How To Clean Your Coat At Home

As summer ends and fall creeps in, it's time to start thinking about your coats. If they could use some love and you're not interested in hitting up the dry cleaners, don't worry about having to learn how to clean your coat at home. These 5 methods couldn't be easier, are all environmentally and budget friendly, and work great!

The strategies below are equivalent to what dry cleaning would do. But if you're trying to remove a specific type of stain, be sure to first read the 5 ways to remove make up stains, 10 fashion hacks to remove stains, and these 16 epic laundry tricks!

Once you've gotten any major stains out, the five methods below are perfect for making your coats look like new without a single trip to the dry cleaner. Good luck!

1. Shower Steam It

My favorite simple strategy for coat cleaning is to hang my coat up in my bathroom and shut the door. Then, I take a hot (like as hot as I can possibly stand) shower. The steam from the shower will steam the jacket, killing bacteria and eliminating odors. Can it be any easier?

2. Use A Mesh Bag & Delicate Cycle Wash

To clean a coat made of wool or cashmere, you'll need a mesh bag, a washing machine, and the appropriate soap. Lindsey Wieber Boyd breaks down the specific (and incredibly simple) steps in the video above.

3. Gently Hand-Wash Your Coat

Garments made from silk, cotton, and wool can all be hand-washed in cool water using a very (very) mild detergent without a problem. Make sure to dry with a clean towel, and let hang to dry so the piece doesn't lose its shape.

4. Buy A Home Dry Cleaning Kits

At-Home Dry Cleaning Starter Kit, $19, Amazon

At-Home dry cleaning kits are a great resource for a thorough cleaning. Just make sure your fabric is compatible with the kit you purchase.

5. Spill Your Drink (Kind Of)

OK, don't actually spill a drink on your coat. But! If you're strictly dealing with odor removal, filling a spray bottle with vodka and spraying your coat with it will kill bacteria and remove odors asap. Crazy, right? And heads up, rubbing alcohol won't work for this due to additional additives. Make sure you go straight for the vodka!

Image Credit: DailyCandyVideo/YouTube; Dryel; @absolutvodka/Instagram