Cashmere is a luxury. It’s plush, it’s soft, it’s fuzzy. Wearing a cashmere coat is like wearing a warm cloud. And while there are cashmere coats to fit a variety of budgets, luxury is going to cost you. Cashmere is a picky fiber — it has wants and needs. It’s sensitive and needs someone with a delicate touch to take care of it. It needs devotion and time. Unlike your relationship with your scummy ex, all that hard work and devotion pays off: a well-cared-for cashmere coat can last decades.
Read the label. The coat’s manufacturers outline the best way to care for the garment. They know what they’re doing.
Avoid spraying perfume after you’ve put on your coat. The chemicals in perfumes can permanently discolor cashmere fibers.
Clean your cashmere coat on a regular basis. Your skin has oils that deteriorate the fibers. This is particularly true of areas that get the most exposure to bare skin, such as the neck and cuffs.
Hand-wash your coat in lukewarm water with baby shampoo. Cashmere is essentially hair, and needs to be treated delicately. Baby shampoo, castile soap and specialized sweater or cashmere soaps clean the coat without damaging the fibers. Don’t ever use bleach on animal fibers – it dissolves them.
Avoid roughing up your coat when washing it. Dissolve the soap in the water. Soak the coat for about five minutes and gently squish– don’t wring — the coat to get the soap into the fibers.
Rinse your coat using cool water. Cool water closes the hair fibers up, adding strength and shine Soak the coat in conditioner or hair cream if your coat feels scratchy. Mix a small dollop of conditioner into lukewarm water. Let the coat soak for five minutes and rinse with cool water.
Lay the coat flat on a towel. Roll up the towel with the jacket inside. This squeezes out extra water and speeds up the drying process. Arrange the coat on a flat surface to dry. Make sure seams line up and the edges of the coat are even. This is a process called blocking — whatever shape the coat is arranged in, it will dry that way. Cashmere is a fiber with a lot of “memory,” and it can be hard to even out imperfections if the coat was dried in an awkward position.
Bag it up. Put your cashmere coat in a lingerie bag and toss it in a dryer. Run it through a tumble dryer on a cool temperature, preferably air dry with no heat. This extra agitation and air makes cashmere come to life. The fibers fluff up and bloom, giving the coat a soft, fuzzy halo.
Fix problems as soon as you can. Holes can grow in size seemingly overnight. If you don’t feel comfortable fixing the coat yourself, ask a professional tailor or seamstress. Mop up stains before they set. Blot stains with a paper towel. Dab on soap and water. Flush the area with cool water. Pat dry.
Clean your coat before storing it. Moths love cashmere, but more than the fiber, they love the leftover dirt, oils and sweat on the cashmere. Washing it before storing it helps keep these critters out of your woolens.
Store your cashmere out of direct sunlight. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can discolor the fabric forever. Don’t store your cashmere coat in a plastic or airtight container; let it breathe. Go with acid-free tissue paper or a cloth bag, instead. This prevents a buildup of moisture which can damage fibers.
Use aromatic substances to discourage moths. Cedar chips, lavender, rosemary, dried orange peels and strong-smelling spices discourage bugs. Wood chips also absorb moisture, which can circumvent mildew or mold. Don’t place aromatic substances directly on the coat – this might stain the garment.
