We clean greasy areas on the sleeves, pockets and collar of the down jacket

How reluctant you are to wash a slightly stale down jacket, especially in the middle of the season! There are a couple of secrets on how to clean a down jacket from greasy conditions without resorting to either machine or hand washing!

You still have to work with your hands

The fact that greasy areas can be cleaned without washing is great news! The only bad thing is that you will have to get rid of greasy marks manually, because this can take quite a lot of time. But remember that such cleaning is much more gentle for a down jacket, and don’t be lazy.

Better stock up on the following things.

With a soft brush. Still, getting rid of greasy stains is not as easy as getting rid of fresh greasy stains, so sometimes you have to rub.
With a sponge. It is needed to distribute the product at the beginning of cleaning and remove its excess at the end. Sometimes you can wipe a stain with it, but we do not recommend replacing the brush with a sponge.
Napkins or paper towels. With their help, we will try to absorb excess moisture so that the contaminated areas dry out as quickly as possible after treatment. They can also remove excess fat.
Gloves. You will have to remove stains manually, and many of the products that we want to offer do not have a very beneficial effect on the skin of your hands. It's better to take care of protection.

Now let's look at the main anti-greasy remedies - both factory-made and folk.

Purchased household chemicals from the nearest store

Oh, that burning desire to cover the stain with salt or dip it in solvent.What did you not like about the products intended for cleaning and washing? Wouldn’t it be more logical to first give a chance to those products that were created with the goal of solving this particular problem, and only then fall into everyday “witchcraft”? In most cases, no radical methods are required if you buy the right product and carefully, slowly and according to the instructions, treat the stain with it.

So how to wash greasy spots on a down jacket without using grandma’s methods?

Liquid stain removers. It is best to use special stain removers for greasy stains, and if you decide to buy another one, check if it also contains bleach, as is often the case.
Liquid laundry detergents. The second place in the ranking is occupied by gels and liquids for machine washing. Yes, they are a little expensive, but to clean you will need to open one gel capsule or use up a cap of the product.
Liquid soap/shower gel/shampoo. All these products are weaker at removing stains, because they are designed to cleanse human skin and hair, which requires delicacy. But their use can give quite good results, especially if the contamination is not too severe.

Advice

It’s hard not to notice that all products have the word “liquid” in their names, and this is really important. Cleaning a down jacket with factory-made household chemicals usually involves the use of thick foam, and this is difficult to achieve with other products. That is why it is better not to use a solution of ordinary soap or powder.

Wait a minute! But what about everyone’s favorite and respected fighter against greasy stains – dishwashing detergent? Yes, it is not intended to remove stains, but the effect is excellent: it is simply impossible to count how many clothes have been saved from the trash using “Fairy” and other similar products.

So, how to clean a down jacket from grease using household chemicals? Follow the simple instructions!

Beat the product into foam with a small amount of water.
Apply foam to greasy areas with a sponge and leave for 10 minutes.
Now start cleaning the fabric with the brush. It is recommended to go from the edges of the dirt to the center so as not to smear the dirt again.
Remove any remaining foam with a sponge and dry the fabric with a paper towel.

Important!

If you bought a special stain remover, read the instructions carefully. The technology for working with it may differ from that adopted with conventional cleaning products.

What to do if the contamination is severe and the desired result was not achieved the first time? Repeat cleaning again! Or resort to grandma's tricks.

Traditional methods

Experienced housewives probably already know how to clean greasy places on a down jacket using salt or starch, but for beginners it will be extremely useful to know this information: these methods help in the fight against any greasy stains on various materials!

Method 1: salt or starch + lemon juice

This method is the most gentle: not a single aggressive element! But for it to work, you need to use a little trick. The fact is that the rest of the advice involves some substance that is designed to dissolve fat, but here there are only absorbents. This means that they will have to help them do their job of absorbing fat by softening it.

Heat the greasy area with a hairdryer or steam.
Apply a paste of salt and citric acid.
Leave for a few minutes and then scrub with a brush.
Use a sponge to remove any remaining mixture and blot the fabric with a napkin.

In general, you can heat the greasy area before using any of the presented methods for dealing with greasy stains: this will make it even easier to deal with them.

Advice

It is not necessary to use only salt or only starch; you can mix them in equal proportions to provide different levels of absorption.

Method 2: ammonia + soap

How to wash greasy places on the sleeves or pockets of a down jacket using improvised means? You can't imagine a simpler way than this!

Mix 1 teaspoon of ammonia and liquid soap in 100 ml of water.
Apply to the stain and scrub a little.
Wait a few minutes and remove any remaining mixture with a sponge.

The unpleasant smell will disappear very quickly, but the fabric will look like new!

By the way

Sometimes what you think are greasy stains can turn out to be rubbish, especially when it comes to pockets and sleeves.

Method 3: ammonia + hydrogen peroxide

It couldn’t be easier either! By the way, it is sometimes recommended to turn this mixture into a paste with an absorbent by mixing starch, soda or salt into it.

Mix ammonia and peroxide in equal proportions.
Dampen a cotton pad with the mixture and wipe the contaminated area.
Repeat several times until the desired result is achieved.

Important!

Make sure that the fabric does not become distorted by these harsh products by using a small amount of the product on the inside of the fabric or on the flap included with the down jacket.

Vinegar also works well, although a little worse, on greasy areas.True, the smell from it disappears for quite a long time, so it is easier to use ammonia. As for gasoline and other solvents, this is still too aggressive an effect on the fabric, and this method is clearly not suitable for gentle cleaning.

But this is not scary: the above products are quite enough to remove stains from your favorite down jacket, and the bonus is that, for all their effectiveness, they are absolutely safe for the fabric!