How to wash a winter jacket in a washing machine

Can you machine wash a jacket? Opinions are divided on this matter, and it's no wonder. Those who washed their winter jackets correctly continue to wear them, while others who made mistakes have thrown away their favorite outerwear and now speak out against machine washing. Or maybe they're right? Let's explore who's right and who's wrong in this article, and at the same time, we'll explore how to wash a winter jacket correctly.

Washing correctly

When figuring out how to wash a winter jacket, it's important to first understand the basic rules for washing this type of outerwear. These rules, while general, nonetheless cover various aspects of the jacket washing process. Let's take a look at these rules.

1. When preparing to wash a winter jacket, always unzip it and empty its pockets. Firstly, the jacket may contain elements that are undesirable to wash, such as a fur collar, and secondly, detachable parts, such as a hood, can be washed separately.
2. A winter jacket, no matter what material it is made of, does not withstand intense impacts well, so do not use programs that involve machine washing and spinning at high speeds.

Spinning at low speeds is less effective, but what can you do, it’s better than ruining your favorite item of clothing.

3. To prevent the jacket filling from bunching up, it is better to take some measures, namely, put several magnetic balls Or, at worst, a couple of tennis balls. The balls will bounce around inside the mattress during the wash and spin cycle, breaking up the filling and preventing it from clumping.
4. Don't skimp on water. You need to rinse the jacket with plenty of water, since detergent that gets inside is very difficult to wash out. It is better to rinse a winter jacket several times than to wash it again later.
5. Avoid using laundry detergent; instead, use shampoo or gel. Gel and shampoo dissolve better, and they're much easier to rinse out than powder.
6. Don't overdo it with soaking. Minimize the jacket's exposure to water, as water is often harmful to the filler.
7. Wash your winter jacket in warm water (30-40⁰C), hot water can cause significant damage to it.
8. If you find stubborn stains on your jacket, you should pre-treat them with special sprays, or at least soap.

Let's choose a cleaning agent

Choosing a good detergent for washing outerwear is crucial. Half the success of this endeavor depends on the quality of the detergent. If you wash a jacket with regular laundry detergent, it will be left with white marks and streaks that will appear every time you go outside. This is quite an unpleasant sight, so we won't even consider powder detergents and will immediately turn our attention to liquid detergents.

• Grangers Performance Wash. A high-quality, cold-water-soluble laundry gel that rinses out very well. Suitable for all fabric types and fillings.
• Lion for outerwear. A good Japanese shampoo for washing outerwear. It dissolves well, rinses out easily, and is hypoallergenic.
  
• SODASAN Active Sport. This shampoo was specially developed by German specialists for washing sportswear, ski jackets, down jackets, tents, sleeping bags, and more. It has excellent properties and is ideal for machine washing.
• Holmenkol Natural Wash. A laundry shampoo designed specifically for the gentle care of jackets and other clothing. It does not contain aggressive chemicals, but at the same time it removes stains perfectly and is easily removed after the first rinse.
• Cotico. A very inexpensive gel suitable for washing sportswear and casual outerwear, especially jackets. It dissolves in cold water, removes a variety of stains, and rinses well, although a double rinse is still recommended.

Any gels and shampoos designed for washing sports outerwear are usually also suitable for winter jackets.

In the washing machine

Machine washing is the most popular method for jacket care. One in three people in cold climates washes their outerwear in a washing machine. And, indeed, there's no need to exhaust yourself by scrubbing the jacket's surface, rinsing it, tugging it up and down, and then worrying about how to spin it. Simply throw your dirty winter jacket in the washing machine and then take it out clean and spun. Easier said than done. Some people still have serious concerns about this: what washing cycle should they use, what temperature should they wash at, what spin speed should they use, and can they use the steam and dryer functions?

People have a lot of questions, so we'll answer them gradually, while also explaining the process of machine washing a winter jacket from A to Z. First, prepare the jacket according to the rules described in the first section of the article, namely: empty all pockets, unzip the hood, fur collar, lining, and so on, and fasten all zippers and buttons. Once the winter jacket is prepared, we begin the process.

1. We load the jacket, throw in a few of the balls we talked about above, and close the hatch.
2. Next, we need to select a gentle wash program. This will depend entirely on the washing machine model; the more modern, the better. Modern washing machines offer a wealth of useful features and programs. Furthermore, modern machines have larger load capacities, and the larger the drum capacity, the more efficiently and effectively bulky items can be washed.

Please note that the washing process will be better and easier for you if your washing machine has a "double rinse" function, as well as "delicate", "down", and "hand wash" modes.

3. Adjust the washing temperature. If the gel is good and dissolves easily in cold water, then you can choose temperature 30 degrees, in other cases 40 degrees, but not more.
4. Next, we either turn off the spin or adjust its speed to 400, maximum 500 per minute.
5. Press the “extra rinse” button. If there is no button, you will have to start the rinse and spin cycle manually for the second time.
6. Click “Start” and wait until the program completes.

Drying your jacket deserves special attention. It should be dried horizontally; a folding drying rack or, for example, a tabletop works well. Just keep in mind that if the table isn't made of moisture-resistant materials, it could be damaged if you spread a damp jacket on it.

So, lay out a few absorbent cloths, or even better, terry towels, on the drying rack. They will help absorb excess moisture. Carefully lay the jacket out on the towels, trying to smooth out any wrinkles with your hands, and let it sit for about 2 hours.

Avoid drying a winter jacket near a radiator or heater, and avoid placing it outside in direct sunlight. Drying in the shade, in a warm, well-ventilated area, is best.

After this time, you need to go to the dryer and shake out the jacket. Shake well to disperse the filling. crumbled inside, and did not stick together in lumps. At this point, you can turn the jacket over and try to smooth out the wrinkles again by hand. Then, repeat the shaking and smoothing process every two hours until the jacket is completely dry. If you don't do this, the jacket will become heavily wrinkled, and its filling may even be damaged. Do not dry your winter jacket in a tumble dryer or washing machine with a dryer function!

Manually

Hand washing a winter jacket is also perfectly possible. This method is considered even more gentle, but it's a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. Hand washing a winter jacket will present several challenges.

• The jacket will need to be rinsed thoroughly, and it will weigh a lot considering all the water it will absorb. Therefore, use a rinsing technique that doesn't involve removing the item from one container and transferring it to another.
• You'll need quite a bit of water, so if you live in a house without running water, stock up on it in advance.
• You'll have to carefully wring out the jacket or at least wait until the excess water drains out, which takes a lot of time.
• And finally, the item will have to be taken out and transferred to a dryer, but it will still be wet. Firstly, it is physically difficult, and secondly, if you place your jacket on the drying rack carelessly, you can tear the fabric. When wet, the jacket is much more susceptible to damage.

Okay, enough philosophy, let's get to the process. Prepare the jacket as described above, then immerse it in the bath of water in which you previously dissolved the gel. Wait 10-15 minutes, then take a sponge and begin scrubbing the jacket's surface, inside and out. Once the jacket is thoroughly saturated and the surface is treated, drain the water from the bath.

After this, fill the tub with plenty of clean, cool water and begin rinsing. As mentioned above, you'll need to rinse several times, or "in three waters," as they say in Rus'. Once this is done, drain the water and wait for the excess water to drain from the jacket. You can gently squeeze the water out by hand, but be careful not to apply excessive force to avoid damaging the filling or creating creases. Once as much water as possible has been removed, you can begin drying, which we discussed earlier.

To summarize, machine washing a winter jacket is a pleasure, as long as you know how to do it properly; otherwise, you'll simply ruin the garment. There's nothing complicated about the process; just follow the guidelines outlined in this post, and everything will be fine. Good luck!

   

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