A down jacket(puffer jacket) is a garment filled duck or goose down. Down feather-filled products have the characteristics of warmth and lightness, so winter clothing, bedding sheet and sleeping bags are usually filled with down feathers. Washing down jackets can be a hassle because strong cleaners can damage the down and down jackets must be thoroughly dried to regain their previous warmth.
Down jackets need proper care to perform their best function.
If it is not cleaned properly, it will lead to the decline of thermal performance, uneven thickness of down filling, easy drilling down, discoloration and deformation of clothing, etc., which will affect the performance.
After Chinese Spring Festival, the weather is getting warmer, you may be worrying about how to clean and store down jackets.
How to care and wash your down jacket easily and correctly?
Don’t worry, let’s help you and master some cleaning and caring tips, we can easily wash and care for down jackets at home. Dry cleaning is the best, but costly, you can just send to the dry cleaner.
Read the care label about the washing instructions, they will tell you whether the garment should be hand washed, machine washed on a special wash program, or sent to a professional laundry for dry clean.
Washing process, down jacket cleaning “four steps”
Because of the particularity of the down jacket material, pay more attention to “care” when cleaning.
If there are particularly stubborn stains on the neckline, cuffs and hem of the down jacket, you can pre-treat stains first, and then move to hand wash or machine wash steps.
Hand washing:
1. Soak with neutral detergent and warm water.
Put the down jacket in clean water for 10 minutes to fully wet. Put appropriate amount of mild detergent or specific detergent into warm water at or water below 40 degrees, and soak for 15 minutes.
2. Scrub and gently squeeze.
Do not rub the clothes too hard when washing by hand, use a soft brush to gently brush. Knead lightly and rinse with warm water until clean. After washing, do not twist, squeeze water down from the clothes. Before drying, try to excess water naturally, use dry towel or dry cloth to wrap and remove water.
3. Flat drying.
After washing, lay flat with air dry. When it is 70% dry, check whether there is any odor or white stains on the fabric. If these occur, put a little white vinegar, soak for 10 minutes, rinse with clean water and then air dry again. Avoid sun exposure, as strong direct sunlight will easily accelerate the fading and aging fabric.
4. Slap.
When 90% dry, tap the down jacket lightly with a hanger to restore as much fluff as possible.
Machine washing:
Use front loading washing machine, soak 15 mins, remember to closed the zip and buttons on puffer jacket, put them in mesh stuff sack, you can wash and dry in machine with low heat setting. You can put clean tennis balls after rinse process, the tennis ball will be tumbled in the dryer with the clothes, fluffing the down in the clothes. The “thumping” of the tennis ball on the clothes can prevent the down from sticking together and help the down jacket regain its soft feel.
After it’s completely drying, it may take about 2-3 hours in low heat dry, take the jacket out of the dryer. Never compress a down jacket as that will destroy the warmth of the garment.
How to dry the down jacket tips?
- Due to the particularity of the inner material of the down jacket, it can not be vigorously squeezed or dried in the washing machine, which will destroy the down ingredients in the down jacket. The best way is to use the dry towel at home to wrap down jacket Press lightly to squeeze the water out little by little (try to squeeze the water out as much as possible, otherwise it will leave a white water mark after drying).
- After squeezing, dry the down jacket and hang it inside out. Be sure to pat lightly with a hanger and repeatedly tap a few more times to make the down fluff in the clothes.
- Be careful not dry directly under sun exposure, it is best to dry in a ventilated place.
- Hang the down jacket, put in a dust bag, and put it in a ventilated and dry wardrobe. (Do not use fold and compressed packaging, because some down jackets are coated fabrics,it will adhesion between fabrics. if the down jacket is in a closed environment. It is also prone to qualitative change after high temperature. Only in a ventilated place will it not regain moisture and maintain its fluffiness.)
If you want to wear a down jacket for a long time, you must do the following “Tips” for daily maintenance
- Moisture-proofand get dry: The down jacket needs a rest period. Wear three or four days and let it breathe fresh air in a ventilated and shaded place. When drying, you can hang it inside out. Use a hanger to gently pat the parts that are easy to touch when you are wearing it.
- If you accidentally get dirty when wearing, you can use a clean towel dipped in a little detergent to wipe the dirty parts quickly, because most of the down jacket fabrics are water resistant, hang in a cool place for one night, can wear it the next day.
- Anti-static: If you are accustomed to wearing a fleece sweater, you can add a little anti-static neutral fabric softener when washing the down jacket.
- Avoid scratching: Down fabrics are generally very afraid of being scratched by nails, knives and other sharp objects, because this will cause the down feathers to scatter, the feathers will go out through the holes. Be extra careful when wearing them. In addition, cigarette butts and flames should also be prevented from burning out.
- Before storing, dry completely to prevent mold and insects.
Avoid put in water for long time, Avoid using alkaline washing powder or soap to soak. Transitional frequent washing will damage the warm medium of the down jacket, so please keep the number of washing in about 2 times a year.
The End
If you have other good idea about how to wash down jackets, please feel free to share with us. We also have other article about how to wash sweaters and how to clean and wash clothes.