A peacoat is a versatile wardrobe item that can be paired with jeans for a casual look or with a dress if you’re trying to impress. Most peacoats are made of wool, but some are made of cotton. While cotton is less delicate than wool, both types of peacoats should be washed carefully to avoid damaging the fabric and to keep the shape of the coat intact. So, when your peacoat is looking a little dingy or smelling a bit funky, give it a good cleaning, but do so with some TLC so the coat comes out of the wash looking fabulous.
Step 1
Pretreat the collars, sleeve cuffs and any other stains on the coat with a prewash stain remover. Let it sit for a few minutes to soak into the fabric.
Step 2
Button or zip up the coat and check all the pockets. Turn the peacoat inside out. Put it in a mesh laundry bag.
Step 3
Set your washer to cold water and the delicate wash cycle. Some newer models of washers have a wool setting. If you’re washing a wool peacoat and your washer has this setting, use it for washing your coat. Add gentle laundry detergent to the machine.
Step 4
Put the mesh bag inside the washing machine. Run the peacoat through a delicate wash cycle.
Step 5
Remove the mesh bag from the washer as soon as the cycle has finished. Take the coat out of the bag. Turn it right side out and push on it gently to remove any excess water that may be trapped in the fabric.
Step 6
Lay a clean, white towel on a flat surface. Lay the peacoat on the towel. Reshape the coat with your hands.
Step 7
Let the front side of the peacoat dry completely. Turn it over and allow the back of the coat to dry.
- If your peacoat is wrinkled after cleaning, hang it on a hanger after it dries and use a hand-held garment steamer to release the wrinkles.
- Always check the care label on the coat for specific washing instructions.
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