1. Ignoring the Information on the Label Clothing tags are mini-guides for proper care and maintenance of the item. Tags usually indicate how to wash the item, what temperature to set, how intense the spin should be, and which detergents are best to use.Therefore, tags should not only be left intact but also carefully studied before washing. 2. Not Removing Dried Dirt It may seem that washing is needed to remove dirt, but with outerwear, the situation is different. Stains that have set in may not only fail to wash out but can also spread across the item, making it even dirtier.Before washing, it is necessary to clean the item a bit and remove stains, remnants of dirt, or grease. If you cannot remove them yourself, it may be worth taking the item to a dry cleaner instead of a regular machine wash. 3. Not Buttoning Up and Zipping Buttoning up and zipping is necessary for several reasons. First, without this, items can become deformed. This is especially noticeable with outerwear, as it is harder to iron and return to its original shape. Second, an unzipped zipper can damage the drum of the washing machine and the item itself, leaving scratches and holes. Buttons can come off, and along with them, a part of the fabric can tear, which is a serious damage for jackets and down jackets that is difficult to fix. 4. Washing with Other Clothes Even lightweight jackets are better washed separately from other items. This is a matter of hygiene: outerwear accumulates street dust, dirt, and microorganisms that can settle on home linens and cause allergies or irritation.A greasy stain from a home robe can “slide” onto a jacket or coat, which is then difficult to remove. Down jackets are recommended to be washed separately to prevent them from losing shape and to keep the filling from clumping. 5. Choosing a More Powerful Cycle It is not advisable to choose the most powerful washing cycle with intense spinning in hopes of removing set-in stains and disinfecting items. The maximum temperature recommended for washing outerwear is around 40 degrees.In hotter water, jackets and down jackets may lose their shape or bleed color. If gentle cycles do not manage to wash the items, dry cleaning will help. 6. Only Rinsing Once The standard washing cycle assumes one rinse, but for outerwear, this may be insufficient. If the detergent does not rinse out of the jacket, white streaks will remain on it. To avoid this, after the washing cycle is complete, add one or two additional rinse and spin cycles. At the same time, the spin speed can be reduced to 400-600. 7. Washing Everything with Regular Detergent Different types of items require different detergents. For example, there are special powders and gels for membranes and wool that help preserve the material's properties. For regular jackets, any liquid detergents can be used—they dissolve and rinse out of the fabric more quickly.
