The Laundry Committee accepted an exclusive interview with "Beijing Times" to introduce knowledge about washing and caring for down jackets

Recently, the Professional Committee of Laundry and Dyeing of the China General Chamber of Commerce was interviewed by the Jinghua Times. They explained the issues consumers face when washing down jackets. The article "Check Fabric Composition Before Washing Down Jackets" was published in the Jinghua Times on January 17, 2014, with the following text: After wearing a down jacket all winter, it should be washed. However, rumors like "a down jacket should only be washed once per winter" and the almost annual incidents of washing machines "exploding" due to down jackets have left consumers with many questions about how to wash down jackets properly and safely. In this issue, we invited authoritative experts to comprehensively answer these questions.
Shouldn't wash frequently?
Not washing when dirty shortens the lifespan.
Recently, there has been a popular saying online that down jackets should not be washed more than twice per winter, or ideally only once. This is because excessive washing can cause down jackets to lose feathers or reduce loft, affecting wear and warmth. This is similar to the saying "washing down jackets too much reduces warmth." Is this correct?
"This saying is actually unscientific," said Feng Jinna, Director of the Comprehensive Department of the Professional Committee of Laundry and Dyeing of the China General Chamber of Commerce. The number of times a down jacket should be washed depends on how dirty it is: if the fabric is dirty, it should be washed promptly; if worn few times and not dirty, the wearing time can be extended. One should not avoid washing out of fear of damaging the jacket. "If stains are left unwashed for a long time, it not only affects the wearing effect but also shortens the fabric's lifespan."
How to wash?
Fabric determines washing method.
Before washing, it is necessary to determine whether the down jacket should be washed with water or dry cleaned. Feng Jinna pointed out that first, check the washing instruction label to see the fabric, filling components, accessory nature, and washing symbols. "If the filling is down, and the fabric is cotton, polyester (also called Dacron), polyamide (also called nylon), without special decorations, water washing is suitable. If the filling contains cashmere or other special fillings, or the fabric contains wool, silk, or is combined with non-removable genuine leather or fur, dry cleaning is required."
Can it be machine washed?
First check if the washing machine has this function.
If you choose to wash at home, there are two ways: using a washing machine or hand washing. Some readers may ask, isn't it said that washing down jackets in washing machines can cause "explosions"? Experts explain that not all washing machines have this problem. Based on previous "explosion" reports, the problem usually occurs during the spin-dry phase. This is because down jackets are light and have poor breathability. After being fully soaked, the down inside clumps together, creating large air gaps inside the jacket. During high-speed spin-drying, the water-saturated down expands as it dehydrates, generating air inside the jacket. The waterproof coating prevents gas from escaping, causing the jacket to expand and fill the washing machine. Additionally, static electricity generated between the dry nylon fabric and down produces a sudden burst of heat. Since the washing machine space is limited, when gas accumulates to a certain level, it may cause an "explosion."
Therefore, before deciding to machine wash a down jacket, you should first check your washing machine's capacity and whether it has a special function for washing down jackets. If not, you will have to hand wash it yourself.
How to wash it yourself?
Three tips for hand brushing.
1. Low-temperature soaking and rinsing.
When hand brushing a down jacket, there are many requirements, the first being to control the water temperature. Apply a stain remover to the dirtier parts of the jacket, leave it for 3-5 minutes, then soak it in water below 30°C for 10 minutes to fully moisten inside and out. Dissolve detergent in water below 30°C, then put the jacket in and gently brush with a soft brush. "Rinsing should also use water below 30°C to help the detergent dissolve fully and clean the jacket better," said Feng Jinna.
2. It is best to use a special detergent.
It is recommended to use a special detergent for down jackets. "If you must use laundry powder, use less, generally controlling the amount to 0.3%-0.5% of the water volume." If the concentration is too high, it will not achieve the best washing effect and is hard to rinse clean. "Residue of laundry powder in the down affects its loft and greatly reduces warmth."
Actually, down's main component is protein, and neutral detergents cause the least damage, but they are less effective at removing stains than alkaline detergents. If alkaline detergent is used and not rinsed thoroughly, residue can damage the jacket and leave white marks on the surface, affecting appearance. What to do if alkaline detergent residue remains? Feng Jinna suggests after rinsing twice, soak the jacket in warm water with a little vinegar for a while before rinsing again to effectively remove residue.
3. Do not wring dry; turn inside out to air dry.
After washing a down jacket, do not wring it dry. Feng Jinna pointed out that the moisture should be squeezed out and controlled dry (for example, placed in a mesh bag to control water), then laid flat or hung to dry. The lining should be turned inside out to dry in a ventilated and cool place, avoiding exposure to sunlight. "Do not iron either, to avoid damaging the clothes." After drying, gently pat to restore the fluffiness and softness of the down jacket.
How to send for cleaning?
Dry cleaning shops operate more professionally.
If you can't handle it yourself, just send it to a dry cleaning shop. Wang Houzeng, Executive Deputy Director of the Dry Cleaning Professional Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Dry Cleaning Standardization Technical Committee, said that regular dry cleaning shops are relatively professional and more reassuring. For example, in machine washing, dry cleaning shops have washing machines with corresponding functions and can choose different washing methods according to the fabric and structure of the clothes.
Wang Houzeng explained that according to the normal washing procedure, dry cleaning shop laundry workers first check and identify whether the down jacket fabric is waterproof and breathable, and whether the internal filling is down or cotton wool; then, based on the color depth, dirtiness, structural characteristics, and accessory decorations of the down jacket, they classify accordingly; for special stains or key areas on the down jacket, different stain removers are used for pre-treatment; then the classified down jackets are loaded into industrial washing machines. These machines have large capacity, which ordinary households do not have; after washing, dry cleaning shops also do finishing, such as drying the clothes and patting the down jacket to restore fluffiness.
Do not blindly request dry cleaning.
Even when sent to a dry cleaning shop, ordinary consumers should understand that sending it to a dry cleaning shop does not mean dry cleaning. Dry cleaning shops provide both dry cleaning and water washing services, but the specific washing method mainly depends on the material, fabric, structure, and stains of the clothes. Specifically for down jackets, if the filling contains cashmere wool flakes or other special fillings, the fabric contains wool, silk, or other materials, or is combined with non-removable genuine leather or fur, professional advice should be sought.
Wang Houzeng said that consumers should not blindly request dry cleaning for down jackets. He explained that down is mainly composed of protein, and the detergents used in dry cleaning have a degreasing effect, which can cause the down to lose its grease and even become brittle, greatly affecting its warmth. Moreover, if the down jacket has special coatings such as waterproof or UV protection, these coatings may harden, peel off, or discolor after exposure to dry cleaning agents, so water washing is recommended for such garments. In addition, if the stains are dust in the air or water-soluble stains, dry cleaning is not effective in removing them.
TIPS
Wang Houzeng reminds that if special stains appear on the down jacket, it is recommended to send it to a dry cleaning shop for treatment; otherwise, if it becomes an old stain or if you repeatedly try to remove it at home before sending it to the dry cleaning shop, it will be more difficult to remove.

　　　Jinghua Times reporter Cheng Jianlan

Jinghua Times cartoon by Ren Mengzhen