How to wash a cashmere coat?

Cashmere products are in high demand and popularity due to the special properties of this material. The cashmere coat looks elegant, beautiful and stylish, and, moreover, it warms up excellently. Like any other natural material, cashmere is picky about care and cleaning. Knowing several rules of care and features of this fabric, you can safely wash a cashmere product at home without fear of ruining its appearance.

Cashmere (the second name for 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 with high mountains. The goats that live in that area have an especially warm and soft undercoat, from which cashmere is woven. Similar breeds of goats are also successfully bred in China, Afghanistan, Mongolia and Iran. The collection of wool is done by hand, and the process of making the fabric is laborious and requires special care.

For the production of clothing, in addition to pure pashmina, manufacturers also use blended fabrics. Other wool or synthetic materials may be added to the cashmere product. Such products require less difficult maintenance and are even well-tolerated by machine washing.

Read the label carefully before washing your cashmere coat at home. It contains important information on caring for your product. You should pay attention to the following points:

• The composition of the product. The label must indicate whether it is 100% cashmere or there are impurities of other materials in the fabric. If you see the “WS 100%” icon, washing in an automatic machine is contraindicated. This badge indicates that the coat is made only of natural wool, in this case cashmere.
• The tag may have a schematic icon depicting a crossed out bowl of water. This is a do not erase 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 cleaner.
• If there is information on the tag of the coat other than cashmere, please note what kind of materials they are. A mixture of cashmere and synthetic fibers is less delicate and will easily withstand washing in a washing machine. If pashmina is mixed with natural wool, you will still have to wash the product only by hand.

Prepare your coat just before washing:

• Empty pockets, unfasten decorative brooches and overlays.
• Unbutton the hood, if present.
• Fasten all zips, buttons and buttons, including pockets.
• Turn the coat inside out, with the bottom lining facing out.

Do not use ordinary detergent powder for hand washing natural wool products. It eats too deeply into the fibers of the fabric, and to wash it out of natural woolen material, repeated rinsing is required, which can negatively affect the preservation of the appearance of the product. Suitable products are special powders or gels for wool and cashmere.

You can also use hair shampoo. The shampoo well removes impurities from natural fabric fibers, while not spoiling or injuring the structure of the material.

To properly hand wash your cashmere coat at home, do the following:

1. Fill a large basin or tub with water. The water temperature for washing should be no higher than thirty degrees. Add cashmere detergent or shampoo to the water and stir 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 water temperature above the specified threshold.
2. Soak your product in the prepared solution. Soaking time 15-20 minutes. If your coat has heavily soiled areas, such as stains or scuffs on sleeves and cuffs, these should be gently washed before soaking. To do this, apply foam from a cleaning agent or shampoo to the area of ​​contamination and gently, without strong pressure, rub it into the fabric with a dry sponge or soft brush. After washing, you can soak the entire garment.
3. After soaking, the coat should never be wrung out or twisted.

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

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

1. Washing a cashmere coat in an automatic machine is only possible in a gentle mode. Gentle wash programs are usually named "Delicate", "Wool", "Gentle mode", "Hand wash", "Gentle wash".
2. The water temperature for machine wash, as well as for hand wash, should not exceed thirty degrees.
3. The coat should be put in a machine washable bag or a sheet or duvet cover should be used, depending on the size of your garment.
4. You cannot use the spin mode even at minimum speed.
5. The tumble dry mode for cashmere coats is also unacceptable.

After washing, remove excess water from the product. This can be done in two ways. You can place the coat horizontally over the bathtub by spreading it out on a wooden grate and letting the water drain off. If this is not possible, the coat is wrapped in a thick terry towel or cotton blanket.

When the product gets rid of excess liquid and becomes wet, it must be carefully laid out on a dry cloth in a horizontal position. Make sure to lay out the product evenly, there are no folds or folds on it. Do not place your coat to dry in the sun or near heating devicesemitting heat. Drafts are also undesirable. As the fabric gets wet, it is replaced with a dry one.

Do not hang the product vertically on hangers or clothespins until it is completely dry. Vertical placement of a wet or damp cashmere product can distort it greatly. Also, for drying, do not throw the coat over the clothesline, as it will leave a mark on the fabric.

Once completely dry, the cashmere coat can be ironed. Set the minimum heating temperature for the iron, or Silk mode... For additional protection of natural woolen material, ironing can be done using an additional layer of thin fabric, which is spread over the garment.

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.