Chinchilla fur coats are some of the most luxurious and softest garments you can wear. However, they don’t take care of themselves – you must maintain them to keep them in pristine condition.
However, if you’ve never cleaned or cared for fur before, don’t worry; We’re going to cover how to care for your chinchilla fur coat, so it looks as good as new every time.
Although you can attempt to clean your furs on your own, it’s not recommended. We’ll cover how to quickly do some fur maintenance, but we highly recommend you take it to a professional cleaner whenever possible.
To properly clean your chinchilla, you’ll only need a few items, and none of them are costly. If done right, taking care of a jacket is straightforward.
- Fine bristled fur brush.
- Clean cloth.
- Sawdust.
When to clean your fur coat.
Chinchilla fur coats can get quite dirty, especially in the winter months when you’re wearing them the most and the weather is the worst. It would be best if you cleaned them regularly to keep them looking their best.
It’s a good idea to wash your chinchilla fur coat after wearing it about 3-5 times or sooner if you notice any dirt or debris embedded in the fur.
You’ll also want to consider taking it to a professional fur cleaner once a year (usually at the end of the season), so it gets a thorough cleaning and is ready for the next season.
Steps to keeping your chinchilla fur coat in tip-top shape.
As an owner of a fur coat or any other fur accessory, you should have a firm understanding of how to maintain and clean your product. It’s relatively simple as long as you stay on top of it and do not allow dirt to build up. For any soiled parts or deep stains, we highly recommend you consult a professional furrier to see about having it cleaned properly. This will ensure your coat lasts years and years.
Shake out the dust thoroughly.
This first step is to get any loose particles such as dust and debris from the coat in the easiest and least invasive way possible.
Take the coat outside on a nice day and lightly shake it up and down while holding the collar end of the coat. This will allow anything that is not stuck to the fur to shake loose.
It would help if you did this regularly as it will prevent dirt from building up, and you won’t have to take your coat in for a professional cleaning nearly as often.
Brush out the dirt with a fur brush.
Now that the fine particles are removed from the coat from the shakedown, stroke it with a brush that has soft and fine stainless steel bristles not to damage the fur.
Using a fur brush should get most, if not all, of the remaining dirt from your luxurious jacket, and it should be good to wear on a chilly night on the town.
For the stains, gently dab with a clean and damp cloth.
Before we go any further, you need to be warned; you do not want to rub the stain to remove it. This will push the stain into the hairs and make it difficult, if not impossible, to remove at all.
Take a clean cloth and apply just enough water to make the cloth damp. You don’t want so much water to soak the fabric and, therefore, the fur, but enough to loosen up the dirt to remove it with the cloth. The key is to keep the hair as dry as possible yet still pull the stain out.
Now dab the fur lightly with the cloth. Do this repeatedly until the stain is removed.
Once you have removed the stain, allow the jacket to dry thoroughly before putting it away in a closet or a garment bag. Storing your fur improperly, especially while wet, can result in mildew and odors on your beautiful coat.
Use sawdust to remove stains and grease.
Perhaps you had too much fun the night before and got a deep stain on your chinchilla jacket. It happens, but shaking it out and dabbing with a damp cloth doesn’t get it clean—time to use an old trick that many furriers use: sawdust.
Lay your coat on a flat surface such as a table with the stained area exposed. Sprinkle some sawdust on the soiled area and allow it to sit for at least a few hours – even better if you can leave it overnight. Then gently vacuum up the loose sawdust. Keep in mind you want to remove the sawdust from the coat and not the fur, so don’t vacuum it like a rug.
Professional cleaning.
If none of the above worked, it’s time to take your chinchilla garment to a professional fur cleaner. They specialize in cleaning fur products and typically do an outstanding job at removing tough stains. Remember that not all cleaners specialize in fur; it’s in your best interest to take it to a furrier or fur salon that knows how to care for your chinchilla fur coat.
On top of taking your fur to the cleaners for deep stains, as mentioned, you should make it a practice to take your coat into the cleaners at least once a year. This will keep your jacket in great shape for years.
When not in season, store your Chinchilla fur.
One of the best things you can do for your fur to make it last is to have it professionally stored.
Of course, you can opt to store it yourself in your closet, but a fur salon stores furs in a controlled environment at around 55°F with around 50% humidity. These are the ideal conditions for the hair to survive storage during the summer months. Additionally, a furrier will usually inspect your fur for damages and fix them as necessary.
As you may have noticed, there are several ways to care for your chinchilla fur coat. The best way is usually a combination of the steps we outlined in this article. But if all else fails and you want professional cleaning done on it, make sure that they specialize in fur care. We hope these tips help keep your expensive wear clean!