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Original poster

Do you wash your coats?

66 replies

SurelySmartie · 14/12/2023 09:37

Do you wash coats and how often? Including winter parkas and jackets etc?

OP posts:
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Bigdishlittledish · 14/12/2023 20:39

Dry clean each season and definitely before packing away for the summer.

Original poster
SurelySmartie · 14/12/2023 20:38

WhichEllie · 14/12/2023 15:04

Wait, you haven’t washed this thing in TEN YEARS??

OP!!! No wonder it smells stale!! Honestly at this point I’d almost say don’t wash it as you might have a colony of sentient lifeforms living in the polyfill. 😂

Chuck it in the machine and see how it goes. Worst case it falls apart and you have a reason to treat yourself to a new coat.

Show quote history

Nearly 10 years yes. It’s a particular shade of black that looks ok on me. I don’t suit most blacks so it’s difficult to find a coat that suits me and I’m comfortable with. I’ve been hanging on to this one! It does actually have a tiny rip in the sleeve so it is passed it. I must sound like a vagrant.

OP posts:
WeShallHaveFogByTeatime · 14/12/2023 20:33

Not my waterproof ones no. It's so sad now, if you see a wax jacket in a charity shop these days, someone has washed it at 90° and it's just a pale limp reflection of it's former self.

Original poster
SurelySmartie · 14/12/2023 20:28

MasterBeth · 14/12/2023 14:44

I wash my coat after every wear, but only after I have Hoovered it.

Oh no you don’t.

OP posts:
Autumn1990 · 14/12/2023 17:35

I wash coats fairly frequently and reproof with waterproofed. If it’s an expensive coat I use tech wash instead of washing liquid

HandyLittleGadget · 14/12/2023 17:33

I wash all coats, whenever they look grubby

Shallana · 14/12/2023 17:32

I bought some waterproofing detergent and treatment from Go Outdoors and wash my waterproof winter coats with it once a year, occasioanlly more if they get actually dirty.

In sunmer I'm usually jusy wearing cardigans or denim jackets, cardigans I wash after a few wears, jackets usually just two or three times depending on how much use they get.

margotrose · 14/12/2023 17:22

VampireStatus · 14/12/2023 16:53

The coat was 10+ years old

I bought a new coat

I have never washed another coat & never will

That's a bit silly, really.

Queucumber · 14/12/2023 17:04

You’re missing out. When you use Nikwax the water beads on whatever clothes you’ve washed and inside the washing machine. It’s very cool. I’m always threatening to Nikwax the dog to make them water and dirt repellent.

VampireStatus · 14/12/2023 16:53

The coat was 10+ years old

I bought a new coat

I have never washed another coat & never will

therealcookiemonster · 14/12/2023 16:53

I think it depends on the coat. I only wear wool overcoats atm so they are dry clean only.

Queucumber · 14/12/2023 16:44

Tech wash followed by Nikwax. It protects and reproofs the clothes.

margotrose · 14/12/2023 16:38

VampireStatus · 14/12/2023 16:36

I washed an old, well worn waterproof coat once with washing powder in the washing machine

It removed all the water proofing !

Very bad idea

You need to use proper waterproofing stuff to keep waterproof gear working. Normal washing power will clean but you need other stuff too.

VampireStatus · 14/12/2023 16:36

I washed an old, well worn waterproof coat once with washing powder in the washing machine

It removed all the water proofing !

Very bad idea

TheFormidableMrsC · 14/12/2023 16:32

I wash my puffa coats. Anything with wool is dry cleaned.

Theraffarian · 14/12/2023 16:30

Wash them fairly regularly, eg if we’ve been out for a meal , as restaurant smells tend to cling and just generally because I wash all my clothes . ( Not trying to be funny , but I wouldn’t think not to wash my coats the same as I would anything that gets worn ) . My washing machine also has some fancy dry clean type cycle that I need to try out , as I’m a little untrusting of it but can’t throw my faux fur jacket in the normal wash unfortunately and hate paying for dry cleaning.

margotrose · 14/12/2023 16:11

Yes, but I work with animals (and own a dog) so nothing stays clean for long. They just go in the machine on 30 and then a low heat tumble dry. Never ruined anything doing that.

The waterproof stuff gets washed with Nikwax/Techwash a few times a year as well to keep it in good condition.

mathanxiety · 14/12/2023 16:10

@SurelySmartie
The washing machine will be fine, but you'll need a dryer and three tennis balls bouncing around with it to pound the filling into place as it dries.

tealfluff · 14/12/2023 16:08

Switchingoff · 14/12/2023 14:56

Look at nikwax tech wash for waterproofs

I wash my waterproof coats with this a couple of times a year.

mathanxiety · 14/12/2023 16:07

Yes, several times over winter, and again when I pack it away at the arrival of warm weather.

I have a down filled coat, and a tumble dryer gets it dry and the down properly distributed with three tennis balls thrown in with it.

Roselilly36 · 14/12/2023 15:59

Coats get really dirty, I only wash them we they need it though, otherwise the padding tends to go thin.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 14/12/2023 15:47

Yes regularly. I have one which seems to absorb every cooking smell and is also yellow so needs washing a lot lol

RobertaFirmino · 14/12/2023 15:47

I send them to the cleaners once a year and hang them outside every so often, just to get a good blast of fresh air through them.

Thatswhy11 · 14/12/2023 15:39

Yes! Always it's coats that hold smells quite often. A grubby coat isn't a good look

fussychica · 14/12/2023 15:21

I only have the type of coats you can wash these day. When I worked I had lovely wool coats etc which were dry cleaned.
I make sure all the coats get washed before they are packed away for summer and as and when they need it during the winter, assuming there's a decent drying day. I rarely use public transport but if I did it would be more often.

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