Winter time is the time for warm and massive things. You need to take care of winter clothes in a special way; even with regular washing, there is a chance of ruining the item forever. Is it possible to wash a sheepskin coat in a washing machine without harming the product? You should pay attention to the material of the product. Sheepskin coats can be natural or artificial.
Women's sheepskin coats made of natural material
With the wrong approach, you can not only say goodbye to your sheepskin coat forever, but also damage the machine during the washing process. Before washing, you need to weigh the product. Many washing machines are not designed to wash bulky items. If you load more than the washing machine can accept, the device may experience operational problems.
Advice! In order to find out the maximum permissible weight that a washing machine can accept, you need to refer to the passport of your device, where all the characteristics are written. But in most cases, the device body already has such information.
Types of sheepskin coats
Women's sheepskin coats differ in many ways, such as:
- type of material;
- accessories;
- sewing method;
- cut style;
- design.
Different materials are used to sew the product: natural or artificial leather and suede. The choice of cleaning method depends on this. If the fur coat contains decorative elements (rhinestones, patterns, prints), then the washing process becomes more complicated. You will need to carefully and gently remove dirty stains.
Artificial
You can find out how to wash an artificial sheepskin coat by studying the information on the product tag or by consulting with specialists. Despite the fact that the sheepskin coat is made of artificial material, it has good moisture resistance. Washing begins by immersing the product in a basin of water, the temperature of which should be within 40 degrees. It is allowed to use powders and gels specially designed for this purpose for washing. After soaking, the fur coat is wrung out manually or using a machine (spin at low speeds).
Natural
A natural sheepskin coat cannot be washed like an artificial one, as it can be deformed under the influence of liquid. Such things should not be soaked in water, but thoroughly wiped with a wet sponge. Manually pressing the product is strictly prohibited, otherwise creases may occur. Drying in hot sunlight is also prohibited.
If you want to wash your sheepskin coat in a washing machine, you should strictly follow a number of recommendations:
- Enable delicate mode.
- Set the minimum temperature.
- Give preference to liquid powders or gels.
- Spin at minimum drum speed.
Leather
Genuine leather requires careful treatment, since the material itself is very susceptible to aggressive influences. There are certain recommendations on how to wash a sheepskin coat at home:
- The skin should not be exposed to wetness or mechanical stress. The use of cleaning products is prohibited. The leather product must have a tag containing care information, which must be strictly followed.
- Dirty and greasy stains on this item should be removed using natural means, for example, ammonia or semolina. When using them, the skin will not lose color or be lightened.
- If water gets on your skin, the item should be dried naturally. After drying, you should knead it a little in your hands.
- Difficult places to clean are the sleeves, collar, and pockets. They can be cleaned using a mixture of ammonia and tooth powder, diluted in equal proportions. When cleaning, it is recommended to use a stiff sponge or brush.
Suede
Suede is a popular material for making various items of clothing, shoes and accessories. It looks decent in clothes, velvety to the touch, but it also has disadvantages. Suede quickly rubs and becomes shiny from dirt. Therefore, caring for a sheepskin coat made of such material is quite difficult.
There is debate about whether it is possible to wash a sheepskin coat in a washing machine. Some prefer the manual method of cleaning, fearing to deform the item, while others, taking the risk of using a machine, study the information on the tag of the suede product and observe delicate washing conditions.
Is it worth washing?
Modernity constantly introduces certain adjustments into the life of any person. With the advent of washing machines, today almost no one washes their clothes by hand, preferring machine washing. This is understandable, because now there are a large number of washing machines with a huge range of functions that perform this difficult and time-consuming job of washing things for a person. Some people are so carried away by machine washing that they have given in to their laziness and categorically do not want to wash any item by hand, indiscriminately throwing everything that comes to hand into the machine’s drum. But is it possible and worth doing? The hostess is strongly advised to seriously think about this issue. Is it possible to wash everything in a machine?
It’s one thing if the owner has been wearing a sheepskin coat for several years in a row. It is no longer new and, in principle, requires replacement. You can experiment with such a thing. If an incident happens and the item becomes unusable, you can simply throw it away. Another thing, a brand new sheepskin coat. Its owner purchased it quite recently and did not even have time to get used to it. If washing a natural sheepskin coat ruins it, it will certainly upset its owner very much.
If you look at the icon on the tag of the item, in the vast majority of cases you will find that machine washing is prohibited. Moreover, it is not always possible to even wash it by hand. The danger is that your favorite winter wardrobe item can be ruined. And after that, the owner is unlikely to wear it when going anywhere.
General rules for washing and care
Care instructions include delicate washing, most often by hand. It’s worth figuring out whether a sheepskin coat can be washed in an automatic machine, since the cleaning process directly depends on the material the product is made of, as well as on the information indicated on the tag.
It is worth noting that when wet, a sheepskin coat weighs twice as much as when dry. This is taken into account when calculating the kilograms allowed by the technical characteristics of the automatic machine.
The sheepskin coat should be dried naturally on a hanger with a hanger or in a horizontal position, laying the product out on the table. Fur (artificial or natural) is combed with a brush to avoid lumps. After drying, it is recommended to apply a gel with water-repellent properties over the entire surface of the fur coat.
Basic Rules
The optimal temperature for storing natural and artificial sheepskin coats should not exceed 22 degrees plus.
Hot and dry air negatively affects the materials from which the product is made. Natural sheepskin coats do not like natural light. The best place to store such items is a closet with a tightly closing door. Owners of exquisite models made of leather or suede should consider protection against moths. Special products that can be purchased in specialized stores will help you cope with this problem. They need to be placed in the pockets of the product or installed on the door/wall of the cabinet.
You need to store your sheepskin coat on hangers. Their length should match the size of the outerwear. Make sure your shoulders sit smoothly and comfortably on the hanger, without creases or stretch marks. Protect your item with a special clothing cover. It will protect the surface of the sheepskin coat from dust particles and other contamination.
To learn how to properly care for a sheepskin coat, watch the following video.
Dry and wet cleaning
If you don’t want to take risks by washing a sheepskin coat in a washing machine, then the safest option would be dry cleaning, which allows you to care for both natural and artificial fur coat material. You just need to buy a product for caring for leather, fur or suede and clean the item at home. Using a special attachment, you can vacuum your clothes.
Dry cleaning is carried out using such products as:
- Semolina. Dry cereal is applied to sleeves, collars, pockets and other contaminated areas.
- Salt. Without pressing, rub in a circular motion into the stain.
- Bread crumb. It is rolled into a ball and rolled over the problematic surface of leather or suede.
- Eraser. Contaminated areas are simply rubbed over.
Wet cleaning is carried out using water or liquid cleaning agents. This method is rarely used, only when stains cannot be removed by other means. Before wet treatment, lightly steam the skin by holding it over steam.
Useful tips
If your tanned leather winter jacket requires serious cleaning, you should try the dry cleaning method first. Sheepskin coats are cleaned using brushes, bread crumbs, and an eraser; in case of light contamination, such methods may be sufficient.
If the dry method does not help, you can try to wash individual stains. Dirt on a jacket can be scrubbed off with ammonia and glycerin, soap solution and even gasoline, depending on the complexity of the stain.
It makes sense to wash the entire jacket only if neither dry nor wet cleaning methods have produced satisfactory results. Contact with water always poses an increased danger for a winter jacket, so washing is used in exceptional situations.
After treatment in water, it is recommended to lubricate the jacket with a glycerin solution or a special composition for tanned leather. This will soften the material and give it water-repellent properties. But you need to apply products to tanned leather only after the clothes are completely dry.
To make the product less dirty, it needs to be cleaned regularly using dry methods.
In order for the jacket to remain attractive longer and require washing less often, it is necessary to properly care for the clothing. Namely:
- clean with dry and wet methods at the end of each season and only then put away for storage;
- inspect your jacket monthly to notice emerging stains in time;
- Eliminate contaminants as soon as possible, without waiting for them to be properly absorbed.
A jacket made of tanned leather or faux suede should be stored in a fairly spacious closet, the item should hang freely. You need to keep it on hangers; for better safety, you can pack the item in a special bag that allows air to pass through well.
Washing can always damage a sheepskin coat, so it’s better to do it less often
Methods for cleaning sheepskin coats
Having determined the material from which outerwear is made, the supply of cleaning products is replenished. At home, the following are most often used:
- ammonia;
- hydrogen peroxide;
- shampoo or shower gel;
- semolina;
- dentifrice.
Before cleaning stains, the sheepskin coat should be laid out on a horizontal surface. The room should have bright lighting so that stains and abrasions can be clearly seen. After treating the stains with the selected cleaning agent, the item is washed in a washing machine or by hand.
Milk and soda
An effective remedy used to remove stains and lighten problem areas is a mixture of milk and baking soda. Method of preparation and use of the product:
- Take 1 glass of milk and 1 tsp. soda Mix.
- The resulting solution is applied to the stain using an ear stick or a cotton swab.
- The mixture is not washed off for 10 minutes, then wiped with a clean cloth soaked in vinegar.
Tooth powder and ammonia
The disinfectant is also used as a cleaning agent. You can remove a large stain from a sheepskin coat by mixing ammonia and tooth powder. The composition is prepared from components in a 1:1 ratio and applied to the dirty area. If the stains were not removed the first time, it is recommended to repeat the procedure after a while.
Hydrogen peroxide and ammonia
To clean dirt from light skin, it is recommended to take ammonia (1 part) in combination with water or hydrogen peroxide (4 parts). The solution is prepared according to proportions, applied to contaminated areas, and washed off with water after complete drying.
Petrol
Severely ingrained stains are extremely difficult to clean, so in this case quite aggressive agents are used - gasoline or kerosene. These components should be handled carefully, applying them through a piece of thick fabric onto a dirty surface. The stains are rubbed through the fabric in a circular motion. This method is used exclusively for dark skin. The light one will be damaged during processing.
When the sheepskin coat is light
If your outerwear is light-colored, it will be more difficult to remove stains from it. Old yellow marks can be easily removed using a mixture of peroxide and water (1:1 ratio). Grease stains can be removed by using starch or baby powder. You will need to treat the stain with this product 3 or 4 times.
Features of cleaning fur at home
The inner surface of a sheepskin coat gets dirty with the same regularity as the outer material. The fur collar, hood and sleeves quickly become dirty. White and light-colored products in particular. To prevent the sheepskin coat from looking untidy, the fur can and should be washed by hand yourself at home. Just don’t do this with a soap solution. Such cleaning will only do harm.
Here are some tips to help you wash your fur properly and efficiently.
Rice. 10 – Fur cleaning products
- Ammonia with salt (5 ml and 30 g) is mixed with 500 ml of water. Mix the resulting solution well and wipe all dirt on the fur with it.
- Lemon juice. Soak a sponge in it and treat problem areas. It absorbs fat well and eliminates unpleasant odors.
- Shampoo for pets, ideally for long-haired cats, is dissolved in tap water and whipped into foam, which must be applied to the fur areas. Afterwards, rinse with water heated to 30 degrees. And dry thoroughly.
To fluff up matted fur and achieve its full opening, you can use steam. To do this, just hold the old edge over a boiling kettle, pan, or over a bathtub of hot water.
Whatever method you choose to care for your fur decor, it is important to remember one rule: you cannot comb it if it is damp. This way you can pull out the lint
Washing methods
The easiest cleaning method is to take your fur coat to a professional dry cleaner. However, laundries do not always take responsibility and guarantee the preservation of the original appearance of the product. If you receive a refusal, you should find out how to wash a sheepskin coat in a washing machine or by hand yourself in order to remove dirt and ensure the original appearance of the washed product.
In the washing machine
When making the final decision to wash a sheepskin coat in an automatic washing machine, it is important to follow certain recommendations:
- Do not use dry powders for washing, use liquid concentrates.
- Set the delicate wash mode, with a temperature not exceeding 30 ° C.
- Turn off the spin altogether or select it with minimal drum speed.
- Turn on the function that provides an additional rinse.
After washing, you need to dry the item on a horizontal surface, placing terry towels, or in a suspended state. The fur must be combed to prevent the formation of lumps.
If the color has become faded and inexpressive, you can use a special spray that restores brightness.
Manually
The manual method of washing sheepskin coats is more gentle compared to machine washing. It also turns out to remove dirt and put things in order. It is preferable when washing clothes made from natural materials.
Procedure:
- Fur cleaning. First, you can use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust, and then carefully comb the pile. In case of heavy contamination, water is used instead of a vacuum cleaner, which is used to wash the required areas.
- Preparation of soap solution. Liquid cleaning agent is added to the water container. The item is laid out on a flat surface and wiped with a sponge soaked in the solution. There is no need to wash off any remaining detergent; simply wipe the surface with a damp cloth. The main thing is to prevent moisture absorption.
Additional funds
Many sheepskin coats are treated with special components during the manufacturing process. An additional protective layer significantly increases the service life of the product and ensures comfortable wear in any conditions. During the cleaning process, the film wears off, which is why you need to reapply it yourself. It is worth noting that the top layer is erased both when washing in a machine and when dry cleaning or dry cleaning the product.
The modern market offers customers a huge selection of special compounds that will help extend the life of sheepskin coats, preserving the beauty of the material for many years. It is recommended to use water-repellent compounds. They can only be applied after washing. Don't forget to familiarize yourself with how to use the product. After application, perform a simple experiment. If a drop of water falls on a sheepskin coat and rolls off, the product is applied correctly and protects the item from moisture.
Storing natural sheepskin coats
After washing, it is important to store the sheepskin coat properly. The product should be hung on a hanger in the closet; do not use covers for clothes. Do not store folded under any circumstances. The temperature in the room should be 20–27 degrees, the recommended humidity is no more than 55%. Compliance with normal conditions will prevent the occurrence of cracks on the surface of a natural or artificial product.
Now, knowing all the methods for washing and drying artificial and natural sheepskin coats, you can independently, with strict adherence to the rules and recommendations, bring the item into a neat appearance and always look impeccable.
