Buying outerwear for the harsh time of year, more and more often the preference is given to products with artificial fillers, which keep warm as well as down jackets and fur products. As an alternative to natural heaters manufacturers use sintepon, tinsulite, hollofiber, fleece, which have demonstrated excellent performance characteristics.
But sooner or later the thing gets dirty, and at the end of the season you just need to refresh the product before sending it to the closet until the next cold weather. This raises the question of how to wash a winter jacket so as not to spoil the thing and maintain the quality characteristics of the fabric. There are certain rules, following which the purchased thing will serve faithfully for several seasons.
Can I wash my winter jacket in the washing machine?
In an effort to provide decent care to the items of closet, the owners of outerwear wonder how to wash winter clothes properly and whether it is possible to do it with some products at all. Experts recommend familiarizing yourself with the features of care for the jacket at the stage of purchase, because some manufacturers use fabrics, insulators, inserts, which do not tolerate washing in the traditional sense. Not everyone can afford regular dry-cleaning services, and for some this service is not available at all. In order not to experience disappointment, it is worth to read the contents of the instructions for the care of the product before buying.
Separate attention is given to the fabric itself. Products with a membrane require special care, the subtleties of which are warned in the manufacturer’s instructions, because the usual washing can destroy the protective layer. Jackets with leather inserts, mixed fabrics and membranes are not recommended for machine washing. As for fillers, jackets with hollofiber can be washed at a temperature of 50-700C, tinsuleit – not exceeding 400C. Synthetic in jackets may be glued or sewn. Inexpensive models are created from laminated, which can not be washed categorically. Needle-punched (sewn) sintepon perfectly tolerates machine washing.
How to wash a winter jacket in the washing machine
After making sure that a jacket made of sintepon is allowed to be machine washed, you should prepare it for the procedure.
- Inspect the product for holes and foreign objects in the pockets. All existing defects should be eliminated, because otherwise as a result of washing the area of damage to the fabric may increase. Carefully check the integrity of the lining, so that no small objects have fallen behind it, otherwise they can damage the product and cause malfunction of the washing machine.
- If there are stains on the jacket, it is necessary to remove them locally. Grease stains, if not treated, will remain in place after washing. The area of the sleeves, along the pockets, cuffs, collar, requires pre-washing. To do this, just soap up the greasy areas with laundry soap and go over with a brush.
- No pre-soaking of the synthetic jacket is required.
- Before sending to the drum, unbutton decorations and furs, fasten zippers and buttons, and turn the garment inside out.
- You should abandon detergent containing chlorine, giving preference to a liquid detergent or special capsules for washing. It is better to listen to the manufacturer’s recommendations on the label when choosing a detergent.
- The optimum temperature for a jacket made of sintepon should not be more than 300C.
- Jacket should be washed in “hand or delicate washing” mode. Some models allow the mode “synthetics”.
- Be sure to use the extra rinse function to eliminate excess foam and avoid the formation of streaks. A conditioner can be used to help straighten the filler fibers.
- It is categorically forbidden to use the spinning function and the electric dryer, because it is fraught with the risk of bunching the sintepon into lumps, which leads to deformation of the product.
It is important to know not only how to wash a winter jacket in the machine, but also how it should be dried. After removal from the washing machine, the thing must not be unscrewed. The jacket is spread out on the bottom of the bath, press down on palms to remove excess moisture. Dry the product horizontally so that under the weight of the water sintepon is not knocked down. When the moisture is gone, you can hang the jacket on hangers and dry it outdoors, avoiding direct sunlight.
Washing a beaded winter jacket
Today there are special balls of plastic on sale, designed for washing bulky things. Packs of spiked balls can be found on the shelves with household chemicals. Sending balls with the jacket in the drum, you can improve the quality of washing and save detergents. To wash a synthetic jacket, you need to add 4-5 spheres, which can knock out the dirt and massage the filler, not allowing it to bunch up in lumps.
The result exceeds all expectations, because even hand washing is not as effective as using such balls. The use of balls reduces the portion of detergent, which allows you to avoid streaks when the product dries. And the rumble that comes from the washing machine should not be frightening, because the balls are made of durable plastic and will not cause any damage to the machine.
As an alternative to special hedgehog balls, craftsmen have adapted to send tennis balls into the machine to improve the quality of washing. Large and heavy they are great helpers when washing a jacket made of sintepon. But they should not be used when washing light-colored products, because the bright lettuce coloring can fade, which can spoil the product.
Syntepon jacket should be washed no more than 2-3 times per season, if you follow the recommendations, the product will not lose its aesthetic appeal, and the quality characteristics of the insulation will not deteriorate.
