Need Some Greatcoat Rehab Advice

[Riverkilt]

Okay, so the British greatcoat and Sweedish greatcoat came in. They've had two good spritzs with Febreze each and the "special odor" has been well reduced.
I've also turned loose the Gizmo steamer on them to both kill odor and steam out creases from shipping and years of storage.

But, they have been somewhere for a VERY long time and the wool is nowhere as near as soft and flexible as my other greatcoats that were created new for me a few years back.

I'm wondering if the softness will return if I just wear them around a while...

Or, what I'm thinking of trying is to soak them in the bathtub with Woolite for a while.

Now one says "Dry Clean Only" but hey, that's just another form of power and control sign....

If one can soak a kilt in the tub in Woolite...and wool blankets....why not a wool greatcoat or two??

Just wanna double check with any experts on the board in case that would screw things up rather than help out.

Thanks for any feedback or suggestions I've missed.

Not sure I wanna take them to the dry cleaners because of "that smell" that comes back....would rather deal with musty smells than chemical smells...

Ron

[auld argonian]

There is that Eucalan stuff that's sold as a wool wash.

http://www.eucalan.com/

I think that I remember Turpin having suggested it a while ago...I could be wrong on this...but it purports to be "lanolin enriched"...perhaps that might revitalize the coats. It's also scented so it might help destroy the "musties".

I know that you might not want to mess with this one but I read in the local paper that the costume department at the opera shpritz musty outfits with vodka to freshen them up.

Best

AA

[Riverkilt]

Thanks AA,

Had never heard of that stuff...the ingredients list includes some chemical names that I have no clue over....but lanolin...

Have heard of the vodka substitute for Febreze...bunch of alcohol in Febreze too.

In the depths of my worst alcoholism I never drank vodka (yucko!)...there were so many alternatives as a carrier vehicle for booze that tasted a LOt better. Still, not sure I want a couple of booze coats....might be dangerous around open flames.

Its taking all my skills to hold back from immersing these coats in my own little version of a peat bog....

Ron
and really...I wasn't "that" bad....really....I mean I never shot booze I.V....never snorted booze....never smoked it....

[jordanjm]

What about spraying them with vinegar? My grandmother used to use it to get smells out of everything. It would replace the smell with vinegar, and then the vinegar smell would quickly fade, and you are left with no smell.

[Pleater]

Wearing them in the rain might be all that is needed, though I remember my Navy greatcoat smelt like an old dog when it got wet. I wonder where that went -

However, if you do decide to was them you might find that human hair shampoo with conditioner is just as effective as any of the specialist washes - Woolite in particular is actually quite harsh on the fibres.

Rather than trying to rinse them after washing, use a shower, just lay them under the spray - if you have something you can lay them over so the water runs through them it will speed the process. I have a triangular airer which I lay wool over for rinsing after dyeing.

You need to have all the water at about the same temperature, and no rubbing or agitation so as to prevent felting - you might get some shrinking, but if you are careful if should be minimal.

Once the detergent is rinsed out a further bath in water with some white vinegar will restore the proper pH of the fibre. About half a cup is enough for a heavy jersey, so you'll have to extrapolate up to coats. One reason why wool garments are preserved in peat bogs is the acidity. You don't rinse out the vinegar water, just let it drain and dry off.

[Riverkilt]

Thanks!!

That's what I was looking for...a fearful undertaking - or at least a lot of work. Don't know that I have any margin for additional shrinkage on the British coat. Did another Febreze attack on the Sweedish coat last night.

Think I'm gonna continue with the air out process for a while longer and see how that goes. The British coat seemed to soften up some from working with it to sew on the buttons. Maybe I'll wear them hiking and see if that helps.

You affirm what I'd worried about - not having a place to properly dry a wet, and now very heavy, coat without distorting the shape.

Thanks Pleater....is this a great board or what!?

Ron

[turpin]

Ron

Try putting one in a duffel bag with some rocks and rolling it down a hill, or drag it behind your car on one of your many off-road excursions. That ought to soften it up a bit. sort of like what I've heard people do with brand new balmorals to get the right look.

[Riverkilt]

Great idea!

Maybe I could just put it on and roll down a sand dune. Or go out to the lake at see if I can tread water in it.

So many options.

Ron

[Amoskeag]

Hey Ron,
I picked up one of those sea green Swedish army great coats to convert into civvy 19thC overcoat and it was also pretty stiff. I did everything "wrong" to it. Dyed it black in Ritt dye in hot water, hung it outside for several days to dry, put it in the dryer on "air" and tumbled it. It survived very well I still use it regularly and it softened up nicely. I don't recommend this to anyone but it is what I did. The coat was cheap enough that I didn't mind experimenting.

My rationale to this approach to this "murder of a greatcoat" was I limited my self to 19thC technology; no dry clean, no woolite, etc. I mean they did wash their clothes occasionally. I guess I'd suggest washing it in soap, ie Ivory Soap Flakes and rinse a bunch of time and hang outside in the fresh air to dry. Then just wear the hell out of it.

If by chance you don't have good results (free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it) please don't get angry with me, move into my house, eat all my food, and never leave.

[Pleater]

Now I am wondering where I lost that greatcoat. It was a really great coat. It was a navy one and for some reason it had the buttons in the pocket, unlike all the other ones on the rack.

I have a free standing spin dryer which is very useful for anything that will fit into it - I am not certain that a greatcoat would. The trick with spinning woolens is to roll them into as long and thin a cylinder as possible, wrap it in a sturdy cotton cloth then coil it around the drum of the spinner. Spin it to remove remove most of the water, but as soon as the stream slows stop, remove it, shake it into shape and then - if it is still heavy repack it and spin for about a minute, but don't try to spin it to dryness, or it will really crease up.

With a coat put the skirt in first, press it down carefully, then the shoulders and lapels with all that shaping go in last - hopefully with most room.

You might be able to use a top loading washing machine to spin things. We don't have top loaders here - or they are very rare now. Just about every washing machine sold here is front loading.