Check the wash label

If the down jacket has a special cleaning and care method, the manufacturer will print it on the garment's wash label.

The wash label will tell you whether the clothes should be hand-washed, machine-washed on a special washing program, or sent to a professional laundry.

If the down jacket isn't very dirty and only pre-cleaning is sufficient, you may not have to hand or machine wash it.

Secure all hooks and fasteners

Dampened down jackets can be easily torn, so beware when washing them and don't let the fasteners on your clothes get hung up or pulled. Before washing, Panda Life reminds you that you should:

Zip the zipper

Button the buttons

Glue the Velcro

Fasten the flap

Empty the pockets and fasten them

Remove some of the dirt and grime

Wipe the surface of the down jacket with a clean, waterless cloth to remove the floating dust and other grime. Doing so can make washing the down jacket slightly easier, as large pieces of dirt or visible dust have been cleaned up ahead of time.

Localize stubborn dirt.

Pure soap or a special detergent for down jackets won't destroy the natural oils of the down feathers and make them brittle, so it's suitable for topical cleaning of small patches of dirt on down jackets. Pour a small amount of detergent onto the stained area, e.g. stubborn dirt or sweat or grease stains, and let the detergent soak into the fabric for 15 minutes.

Soak your duffle coat in warm water

Fill a washing basin or sink with warm water. Place the down jacket in the water and gently stir it with your hands a few times, then let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes.

Panda Life tip:

Soaking before formal washing removes some of the dirt and dust from the clothes, as well as any residual detergent from pre-cleaning.

After soaking, push the duvet away from the drain to drain the dirty water. Finally, gently squeeze the water out of the duvet.

Machine wash (in a tumble dryer, for example)

Clean out the detergent drop-in box before adding detergent

The regular detergent in the laundry detergent drop-in box may harm the down feathers, so you'll want to wipe the box with a cloth before you officially wash it. Pour the special detergent for down feathers into the wiped clean slot box.

Put the down jacket into the washing machine and then follow the set washing program

Down jackets must be washed separately, otherwise they will be pulled or tangled with other clothes. Before pressing the start button, select cold water, gentle, hand wash or wool wash, and choose a small amount for the wash load.

Second wash of down jacket

If you want to make sure that your down jacket is washed thoroughly, Panda Life suggests that it can be washed twice. When the first washing program is complete, wash the down jacket again to completely remove the residual detergent.

Shake and dehydrate the down jacket several times

Dehydrating the down jacket takes a long time, so when the second wash is complete, dehydrate the down jacket two to three more times, each time faster than the last, if possible. But this is also to minimize the moisture content of the garment.

Hand washing

Fill a large sink (or basin) with water and pour in detergent

If the down jacket's wash label recommends hand washing, or you're afraid that the washing machine will ruin the clothes, then honestly wash them by hand. Fill the sink with cold water and pour in the recommended amount of down-specific detergent.

Soak the down jacket

Press the down jacket under the water so that it fully absorbs the detergent solution. Then gently stir the garment back and forth in the water a few times with your hand to get the dirt into the water. Finally soak for 15 minutes.

Reminder:

The down jacket will become wet and heavy after it absorbs all the water, so don't pick up the clothes at this time to prevent the down jacket from being torn.

If your down jacket is really expensive and you're worried about washing it, it's best to take it to the dry cleaner. The dry cleaner's cleaning method is less damaging to the fibers of the garment.

Cleaning a down jacket

After 15 minutes, empty the dirty water by pushing the down jacket to one side of the sink, exposing the outlet hole. At this point you don't have to pick the garment up, just put tap water to rinse the duvet and sink.

Soak again

Fill the sink with water and soak the duvet for another 10 minutes. Next, still pushing the duvet to one side to expose the water outlet holes, drain the dirty water. Pour some more water over the duvet.

Rinse off any residual detergent

Finally, squeeze the water out of the duvet with your hands - don't squeeze the water as if you were wringing out a twist, as that will spoil the down - and finally hang it up to dry.

Hang the down jacket up to dry