How to wash a cashmere coat?

Cashmere products are in high demand and popular due to the special properties of this material. The cashmere coat looks elegant, beautiful and stylish, and besides, it perfectly warms. Like any other natural material, cashmere is demanding for care and cleaning. Knowing several rules of care and the features of this fabric, you can safely wash the cashmere product at home, without fear of spoiling its appearance.

Cashmere (the second name of pashmina) is a fabric made from the wool of alpine goats. It got its name from the name of the Kashmir region in India. This is an area, most of which is covered by high mountains. The goats that live in that area have a particularly warm and soft undercoat, from which cashmere is woven. Similar goat breeds have also been successfully bred in China, Afghanistan, Mongolia and Iran. The collection of wool is done manually, and the fabrication process is time-consuming and requires special care.

For the production of clothing, in addition to pure pashmina, manufacturers also use mixed fabrics. Other types of wool or synthetic material may be added to the cashmere product. Such products require less complicated care and even tolerate machine wash.

Before you start washing your coat from cashmere at home, carefully examine the label. It contains important product care information. The following points should be noted:

• The composition of the product. The label must indicate whether it is 100% cashmere or there are impurities of other materials in the fabric. In case you see the “WS 100%” icon, washing in an automatic machine is contraindicated. Such an icon indicates that the coat is made only of natural wool, in this case cashmere.
• The label may have a schematic icon depicting a crossed-out basin of water. This is the Do Not Wash icon. In this case, the manufacturer informs us about the special delicacy of the fabric. To clean such a product, you must contact a professional dry cleaning service.
• If the coat’s label contains information on materials other than cashmere, pay attention to what materials it is. A mixture of cashmere with synthetic fibers is less delicate and can easily withstand washing in a washing machine. If pashmina is mixed with natural wool, you still have to wash the product only by hand.

Prepare your coat immediately before washing:

• Empty pockets, unfasten decorative brooches and overlays.
• Unfasten the hood, if any.
• Fasten all zippers, buttons and buttons, including on pockets.
• Turn the coat inside out, bottom lining out.

For hand washing products made from natural wool, do not use ordinary washing powder. It is too deeply embedded in the fibers of the fabric, and to wash it out of natural wool material requires multiple rinsing, which can adversely affect the safety of the appearance of the product. Suitable products are special powders or gels for wool and cashmere.

You can also use shampoo for hair. Shampoo well removes dirt from natural tissue fibers, while not spoiling or injuring the structure of the material.

You can properly wash the cashmere coat manually at home as follows:

1. Fill a large basin or bath with water. The temperature of the washing water should not be higher than thirty degrees. Add cashmere detergent or shampoo to the water, mix thoroughly until a large amount of foam forms. With a little pollution, you can use colder water, but in no case should you raise the temperature of the water above the specified threshold.
2. Soak your product in the prepared solution. Soaking time 15-20 minutes. If your coat has areas that are heavily soiled, such as stains or abrasions on the sleeves and cuffs, they should be carefully washed before soaking. To do this, apply the foam from a cleaning agent or shampoo to the place of contamination and carefully, without strong pressure, rub it into the fabric with a dry sponge or soft brush. After curing, you can soak the entire product as a whole.
3. After soaking the coat, in no case should you wring and twist.

A more detailed process of hand washing a cashmere coat is described in the following video.

As already mentioned, machine wash can be safely used for products, which, in addition to cashmere, include synthetic materials. However, even in this case, it is important to observe several rules:

1. It is possible to wash a cashmere coat in an automatic machine only in a gentle mode. Gentle washing programs are usually called “Delicate”, “Wool”, “Gentle Mode”, “Hand Wash”, “Gentle Wash”.
2. The water temperature during machine wash, as well as with manual, should not exceed thirty degrees.
3. The coat should be put in the laundry bag in the machine or use a sheet or duvet cover depending on the size of your product.
4. You can not use the spin mode, even at minimum speed.
5. The drying mode in the washing machine for a cashmere coat is also unacceptable.

After washing, remove excess water from the product. There are two ways to do this. You can place the coat over the bathtub horizontally by spreading it on a wooden grate and let the water drain. If this is not possible, the coat is wrapped in a thick terry towel or cotton bedspread.

When the product gets rid of excess fluid and becomes wet, it must be carefully laid out on a dry cloth in a horizontal position. Make sure that you have laid out the product evenly; there are no folds or bends on it. You should not have a coat for drying in the sun or next to heating appliancesthat produce heat. The presence of drafts is also undesirable. As the fabric gets wet, it is replaced with a dry one.

Do not hang the product vertically on the shoulders or clothespins until it is completely dry. The vertical arrangement of a wet or wet cashmere product can severely deform it. Also, for drying, you can not throw the coat over the clothesline, as it will leave a mark on the fabric.

After drying completely, the cashmere coat can be ironed. Set the minimum heating temperature of the iron or silk mode. For additional protection of natural wool material, you can iron using an additional layer of thin fabric that spreads over the product.

As you can see, caring for a cashmere product, although laborious, is quite feasible at home. Knowing the specifics of this material and observing the described rules, you can enjoy your favorite cashmere coat for a long time.