Who is the "murderer" in the down jacket explosion incident? There may be more than one truth!

Recently, there have been reports of down jackets exploding. Users reported that when they were washing down jackets in a washing machine, the jackets exploded with a "bang", and the filling inside splattered all over the floor, and the washing machine was also damaged. So, is the explosion of down jackets an accident? Is it human error, or is there a problem with the quality of the down jackets?

What do we see from the down jacket explosion incident? Are all the accusations directed at the washing machine? Is it really a quality problem of the washing machine product? Come and find out with me at the Home Appliances Truth Lab!

1. Is the down jacket really the "victim"? It looks innocent, but it is actually "not simple"

After a down jacket explodes, people tend to sympathize with the weak (the down jacket), and always blame the washing machine for the problem. However, after investigation, the truth is that due to the special material used in the down jacket, the brand will label the down jacket as "not machine washable, not spin dryable". It can be said that some down jackets are inherently "delicate", and when they are machine washed, they get "tempered" and cause the explosion.

The reason why down jackets explode is that they are filled with down. A large amount of down accumulation can accumulate air. In addition, many down jackets use waterproof fabric coating and warm insulating coating on the outer layer to prevent down from penetrating and further reduce internal air flow.

There is another reason. Some users buy cheap down jackets, which are either street stall goods or bargain-hunting goods. As a result, the filling inside the clothes is of poor quality, or the outer fabric is rough. When washing, a little force will cause air to be generated inside, which will expand rapidly and cause explosion.

In order to cope with the next three cold days, it is recommended that you buy down jackets of reliable quality, cold resistance and warmth. Poor quality down jackets not only fail to keep warm, but also accelerate wear and tear during daily washing, and machine washing greatly increases the safety hazard of explosion.

2. What went wrong with the washing machine? Can down jackets be machine washed?

If the down jacket has no quality problems, can it be washed in a washing machine? In fact, many people overlook this point. They never check the washing label of the clothes they buy, and always wash them based on their personal experience. For down jackets, most of them will be marked on the washing label as "not machine washable" or "not spin dryable". Once you do this, if the consequences are caused, the merchant you bought the clothes from will not be responsible for after-sales service.

We also know that the explosion of down jackets is definitely related to the high-speed spin drying of the washing machine. Especially during the machine washing process, the filling down will clump together, and the uneven distribution of the down will cause a large number of gaps inside the down jacket. In addition, the poor air permeability of the fabric makes it difficult to expel the gas inside the down jacket. During the high-speed rotation of the washing machine, the air accumulated in the down jacket is released in a short period of time, and eventually the "explosion" phenomenon occurs.

As washing machine technology continues to mature, many machines with large inner drum diameters and high speeds have emerged. The greater the torque of their motors, the stronger the centripetal force of dehydration. Currently, the dehydration speeds of washing machines on the market are generally 400 rpm, 800 rpm, 1000 rpm, 1200 rpm, 1600 rpm, etc. The higher the speed, the better the drying effect. Generally, the speed of the washing program that can wash down jackets will not exceed 800 rpm.

3. Down jacket explosions have occurred frequently in the past decade. Could this be caused by human factors?

As mentioned before, down jackets explode when the spin speed is too high during machine washing, which causes internal squeezing. Many users do not have enough knowledge of the washing methods of various types of clothing when washing such clothing. For example, wool, silk, down jackets, etc., these clothes have higher requirements than cotton and linen.

For example, woolen clothes should not be washed repeatedly. Rough washing, too fast running speed and too high temperature in ordinary washing machines will cause woolen clothes to be damaged and shrunk. There are washing machines for wool fabrics on the market, which are often gentler during the washing process, reducing the damage to the fabric caused by machine washing.

The same is true for washing down jackets. Most people put down jackets directly into the washing machine, ignoring the washing method, and only choose the normal wash, quick wash and other programs. At this time, the program settings often do not meet the washing needs of the clothes, and high-speed spin drying can easily damage the clothes. Therefore, not only down jackets, but all clothes should be "treated differently" as much as possible, and the correct choice should be made according to different washing needs!

As winter approaches, down jackets have become one of the must-have items of this season. When washing down jackets, you still have to choose the correct washing method. Don’t blindly spin dry some down jackets that cannot be machine washed. You can put the down jacket in a net bag to avoid squeezing and twisting it into a twist, or you can choose the special "down jacket" mode to reduce the spin speed, thereby minimizing the risk of down jacket explosion.