¿Cómo lavar una chaqueta de esquí?

From its name, we can know that ski jackets were initially invented for the sports of skiing. But their excellent warmth and waterproof properties make them more popular today. In cold winter, ladies who are afraid of cold tend to choose a ski jacket although they are not skiers.

But just like any other thick outerwear , a ski jacket also brings plenty of troubles for you to clean. How to wash a ski jacket is a question that is worth pondering. Maybe you are eager to know the best frequency of washing a ski jacket and the specific steps of washing. To know more about the knowledge of washing and caring for a ski jacket, keep reading this passage!

No matter how dirty your ski jacket is, do not wash it directly! Ski jackets are generally more expensive than ordinary down coats , and improper cleaning can cause irreversible damage to them. So before you get started with cleaning, there are some things you need to know and prepare.

Firstly you need to learn about the frequency of washing a ski jacket. In order to prevent rain and snow from wetting the clothes inside, the surface of a ski jacket has a dense waterproof layer. Excessive cleaning will destroy the waterproof layer to a certain extent. So you do not need to, or should not wash your ski jacket frequently. If you are a skier who often wears the ski jacket, twice a year is enough. If you do not often wear the ski jacket, then even once a year is proper. But remember to clean it thoroughly before you put it aside in the wardrobe for a longtime.

Then you need to read the label on the jacket carefully because relevant information, including the washing mode and water temperature for this jacket has been stated on the label. Before putting it into the washing machine, you need to make sure that it is washable and machine washable.

If you have been sure that the ski jacket is machine washable, remove the fur collar, check if there are tissues, watches, etc. in the pockets, and then zip up the jacket. In addition, if there are stains on the surface of the jacket, you need to remove the stains too. Do not scrub vigorously with a brush to try to remove the stain. Otherwise, the waterproof layer will also be destroyed. Just apply the detergent evenly to the stains, and then use a clean cotton cloth dampened with water and wipe gently. If the coat is not extremely dirty or you plan to keep it in your wardrobe for a long time when spring approaches, you can also clean it by just wiping it, rather than washing it thoroughly every time.

Taking the unique characteristics of the ski jackets, it is better to clean the ski jacket with liquid detergents since powdered cleaning substances can easily scratch the waterproof layer. In addition,cleaners or detergents with chemicals such as bleach are also not very suitable. If you need to wash several ski jackets, and they are different colors, remember to wash them separately.

After learning the necessary issues and making the preparations, now let us start washing the ski jacket. Do not worry if you do not know what to do. We will provide you with a detailed guide step by step from both perspectives of machine washing and hand washing.

Machine Washing
Perhaps for many people, as long as they find that the ski jacket is machine washable, they would believe that everything is easy. But in fact, even machine washing is not as simple as just throwing your jacket into the washing machine and pressing the switch.

First of all, turn your ski jacket inside out to ensure that the water proofing layer will not be damaged during the violent agitation. Then, put your ski jacket into a washing bag, and then put the laundry bag into the washing machine. Next, add an appropriate amount of liquid detergent to the washing machine.

After that, an important step is to choose the appropriate washing mode. If the label on the jacket has clarified this issue, just choose according to the requirement on the label. If it is not clarified, it is better to choose the gentlest washing mode.

Hand Washing
If the label has clarified that machine washing is prohibited, then you need to hand wash it. There is no doubt that hand washing is more tedious than machine washing. And for a large jacket like this that becomes heavier when wet, you also need a lot of strength to hand wash it.

Before washing it, it is better to soak the ski jacket into the water added with liquid detergent for several minutes to make the stains easier to be removed. The water temperature should not be too high, cold water or warm water of 30-40 degrees is enough.

Focus on cleaning stains on jackets. After removing the stains on the jacket, pour out the dirty water and replace it with clean water to rinse off the foam. Repeat this process until the foam disappears completely.

Since ski jackets are bulky and thick, how to dry them is another difficult question, especially after hand washing them. You may wonder, can I use a dryer? Or can I use a heater to dry it quicker? In this section, all your questions about drying your ski jacket will be answered.

After washing the ski jacket, above all, gently squeeze the jacket to squeeze out any excess water, especially after hand washing. Remember not to twist the jacket or squeeze the jacket very hard to avoid doing harm to it.

You can use a dryer to speed up the drying of your coat, but it is not recommended to use full power. Especially for hand-washed jackets, if they are hung directly to dry without the drying step, it would be difficult for the clothe racks to bear its weight. After all, no matter how hard we squeeze, it is difficult to squeeze out all the water out of the jacket, let alone we could not squeeze it hard.

After drying your ski jacket, hang your ski jacket vertically or lay it flat on a platform. You need to make sure there are no wrinkles on the jacket. Otherwise, there will still be many wrinkles after it dries. It is better to choose a well-ventilated place and avoid direct sunlight. And remember that do not use a heater to speed up the process of drying.

Even if your jacket is dry, do not rush to put it away right away. Even if the surface is dry, there may still be residual moisture inside, and the residual moisture is likely to cause the clothes to mold after being placed. To avoid this, you can hang your jacket out to dry for a few more days or turn it inside out when drying.

Of course, even with the help of a washing machine and dryer, the process of cleaning and drying a ski jacket can be tedious and annoying. So if conditions permit, you can ask for help from the professionals to dry clean it.

To extend the life expectancy of your ski jacket, regular cleaning and drying is not enough. You need some extra procedures to care for your ski jacket after washing it. There is a lot to pay attention to when it comes to how to store and iron the ski jacket and maintain the waterproof layer.

As mentioned above, excessively high temperature will damage the waterproof layer of the ski jacket. So steamers should not be used for ski jackets. But what should we do if we truly need to remove the wrinkles on the ski jacket? You need a spacer, or at least a thick cotton pad between the jacket and the iron.

Maybe you know that there are already some special sprays which could improve the water proofing function of the ski jackets. Just like leather clothes need to be oiled regularly to keep the surface smooth, ski jackets also need to be cared for with the sprays regularly.

In the previous section, we have mentioned that you can not put the ski jacket aside until it is completely dried. From here, you have probably already known the importance of dryness for storing a ski jacket. In addition, ski jackets should be folded neatly and placed in a clean bag or box for storage to avoid insect infestation. If the condition permits, you can also put your ski jacket in a clean plastic bag and hang it up to avoid wrinkles.

When wearing your jacket, try to avoid contact with rough surfaces such as tree bark or sharp edges, as these may cause tears or snags. Also, try not to overload the pockets, as this may put unnecessary stress on the material and zippers.