spray the pile and inner lining. Applying an aerosol to the fur coat itself is permissible in exceptional cases when there are traces of pest activity. You need to purchase a Mosquitol type spray with the scent of lavender from a specialized store and apply it to the fur and cover it with a cover. After 2-3 days, hang the fur coat for airing for a day.

Which case to choose

A fur item definitely needs a cover, especially if there are several coats with dyed fur nearby.

• To ensure air access to the fur coat, the cover should be chosen from natural fabric (linen, cotton, canvas).
• It is impossible to keep a fur item in a hermetically sealed polyethylene bag due to the formation of condensation.
• Storing a fur coat in a vacuum bag is unacceptable for several reasons. Finding a package of the required size is quite difficult, and therefore you will have to roll the item. In addition to deformation, it is at risk of creases under the influence of vacuum.
• The case for storing fur coats is chosen in a dark color (black, brown, blue) so that it does not transmit ultraviolet radiation, the influence of which is detrimental to natural pile. But before that, you should make sure that the cover is painted well and will not fade onto the fur coat. You can check this with a damp white cloth. If you rub it on the case, there should be no traces left on it, which indicates the high quality of the product.

Features of the structure of natural mink fur

The fur consists of individual hairs of different types:

• the guides are the longest, protruding above the hairline, elastic and rigid. They set the direction (as is clear from their name) in which the fur lies;
• guard hairs - shorter and thicker than guides, they represent the main type of hair, reliably cover the fluff and prevent it from rolling and matting (into felt);
• downy (underfur) – thin, soft and short hairs, the most numerous (in fur-bearing animals there are 94-98%); form a thick and warm bottom layer.

Your fur coat can be made from regular or specially processed fur - sheared, plucked - with trimmed or plucked guide and guard hairs. The hair layer is located on the skin tissue (mesh), in which each hair is naturally strengthened.

Concluding the theoretical digression, we conclude: the appearance of a fur product, the ability to preserve its aesthetic and practical properties for a long time depend on the conditions of keeping fur-bearing animals, high-quality tanning of the skin, fur processing, competent tailoring and proper care.

Possible problems and some tips for storing fur coats

1. Using pest control sachets for too long is not advisable. An item that has already been attacked by moths will completely lose its presentable appearance.
2. The joint storage of fur coats and bottles of household chemicals is unacceptable: if the chemical composition gets on the item, it will no longer be possible to clean it.
3. Before storing a fur coat made from mink and other types of fur, it should not be folded to prevent creases from forming. And in a too dry place, the mezra (the skin to which the pile is attached) dries out. In a damp place, on the contrary, it stretches, which also spoils the appearance of the thing.
4. Exposure to sunlight on fur causes it to fade (light fur turns yellow). The same result is caused by the influence of perfumes, dust and cigarette smoke.
5. The smell of perfume applied to fur becomes unpleasant over time, and it will be difficult to get rid of it.
6. White fur coats should be stored in blue covers. This will protect them from yellowing.
7. The shelf life of a fur coat will depend on various factors. This is the type of fur, the degree of quality of its manufacture, the initial state of the pile. All this is checked when purchasing the item.

If properly stored, high-quality winter clothing can remain in good condition for more than one season, and with minor damage, the fur can always be restored.