How to properly wash a denim jacket in a washing machine, care features
A denim jacket is a versatile outerwear suitable for dry and rainy weather. Denim is considered dense, durable and easy to care for. It doesn't need to be washed often. But even with one wash per season, it's important not to mess things up. Denim is a heat-sensitive natural fabric. Before washing your denim jacket by hand or machine, you need to know how to take care of it.
Features of denim care
The jeans are made of cotton and a small blend of synthetic materials. The natural fiber shrinks under hot water and the dye is washed out. The thing may shrink, fade after washing or ironing.The main rule in the care of denim clothing is to keep the temperature low to moderate.
How to take care of your denim clothes:
- do not wash, do not soak in water whose temperature exceeds 40 degrees;
- do not soak denim clothes with metal fittings for more than 2 hours;
- use powder, gel for washing colored things;
- best to wash by hand;
- do not rub on the washboard;
- wash denim clothes in the washing machine for no more than 30 minutes;
- when washing by hand, rinse with water of the same temperature first, then again with cold water;
- dry in the fresh air, away from radiators and stoves;
- iron the denim from the inside out, through a damp or slightly damp gauze.
Denim shrinks in hot water. At the dawn of denim fashion, denim clothes were washed without taking them off. This method helped to adjust the thing to the figure. Stretched denim can be shrunk to its original size by soaking it in hot water. But during normal washing, it should not be overheated, especially the denim jacket. Once it shrinks, it will be difficult to put it on the sweater. With prolonged soaking, metal parts rust. The brown marks will remain on the dried clothes underneath. A heavily soiled item can only be soaked for half an hour.
The universal powder contains whitening particles. Jeans should not be bleached, otherwise the dyed fabric will fade. Therefore, liquid products should be added to the water. The dye is applied in different ways: only on the longitudinal or transverse thread. The reverse of the denim is lighter than the front and resists heat better. Therefore, jeans should be ironed from the inside out. The iron may leave a mark on the front side.
Natural cotton linen does not stretch, can only be washed by hand or dry cleaned. Otherwise, the thing will lose its shape. Most denim items are made of fabric with an addition of spandex. Stretchy fabric does not hinder movement, best machine wash. Fabric composition and care recommendations are listed on the manufacturer's label.
Decode the label
Under what conditions to wash a jacket, the manufacturer informs with the help of symbols:
- a container with water and a number - washing temperature;
- triangle - bleaching;
- letter in a circle - dry cleaning;
- dotted iron - ironing;
- square with vertical stripes - drying method.
On the label of a simple unlined denim jacket, a water temperature of 40 degrees is often indicated. The crossed out triangle means that bleaching is prohibited. The letter "R" is surrounded by a circle. The symbol indicates that the item is subject to standard dry cleaning. Two dots are placed on the iron, indicating ironing at 150 degrees. Vertical stripes in a square are a sign for hanging drying.
How to wash an automatic machine in a washing machine
Prepare and wash your denim jacket:
- close the zipper, all the buttons, turn the thing over;
- select delicate mode in the machine menu;
- pour the cleansing gel into the powder compartment;
- add an air conditioner to the special compartment.
For a blue jacket, the recommended water temperature is 40 degrees, for a black one - 30 degrees. Some washing machine models have a hand wash mode that is also suitable for a denim jacket. You can also find a special program for washing jeans in the menu.
Programs for delicate fabrics are set to the minimum spin speed required.
If the fabric of a lightweight jacket is intended to be hand washed, it can still be machine washed, but the spin should be turned off. It is useful to include an extra rinse so that no streaks of detergent appear on the fabric.
Hand wash features
Because denim sheds, it is not recommended to be washed with garments made from other fabrics.But running a washing machine with just one item is not economical. To save electricity, you can wash your denim jacket by hand:
- take warm water in the bath, up to 40 degrees;
- pouring powder or pouring gel, it is good to use a product for denim or colored items;
- instead of conditioner, you can add a tablespoon of vinegar;
- scrub the fabric with a brush.
The powder must be well dissolved in water before immersing the jacket. Do not put the product on jeans. From universal powder, the color changes, zippers, buttons, rivets oxidize. Undissolved particles remain on clothing. The gel for washing denim clothes protects the color, does not foam and rinses quickly.
If the jacket is decorated with fur, it is better to wash it by hand. Active ingredients in detergents destroy the leather base of natural fur. Artificial hair also grows and swells due to mechanical washing. Before washing, food stains, spilled juice are rubbed with laundry soap, dishwashing detergent, sprinkled with soda. A little kerosene is applied to greasy traces. Then the item is washed as usual. Instead of ordinary detergents, it is better to use a special gel for jeans.
How to properly dry jeans
Actions after hand washing:
- do not overtighten the jacket, let the water drain out;
- straighten, hang on a hanger;
- dry on the balcony in the shade.
After machine washing, the jacket is unbuttoned, turned inside out and also hung on a hanger on the balcony. If the fabric is regularly smoothed, the article will not need to be ironed after drying. Drying denim with a hair dryer is not recommended. Hot air will make it rough and stiff.
Clothes dried in the sun lose their elasticity and cling tightly to the body. It is uncomfortable to move around in a hard jacket until it is worn again.
Common Mistakes
How to ruin a denim jacket:
- rub the cloth in your hands;
- machine wash at 60 degrees;
- remove stains with bleach;
- dry it by throwing it on the clothesline;
- hang a damp object in the sun, next to the radiator, above the stove.
The jeans can be cleaned with water and a clothes brush. To remove dirt, lather up with a cloth, not a brush. At temperatures above 40 degrees, the fabric brightens. Dry the jeans in a ventilated place without using an electric dryer.
Additional tips and tricks
Before washing your denim jacket, it is good to know that:
- a thing with appliqués, leather inserts, rhinestones and stripes can be machine washed and put in a bag;
- for black jeans, use a special gel for washing black clothes;
- it is enough to refresh the jacket 1-2 times per season, too frequent washing will damage the fabric and the color;
- jersey and white jeans should not be washed with a blue and black denim jacket;
- rub off stubborn dirt with laundry soap, leave for several hours and wash in the usual way;
- so that the leather inserts of the jacket do not crack, they must be wiped with glycerin after washing;
- Double-dyed denim contains dye that can transfer to underwear. It is therefore preferable to wash it before putting on a new jacket over a white T-shirt;
- so that the new jacket does not lose color, for the first hand wash, pour water at room temperature and do not squeeze, turn off the spin during automatic washing;
- the jacket dries faster in windy weather;
- to dry the jacket faster in the apartment, you need to put a fan next to it;
- you should not wear an unfinished thing - the fabric will stretch at the elbows;
- Distressed jeans should only be hand washed.
If all the hangers are occupied, a thick blanket is hung on the clothesline, and a jacket is thrown over it - with this drying there will be no wrinkles from the thin rope on the fabric.Branded jackets with fur lining, rich embroidery, spikes and rivets should be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning will retain color. Dry cleaning can also give regular jeans a fashionable, antique look. To prevent a denim jacket from losing its color and shape after washing, you should follow simple conditions: wash in warm water, use gel to wash colored items or jeans, and dry flat.