It's so hot to wash, but it's not warm after washing... It's the season change, seven questions about washing down jackets

As the weather gets warmer, people are changing out of their heavy winter clothes and preparing to wash and store their down jackets to keep warm when winter comes again.

However, when washing in a washing machine, some people accidentally opened a "explosive" down jacket. Not only did the down jacket burst, but even the washing machine's dehydration bucket was damaged. Why is it easy for down jackets to explode when washed in a machine? How should down jackets be washed? How can they be made fluffy again after washing?

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1.Why is it easy for down jackets to explode when washed in a washing machine?

The reason why other clothes can be machine washed normally but down jackets are easily "washed out" is mainly closely related to their fluffy structure and waterproof coating.

As the name implies, down jackets contain a lot of down, and compared to most clothes, they are more fluffy and store a lot of air inside. At the same time, for warmth considerations, down jackets are often added with a waterproof coating to make them waterproof and windproof to a certain extent.

After putting the down jacket into the washing machine, as water is injected, it will gradually get soaked, and the originally evenly distributed down will randomly "cluster", resulting in large areas of gaps in the clothes, and the presence of the coating will "draw a line in the sand" and trap the air originally in the down jacket. In the subsequent high-speed spin-drying stage, the down that had previously "drank" enough water continues to expand during the dehydration process, which in turn squeezes the trapped air, but it cannot be discharged smoothly due to the obstruction of the waterproof coating, causing the volume to expand rapidly. When the fabric of the down jacket is overwhelmed and cannot withstand the pressure of expansion, the clothes will explode like a burst balloon, and may even break through the spin-drying barrel, causing damage to the washing machine.

In addition, when a down jacket is spun dry, its outer fabric will constantly rub against the inner wall of the washing machine, generating static electricity and accumulating heat. The former may cause sparks, while the latter may cause the air inside the down jacket to further expand, thereby increasing the risk of explosion.

2. Is it completely impossible to wash down jackets in a washing machine?

At present, some washing machine brands also have the function of washing down jackets. The special washing mode of this washing machine is more suitable for fluffy clothes with waterproof coating such as down jackets, and it is more gentle when spinning, which greatly reduces the possibility of explosion.

Some washing machines also have a hot water function. When choosing to wash down jackets, pay attention to the temperature adjustment. It is recommended to control the water temperature at around 30°C, so as to better protect the down while having a cleaning effect, and prevent the water temperature from being too high, which will further cause the down jacket to deform or shrink.

3. Is dry cleaning better for down jackets?

Many people choose to send their down jackets to dry cleaning, but this is not a good thing. The principle of dry cleaning is to use organic solvents to dissolve the stains on the surface of the clothing, and then let the solvent evaporate, so that the clothes can be cleaned without using water. At present, the solvent used by most laundries is tetrachloroethylene , which can effectively remove oil stains and stains on clothes, and it is very easy to evaporate, leaving less residue on the clothes.

However, this dry cleaning agent is not suitable for down jackets. It will destroy the natural protein structure of down, causing it to become hard and lose its original fluffiness, affecting the warmth retention effect. At the same time, it will also react with most of the coating on the outer layer of the down jacket, causing cracks or shedding on the outer surface, which will affect the windproof performance of the down jacket and further reduce its warmth retention.

4.How to wash down jackets?

Perhaps the answer will surprise you. Down jackets are actually more suitable for hand washing, which can minimize damage to the down structure.

First, you can prepare a basin of cold water and soak the down jacket in it to make it fully soaked. Then prepare a basin of warm water at about 30℃, add a special down jacket detergent, and soak the down jacket in it for 10-15 minutes. Then, check whether there are obvious stains on the down jacket. If there are, "break them hard" and use a soft brush to gently brush them off. It should be noted that when brushing, do not use too much force like brushing shoes, and do not rub them vigorously with your hands like washing other clothes, so as not to cause damage. After brushing, rinse it again with clean water to avoid detergent residue in the down jacket. Finally, you need to squeeze out the water in the down jacket, but do not wring it out with your hands. You can squeeze out the water with both hands along the texture of the fabric.

5.Is laundry detergent a good helper for cleaning down jackets?

Perhaps before cleaning, many people find that there is no down jacket detergent at home, and consider using laundry detergent or soap instead. This is actually not a good choice.

Because washing powder, soap, etc. are usually alkaline, and down, as a protein fiber, will be damaged by these alkaline detergents , which will affect the fluffiness and warmth of the down jacket. At the same time, you should also avoid using enzyme washing powder, which has too strong cleaning ability and will make the down lose its elasticity and luster, become hard, or even age, which will greatly reduce the warmth of the down jacket.

6.How to dry a down jacket after washing?

Although gentle hand washing causes the least damage to down jackets, people often worry that they will not be able to regain their fluffiness after being soaked in water. In fact, the correct drying method can effectively solve this problem.

After washing, use both hands to squeeze out the water in it, then wrap it with a large bath towel and lay it flat so that the excess water can be absorbed by the bath towel as soon as possible. Then, hang it in a ventilated place to dry naturally, but do not put it in strong sunlight to speed up the drying process to avoid damage. When drying, you can use your hands to gently separate the "clumped" down and spread it out, trying to restore it to its original evenly distributed state. After it is completely dry, you can take the clothes off and put them on the bed, and then use a large clothes hanger that you usually use to dry sheets or quilts to pat it to restore it to its fluffy state.

7.Are down jacket cleaning wipes really useful?

I believe many people have heard that "every time you wash a down jacket, its life span will be shortened", so they prepare a large number of down jacket cleaning wipes, ready to use scrubbing instead of washing. However, down jacket cleaning wipes are not omnipotent. When faced with stubborn stains or large-area stains, they are often helpless , and sometimes even further expand the stain area, or damage the down jacket fabric due to excessive friction.

Of course, down jacket cleaning wipes are not completely useless. For example, they are very suitable for solving small fresh stains. You can put it in your bag when you go out. Once you accidentally touch the dirt or spill juice, this cleaning wipe can show its skills and play its quick decontamination skills.

Source: CCTV News, National Emergency Broadcasting, CCTV Life Circle, Science Popularization China, Global Physics Text: Reporter Liao Mailun