How to Clean and Care for Autumn & Winter Clothes: Expert Seasonal Guide
One of the most common clothing care problems happens in the spring, when we’re too excited to pack our winter clothes away that we don’t clean them correctly first. When we get them out in the autumn, our jumpers, coats, and boots can smell a bit musty, be stained from past lingering sweat and oils, and show other signs of damage.
As the weather starts to change, Chums expert Paul Gray reveals how to get your clothing ready for the season, from how to clean knitwear and jeans, to waterproof jackets and leather boots (and even how to make your dressing gown fluffy again!)
How to wash knitwear
It would be advisable to wash any knitted items of clothing by hand. Simply mix lukewarm water with a mild detergent in a bowl and leave the garment to soak for around five minutes. You can wash knitted items of clothing in the washing machine safely as long as you follow a few simple instructions. It’s important that the washing machine is set to a gentle cycle and the lowest possible temperature. You should also use only a limited amount of detergent.
Squeeze all of the water out of the garment but avoid wringing it as it could potentially damage the material. Once you’ve got rid of as much water as possible, gently lay the garment flat on a towel, wrap it up and leave it to dry.
It’s advisable to avoid drying this type of material in the tumble dryer unless specifically instructed. While some knitted items are synthetic and may be dryer-safe if dried on a gentle spin using the lowest possible temperature, other items could be damaged or actually shrink in the high temperatures created by a tumble dryer.
It’s important to bear in mind that washing repeatedly could increase the risk of harming the material, so try to limit washes to around every five times you wear the item.
Best ways to wash jeans
Should you wash your jeans at all? The prospect of not doing so might sound a bit outlandish and, frankly, unhygienic, but true denim aficionados have been known to make this claim. In fact, iconic brand Levi has promoted the idea; CEO of the company Chip Bergh suggested that jeans shouldn’t be put through washing machines, and he confessed that he hadn’t washed his own denims in over a year.
The company has also recommended freezing jeans as an alternative to washing them. The idea is that placing them in a freezer once a month helps to kill off bacteria that may cause bad odours, leaving jeans feeling and smelling fresher – and all without causing wear and tear to the material.
Because denim is thicker than most fabrics, you don’t have to clean jeans as frequently as many other clothes. You might find you can get away with around 10 wears, or sometimes even more, before you need to wash them.
Always check the label for instructions before you wash jeans for the first time, and regardless of the specific type of material, use cool or cold water. Use a laundry detergent that’s designed to protect colours and minimise fading, and wash your jeans on a short, cool and delicate cycle.
Before placing them in the washing machine, turn your jeans inside out. This helps to protect them from fading, as well as from wear that can happen along the waistband, pockets, hems and fly. Make sure that buttons are fastened and zippers zipped. This will help the clothes to stay in shape and prevent them from snagging with other items in the wash.
Let them air dry naturally. Although it takes longer, this will help your jeans to keep their shape and colour, and it will minimise wear and tear. Simply flatten out the creases and hang to dry.
How to clean waterproof jackets
It’s important to bear in mind that washing it incorrectly could lead to potentially irreparable damage to the material. Although you may consider washing your waterproof jacket by hand, it’s far easier to wash it in the washing machine, and it’s perfectly safe to do this providing you avoid standard laundry detergents and fabric softeners.
Many cleaning products can damage the waterproof material, so they’re best avoided; run your washing machine on empty until it has no trace of detergent from past washes or use a product that is designed for waterproof clothing. If you don’t have anything suitable, try washing it without detergent.
Remove as much mud and dirt as possible by hand, and zip up all zips. Place your jacket in the drum of your washing machine by itself. Run your washing machine on a 30 degree wash and rinse cycle.
Leave it out to dry naturally or put it in the tumble dryer on a low to medium heat – if you decide to use your tumble dryer, always check the jacket’s instructions to ensure it won’t become damaged.
For plastic raincoats, fill your sink or a bucket with water, add half a cup of baking soda, place your jacket into it and allow it to soak for an hour. Remove it from the water, rinse with clean water, and leave to dry.
Combine water with vinegar and use a sponge to scrub any hard to remove stains. If it doesn’t work straight away, leave it to soak onto the jacket and wash away with water afterwards.
Best ways to clean leather or suede shoes and boots
Leather requires a small amount of TLC to keep it looking its best.
Gently brush off any dirt or grime with a microfibre cloth or shoe brush after each wear; that way, the debris won’t be ground into the leather as time goes on, and you’re less likely to have to worry about staining.
For more in depth cleaning, make sure the shoes are completely dry, and pop some shoe trees or newspaper inside them to keep their shape. Use a damp, non-soapy cloth to remove any remaining dirt.
You can also get specialist leather cleaners to help break down dirt and stains. Once you’re happy with the cleanliness of the shoe, you can use a towel to dab away any water droplets, then use a cream or wax polish to restore the leather. This helps to prevent it from becoming too dry and cracking.
A simple pencil eraser has been known to work wonders on suede. When a stain on your shoes appears to have completely dried, it can feel like it’s too late to remove it, but by using an eraser, you can get rid of any small pieces of dirt and other unwanted elements.
You could use a nail file or emery board to carefully chip away at a dried stain. If this is unsuccessful, try steaming the suede using a kettle or iron, as it should open the pores up, making it easier to clean the material.
Cleaning a dressing gown
When it comes to washing your dressing gown, you may be concerned that it will lose its feeling of luxuriousness and quality in the process. It’s actually a similar process to washing a towel in the washing machine.
The water in the washing machine may be too soapy, which could cause your dressing gown to lose its softness and become rough when it dries. To stop this from happening, try washing the dressing gown again but this time without detergent. If it still feels like there is soap residue in the gown, wash again with no detergent but this time add around 30 grams of white vinegar, as this will remove all traces of detergent from the dressing gown and the washing machine. After a final rinse without detergent, your dressing gown should revert back to its original condition when it’s dried.
After you’ve washed your dressing gown, you should consider putting it in the tumble dryer – as long as the care instructions say that this is okay. This is likely to improve the fluffiness and softness. However, while this is an effective way of restoring the quality feel of certain dressing gowns, bear in mind that it could potentially damage gowns made from materials such as fleece, cashmere or satin. Instead, you should hang up these garments and allow them to dry naturally.
Top photo by Nellie Adamyan on Unsplash
