Fleece clothing provides ample warmth and a unique softness that feels luxurious and soothing. Unfortunately, that softness often goes away as you wash your fleece items. That is why it is essential to know how to wash a fleece jacket so it stays comfortable and warm.
Keep reading for the full tutorial on how you can achieve this effect and get the most out of your clothing.
What You Will Need
For the washing process, you need the following items:
- Liquid laundry detergent
- About ½ cup of white vinegar
- A traditional washer and dryer
- A hanger or drying rack
Most of these items you probably have in your laundry room. However, still check to make sure you have everything you need on hand before you begin.
Whatever laundry detergent you usually use is fine, but unlike with other loads of laundry, you’ll be using a small amount. It’s also best to use white vinegar specifically since apple cider vinegar can leave behind discoloration or stains depending on the color of your jacket.
You can use your regular washer and dryer for this process. There’s no need to have any special settings other than the delicate cycle. Your jacket will also stay softer if you use a drying rack or hang up your garment to dry fully.
Avoid using conventional fabric softener or other softening products, as they usually leave behind a residue on the fleece, which often makes it feel less soft. You’ll also want to ensure that your washer is very clean before this process to avoid leftover soap, softener, and other laundry products from transferring to your fleece jacket.
If your fleece jacket is already quite rough and worn, this process won’t reverse that or help it look newer. Unfortunately, some fleece garments are too far gone for conventional methods to help. For new fleece clothing, these cleaning steps can help maintain softness and allow you to remove stains as needed.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Once you know how to wash a fleece jacket, you’ll find that the process goes rather quickly. You can easily replicate these steps with other fleece items. Here are the step-by-step directions you need and some related tips to ensure you are successful.
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Inspect your jacket and treat stains
Inspect the fleece jacket and locate any areas where there are stains. Treat affected areas with a small amount of laundry detergent and gently rub the fabric together until the detergent fully saturates the stain. You don’t need to rub very hard or for very long, and it’s ok if the stain hasn’t changed before you continue.
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Set your washing machine to the delicate cycle
Put the fleece jacket in your washing machine. Add the half cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle dispenser on your machine, and set it to the delicate cycle.
If you don’t have a delicate cycle preset on your machine, use the lowest heat setting, spin options, and the shortest possible run time.
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Wash all fleece items separately from other laundry items
Do not add other clothing items to the load with your fleece jacket. They will rub together, and this can cause the fleece to feel rough. Other clothing items may also pick up lint or fuzz from a fleece jacket that is tedious to remove.
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Only dry your fleece jacket for a few minutes
Only dry your fleece jacket for a few minutes on low heat to fluff it. Over-drying fleece fabrics can literally melt the delicate little fibers that make up this material. That is precisely what gives them that scratchy feeling over time.
Other items of clothing rubbing on the fleece also cause the fabric to become prematurely scratchy. This result almost always occurs whenever multiple clothing items go into the dryer.
Conclusion
With this tutorial, you’re all set to clean and revive your dirty fleece jackets. These are simple tips that many of us easily miss when doing our weekly laundry.
The process is simple and doesn’t require any special items beyond what you already have in your pantry. Incorporate this easy change into your standard laundry routine to make a big difference in how long your jacket lasts.
