A thick and soft sherpa jacket works wonders in keeping your body warm in cool days. But, cleaning such a garment is tricky, as the material is vulnerable to high temperature, harsh chemicals and intense tumbling. If exposed to one of these factors, the sherpa fabric gets flat, matted and full of pills, which significantly spoil its appearance. With that said, it’s crucial that you take proper care of your sherpa clothing item, following a set of rules to ensure damage doesn’t happen. Read on to get all instructions on how to clean sherpa jacket safely and efficiently.
How to machine wash sherpa jacket?
For those who are wondering whether they can machine wash their sherpa clothes, the answer is a very cautious “yes”. This material can be machine washed, but there is a bunch of precautions you have to consider to prevent damage during the process. Make sure you don’t use bleach, dye-containing detergents and scented detergents. All these can have a negative say on sherpa’s fluffiness and softness. You also have to use cool water and choose a delicate wash cycle to minimize friction that leads to matting. Here is a step-by-step guideline to machine washing the sherpa jacket.
1. Choose the wash cycle
Begin by adjusting the settings. Choose the gentle wash cycle and select a low temperature. Even if the jacket is badly stained and needs heat for easier stain removal, you have to avoid hot water by all means. Rest assured, you will be able to lift tough stains with cold or lukewarm water as well.
2. Put the jacket in the washing machine
Put the jacket in the machine drum and try to keep yourself from adding other clothes or bedding. SilverBobbin advises to wash sherpa items alone, because extra load increases friction which leads to pills on jacket’s surface. These are tiny balls of fabric that ruin the visual appeal of the clothing piece.
3. Add detergent and press start
Be careful when choosing the detergent, as the choice is very limited. Go only with a mild liquid detergent and make sure it is dye-free and scent-free. A gentle powder detergent also doesn’t do the trick, as the powder particles may get trapped in the sherpa and cause its matting. Lastly, press the start button.
How to hand wash sherpa jacket?
Hand washing your sherpa clothing item implies more elbow grease, but it’s a safer option than running it through a washing machine cycle. Here is how you do it:
1. Prepare the bathtub
First off, make sure the bathtub is clean. Then fill it with cold water. Avoid warm and hot water, as they can harm the fabric.
2. Add detergent
Pour some mild detergent in the tub enough to create a decent amount of foam. Agitate the water with your hand to generate suds.
3. Immerse the jacket
Submerge the jacket in the tub, making sure it gets soaked everywhere.
4. Wash gently
Avoid rubbing and squeezing the jacket, as it can damage the delicate fabric. Better, walk the jacket through the water and press gently to loosen the dirt. Since rubbing is not allowed, be ready to spend more time hand washing the jacket.
Sherpa drying
Sherpa jacket drying can also be tricky, so you have to take much care how you do it. You may want your jacket to dry fast, placing it in the dryer, but it’s not your best decision. The dryer’s heat can damage the fabric, making it less fluffy and soft. SewingIsCool suggests air drying the sherpa items is the best option. It takes longer, but it ensures that the material stays cozy and fluffy afterwards.
How to remove stains?
If a stain ends up on your sherpa jacket, you have to take a careful approach to its removal. The solution that works best is pretreating the fabric, then machine washing it. The pretreatment differs depending on the type of stain. If it’s a non-grease stain, blot it, if still wet, to suck up as much moisture as possible. Apply a few drops of dish detergent on the stain and pat it repeatedly with a soft cloth. Follow up by the rinsing with cold water. Let the area dry, then put the jacket in the washing machine, exposing it to a delicate wash cycle.
If you face an oily stain, use a paper towel to absorb a part of oil in case the stain is fresh. Sprinkle cornstarch on the stain enough to cover the affected area. Let the cornstarch sit overnight to allow it suck up the oil. On the next day, vacuum the area to remove the powder particles and send the jacket in the washing machine.
Fight off matting and pilling
Extended use as well as improper cleaning cause matting and pilling on the surface of sherpa clothes. If you happen to break the rules and wash the jacket in hot water and harsh chemicals, there is something that can help you fix the matting and remove the pills. Take a boar bristle brush and rub it against the sherpa fabric.
Avoid viguorus scrubbing to force stubborn fibers untangle. Make patience into your best friend and use gentle rubbing motions repeatedly until the issue is finally solved. TheMonogramedLIfe recommends to follow up the boar bristle brush with a lint roller to pick up the pills to the last one and remove stuck-in lint and fur.
Final thoughts
Due to its delicate nature, sherpa jacket is tricky to clean. But, as long as you master all precautions and responsibly implement them during each cleaning session, your jacket will be always safe, soft and fluffy. Among the most important rules you have to follow strictly are: using only cold water when washing the sherpa clothes, choosing the delicate wash cycle, avoiding harsh chemicals and cleaners containing dye and fragrance.
Also, keep in mind that it’s preferably not to add other clothes to the sherpa jacket when machine washing it to prevent high friction that causes matting. In case matting occurs, fix it with a boar bristle brush.
