Clean a white puffer - YouLookFab Forum

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Clean a white puffer

Sarah

Now that winter is over it's time to wash my white puffer coat. It has gotten quite dirty over the winter. Was wondering how you all clean your coats and remove stains. Mine has makeup on the collar and the front and pockets and the bottom of the sleeves are about black. Gross I know. Lol. Wanting advice before I ruin it if I have not already.

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15 replies

Latest reply was from Sisi

Elizabeth P

Veteran

I'd put stain stick on the soiled bits, then just wash as per instructions.

If it goes in the dryer, throw in a couple of old tennis balls with it... it helps re puff the puff.

I'd also suggest washing it more frequently, as stains can "set" with time.

I have a white ski jacket, I think I'll wash it this weekend :).

Anonymous

I use oxyclean on all my whites. I let the garment soak. You might try Elizabeth's stain stick and then let the coat soak for an hour in oxyclean.

Anonymous

I second Sterling's idea. I use Oxyclean spray first, spray well and let it set about 30 minutes, then wash in cold water with Oxyclean powder added to the wash. If the coat comes out and still has stains, repeat. I fluff in the dryer on no-heat setting with dryer balls, then hang to dry.
My black puffer is a bit big, so I dry it in the dryer on low heat. It does not shrink, but I don't want to take a chance with coats that fit just right or have any stain that could be set with the heat.
You could take it to a dry cleaner and let them deal with it.

kkards

Veteran

have you confirmed that it is washable? some down is not.
if it is, i follow Joy's washing instructions, especially the repeat as needed. i will say re drying, one of my down coats specifically calls out to dry it throughly so that the coat maintains its loft.

JAileen

Veteran

Last time I was at our Patagonia outlet they mentioned a special down wash. I've never used it but they said it makes the down insulate better. Also, I use several tennis balls in the dryer to help the down.

http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/pr.....ductid=266

Bijou

Veteran

I dry clean my pale blue puffer and it returns from the cleaner perfect every time. The visible dirt marks are an issue with pale puffers, but having a nice light colour is worth it to me.

Scarlet

Veteran

I would use a stain treatment spray or pure Oxy Clean and rub it into the stain with your finger. Then wash on delicate with a delicate wash. Repeat as necessary until all stains are gone before drying!

tulle

Veteran

Definitely rub some kind of stain pre-treatment--stain stick, spray & wash, Lestoil or naptha soap, depending on the type of stain--on all the very soiled or stained areas. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, then add a little liquid laundry detergent full strength on those areas, and wash normally. Rinse twice. Don't put the jacket in the dryer until you are reasonably sure the grime is gone. I've had excellent results this way.

kerry

Veteran

I have a white puffer too. Its not my warmest coat so it's not worn daily in winter. Still, I wash it about once a month using a stain treatment and regular wash. I also dry with tennis balls - lots of them.

Sarah

Thanks. Guess I will pick up some oxi clean and a bottle of shout. Do you think I could use a scrub brush and rub it in ? Think I will spray it and let it sit for a few hours or overnight then put it in the wash. Do you think put oxi clean on it before with shout or add to wash ? Wish me luck.

Staysfit

Veteran

I would hand wash any stains with a combination of hydrogen peroxide and dawn soap first, using cold water. Then you can use oxy clean or whatever, and run it through the washer. I find almost anything comes out that way.

April

Veteran

Be careful with Oxyclean -- sometimes in a HE (high efficiency) washer I have had it leave big bright yellow areas on my whites. I think to work properly it needs a fair amount of water, not the dinky amount you get in an HE machine.

My best results on a washable white puffer have come from rubbing liquid Clorox 2 all-fabric laundry treatment into the stains https://jet.com/product/detail.....Household_ and let it sit overnight before washing according to instructions. This method has removed blood, makeup, car stains (the dirt you get when your white coat comes in contact with the greasy mechanism of a car door) -- all kinds of difficult situations.

Then dry with three clean tennis balls. Dry it way beyond where you think it could possibly still have any moisture in it, otherwise the down will begin to smell bad. (You can fix that by washing it again and drying completely, but who wants to do that?)

Anonymous

Interesting information about HE washing machines, April. Thank you.

Nebraskim

Veteran

My late mother had an off-white down puffer that was quite soiled with makeup (she loved makeup.....). I wanted to donate it, but not in its dirty condition. The label said OK to wash, so I did, in my HE washer using a down-specific detergent I got at Eddie Bauer. I dried it using woolen dryer balls. It came out fabulously well and I donated it to a local women's shelter. They were thrilled to get it. Good luck. I think down is tougher than we give it credit for.

Sisi

Veteran

I have had a couple of white puffers in the past. I pre-washed with water and Marseille soap, using a laundry brush on the stubborn dirt (it's incredible how black a white puffer can turn). Then tossed into the washing machine, delicate cycle. A huge fuss. I stopped buying white puffers.

You probably know that you must not use liquid softener for garments containing real dawn. I also recommend the tennis balls trick. Or simply take it to the dry cleaner ....