How to wash corduroy?

Corduroy is a noble-looking fabric, pleasant to the touch, which is difficult to confuse with any other. Its characteristic feature is the presence of many fleecy scars on the front side. They can stretch in rows along the entire length, or they can form a beautiful printed pattern.

Corduroy should be washed by hand in lukewarm water with added delicate detergent. Gentle spinning is recommended, drying in a horizontal position. However, much depends on the structure and type of material.

Specifics of corduroy fabrics

To properly care for such things, you need to have a complete understanding of their composition. He can be:

1. Natural, made from pure cotton. It is strong and durable, but shrinks when washed in hot water.
2. Blend - with the addition of viscose and polyamide - is more elastic than natural, but loses its shape faster.

In addition, the type of corduroy matters:

1. The cord is thick, for outerwear. It can be cleaned ideally at a dry cleaner.
2. The rib is of medium density for demi-season items, such as trousers or a suit.
3. Shaped - with a more complex pattern. As a rule, it requires especially careful handling.

What is corduroy afraid of?

This fabric does not like anything that can spoil it, namely:

• hard water;
• intense friction with a brush when removing dirt;
• exposure to high temperatures;
• deformation during squeezing and twisting;
• drying in a washing machine and in a vertical position;
• splashes on the fabric when ironing (stains will appear).

How to properly wash corduroy items

This must be done very carefully, following a certain sequence of actions.

Preparatory stage

Fabric, unfortunately, attracts dust, crumbs, animal hair, hairs, etc. well. Therefore, first of all, its entire surface will need to be cleaned of minor but numerous contaminants. This cleaning can be done manually by carefully shaking the fabric several times, and anything that remains can be removed using the appropriate tools: a lint brush, a roller with adhesive tape, or a compact suction device - a small analogue of a vacuum cleaner.

Note! Pre-cleaning of corduroy is carried out only in cases where the entire surface of the material is dry. If corduroy fabric is saturated with moisture, it will be extremely difficult to remove small specks from it, and dust particles will be completely impossible to wipe off or remove in any other way.

Features of washing various corduroy items

Depending on what item of clothing needs to be washed, it is necessary to place emphasis on certain parts of the clothing.For example, on corduroy trousers, pay special attention to the knees and upper back - these are areas where the fabric tends to be thinnest, as this is where wear occurs the fastest.

If it is outerwear: a jacket, sweater, blazer, etc., the emphasis should be on collars, cuffs and elbows, treating these surfaces especially carefully.

Hand wash corduroy

To care for corduroy, you should give preference to the classic manual method - it is the one that is most suitable. As for using a washing machine for these purposes, this is fraught with numerous structural damages to the fabric as a result of too high rotation speeds of the unit. There is also no need to use stain removers and bleaches. As a result of their influence, the structure of the fabric can also be disrupted, which will certainly affect its appearance.

The walls of the fabric do not need to be rubbed against each other - dirt is removed with a special sponge with a foam surface. As an analogue, you can use a brush, but always with a soft bristle head. There is no need to make significant efforts - a tangible contact with the corduroy surface is enough.

At the end of washing, corduroy does not need to be wrung out much - it is much better if all the moisture dries out naturally during the drying process in order to minimize the risk of damage to the fabric.

Washing corduroy clothes by hand is as follows:

1. The corduroy item, previously cleared of foreign objects, is placed in a basin of water at room temperature. Dissolved powder, soap solution or other suitable detergent must be added to the water in advance.
2. Using a foam sponge or a soft-bristled brush, the surface of corduroy clothing is cleaned of all existing contaminants. This is done consistently and carefully with an emphasis on problem areas. There is no need to rub hard, just a tangible contact with the corduroy surface is enough.
3. Washed items are removed from the basin and rinsed in cold water, being turned inside out.

Important advice! It would be a good idea to take care of preserving the original shine of corduroy - to do this, you can add a little table vinegar to the water before washing. For 1 liter of water, just one tablespoon of liquid will be enough.

Washing corduroy in a washing machine

Ideally, it is not recommended to use a washing machine to clean corduroy items, since in this case the high power and high performance of the unit can have a detrimental effect on the quality of the washed fabric. If you still don’t have time to wash it yourself, or you are absolutely not satisfied with this method, you can use a machine, but only in the delicate wash mode. But under no circumstances should spinning be done with it - the risk of deformation of the clothes is almost inevitable.

Useful recommendation! As in the case of hand washing, you can use vinegar to give corduroy items extra shine - only when using a washing machine for washing, the substance is poured into the conditioner compartment. You don’t need to pour a lot - 4-5 tablespoons will be enough. You can also use laundry soap shavings.

Aftercare for washed corduroy

In addition to proper washing, you need to correctly carry out further actions.

Drying

Corduroy items should dry naturally, away from heating appliances. Otherwise, the properties of the fabric are lost much faster.

To prevent the product from losing its shape, it is advisable to dry it horizontally. You can pre-dry it by rolling it in a terry towel, and then lay it out on the table or hang it on a hanger. During the drying process, it is good to adjust the product by pulling it along the seams.

Steaming

The material is loved by many for its practicality, as it rarely wrinkles. But if such a need arises, you need to iron it very delicately.

You need to iron the product from the inside through gauze. Set the iron to the “delicate” setting. It is better to iron by placing a blanket or blanket on the ironing board. Do not press the iron too hard or iron it by weight. Then turn the item inside out and smooth it with a soft anti-lint clothes brush. You can use a fabric steamer.

In order not to shorten the service life of corduroy items and continue to decorate your own wardrobe with them, you just need to properly and promptly care for them. Washing corduroy is a rather delicate issue, but if you make it a rule to follow the recommendations for washing it, then there will be no problems with it.