How to clean a coat at home

A coat is one of the most indispensable things in the wardrobe of both men and women. Even despite the huge variety of other outerwear options, it remains a priority. A quality, tailored coat adds elegance to your look and is great for off-site business meetings.

However, despite the practicality of use, Every owner of this wardrobe item is faced with the issue of cleaning it. And there are several options:

• go to dry cleaning;
• Clean your coat at home.

First way The good thing is that you don’t have to waste your time - you bring it, hand it over, and pick up a clean item. Its only drawback is the rather high cost of the service.

Second way - This is an excellent option for saving your budget and combating not too complex pollution.

Ways to clean coats at home

In general, things like coats should be looked after every time before or after they are used. A dry brush will help to clean the material from small dirt, dust and small debris. This is necessary in order to maintain the neatness of the item and avoid cleaning it for as long as possible. Nevertheless “General cleaning” for coats should be done at least once a season:

• Dry cleaning. You need to go over the product with a dry soft brush.
• Wet cleaning. The product can be treated with steam. And also carry out cleaning of individual contaminants with water and special means.
• Wash. Depending on the designations on the label, washing should be done either exclusively by hand or in a washing machine at a certain temperature. This method is not suitable for all types of fabric.

Attention! It should be remembered that light coats cannot be cleaned with the same products as dark ones. Using a dark-colored detergent on a light-colored item will leave streaks, which means you can easily ruin a good item.

How to prepare a coat for cleaning

Before starting work, it is important to carefully inspect the product. Firstly, this will help determine the type of contamination, and secondly, familiarize yourself with the product label, which contains all the necessary information.

To make it more convenient to inspect the item, you need to hang it in a well-lit place on comfortable hangers. This way you won’t need to be distracted by the fact that it is moving and you can pay attention to a detailed inspection.

The main stages of preparing the product before cleaning:

• Check the outer and inner pockets for foreign objects and remove them.
• Use a dry brush to clean the coat from small dirt and dust. At this stage, it is important not to be lazy and even in those places where dust is not visible, clean thoroughly.
• Study the product label and, based on this, select a method for subsequent cleaning.
• Check the effect of the product on an inconspicuous area of ​​the product, so as not to spoil the material.

IMPORTANT! Be sure to check the collar of the product, the hood, if there is one, and even the belt. Because when cleaning, it is important to clean all elements of the coat so that together they look harmonious during further use.

How to clean a coat made from natural fabrics

In order to determine the material, you should (as we have already said) read the product label. The composition will be reliably indicated there, which means, taking this into account, you can begin the cleaning process itself.

The main materials used by coat manufacturers are wool, wool mixture and leather. We suggest considering each of these options separately.

Wool coats: drape, cashmere, tweed

The information on the product label will help you carefully clean your wool coat. However, you can additionally use small tricks:

• Places where the material is a little shiny should be treated with an alcohol-vinegar solution 1:1.
• You can clean stains on dark things by brewing strong black tea. You need to apply it to the stain and scrub thoroughly with a soft brush.
• Hand washing in cold water with conditioner will help to effectively remove stains. You can use a soft brush for particularly dirty areas.

IMPORTANT! It should be remembered that in order to avoid streaks, cleaning should be carried out in the direction from the edges to the center.

Cashmere coat Suitable for washing in a machine on a “delicate cycle” and for hand washing at a cool water temperature (how many degrees of temperature are permissible can be found in the information on the label).You cannot crush it or squeeze it out with your hands. After washing, it should be hung on thick hangers to drain the main water, and then laid horizontally until completely dry. Then use a soft brush to brush the material from top to bottom to avoid jamming the material.

Little tricks:

• To clean light-colored cashmere, it is better to use talc. You should let it sit for 2.5-3 hours and then remove it with a brush.
• Fresh food stains should be covered with salt for 15-30 minutes and then shaken off.

drape coat, will probably never go out of style. You can clean it at home with a carpet cleaner following the standard instructions.

A light-colored drape coat can be easily cleaned with Vanish dry powder. Apply the powder to the stain and leave it for 20 minutes, and then remove it with a soft clothes brush.

Tweed coat requires similarly careful care of the material. In order to clean it of contaminants, you can use several effective means:

• A solution of salt and ammonia. With this you can remove dirt on the sleeves and collar, as well as save these places from abrasion. You need to take table salt and ammonia, maintaining a 4:1 ratio, apply the mixture to the stain, and after a minute remove the remaining salt with a dry sponge.
• Ammonia and liquid soap. In half a glass of warm water you need to add 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and 1 tablespoon of ammonia. Mix and apply to the stain for about 15 minutes, and then remove the residue with a wet towel.

Wool blend coat

Wool-blend products are considered to be items in which the composition of synthetic materials is more than 60%. Such things are usually cheaper than those made from natural materials. However, they should be looked after with care.

Studying the product label, which contains all the necessary information, will help you cope with any type of contamination of such a coat. Similarly, you can use the little tricks given above. The main thing is to act delicately and test cleaning products on inconspicuous areas of the product.

How to clean a leather coat

Depending on the level of pollution, different options are used. The easiest way to get dirty with dust is to wipe it with a damp cotton towel. Others, More severe stains can be cleaned using several options:

• A mixture of ammonia, lemon and glycerin is great for dealing with greasy areas. The contaminated element should be wiped with a cotton pad soaked in ammonia, then a similar procedure should be carried out with lemon juice, and then wiped with a sponge with glycerin.
• Vinegar will help get rid of salt stains on your winter coat. To do this, use a cotton swab dipped in vinegar to wipe the stained areas, and then wipe these areas with a damp sponge.

ADVICE! If during the cleaning process the coat becomes a little wrinkled, you can iron it from the wrong side at the minimum temperature of the iron.

How to clean a coat made from artificial/synthetic fabrics

Compared to cleaning coats made from natural materials, cleaning coats made from artificial fabrics is a real pleasure.

A dry brush and simple shaking of the product will help you cope with light stains such as dust. A regular stain remover will help get rid of fresh stains.

IMPORTANT! Before using any cleaning product, it is better to test it on a small, inconspicuous area of ​​the product.

Removing grease stains is also not difficult.To begin with, you should sprinkle the stain with table salt, and after half an hour, remove the remaining salt with a sponge and shake the product.

A 10% borax solution will help deal with stubborn stains.. It should be applied for 10 minutes, then soaked with a small amount of lemon juice, and then wiped with a damp towel.

That's all the basic tricks for cleaning your coat from dirt at home.

In what cases should you contact a dry cleaner?

Despite all possible manipulations for cleaning coats from dirt at home, bThere are cases when it is best to turn to professionals in their field - modern dry cleaning. When there is a possibility of permanent damage to the product, which will make it unfit for wear. And, you see, this will be very unpleasant.

So when is it better to go to the dry cleaner and not try to handle it yourself?

• In cases where the label indicates that the product should be dry cleaned only.
• White coat. It is better not to risk carrying out any manipulations, as they can ruin the color of the product.
• If you can’t get rid of the stain at home.
• And there are rare cases when a coat is accidentally stained with fuel oil or machine oil. It is better not to try to clean such stains yourself.

Of course, if you are not confident in your abilities or are simply afraid of ruining an expensive item, it is better not to take risks and entrust the product to professionals. Then you will definitely sleep peacefully.

We hope that our advice will help you extend the life of the product so that it pleases you for as long as possible.