Causes of yellowing fur
Over time, fur products lose their former appearance and begin to turn yellow. There are several reasons for this:
- Water. Despite the fact that a fur coat is worn in winter, when it often snows, it turns yellow when exposed to moisture. To prevent the product from deteriorating, it is necessary to dry it after each wear.
- Dust. With a large accumulation of dust, light fibers lose their saturation and shine.
- Sweat. Yellowness usually appears on the collars, where the fur comes into contact with the neck and back of the head. Sweat accumulates in these places first, which negatively affects the appearance of the fur coat.
To avoid damage to fur items, you need to remember the following rules:
- You should not wear a fur coat if it is raining or snowing outside.
- It is necessary to store the product correctly: pack it in a special bag and do not expose it to direct sunlight. Also, the humidity of the room should not be high.
- If your fur coat gets wet, dry it with a cool hairdryer or fan. Exposure to hot air should be avoided.
- In warm weather, it is necessary to remove fur clothing so that it does not get wet due to sweat.
- The fur needs to be cleaned regularly with a special brush.
Attention! Yellowness appears on old fur coats - this is normal. In this case, you can give the product to a specialist for restoration or think about buying a new one.
Using glycerin
This is another remedy that is used in medicine, and in our case, thanks to it, you can renew the color of a fur coat (get rid of yellowed spots of old age) and add shine to the fur. To do this, follow these steps:
- First, soak a cotton pad in glycerin.
- After this, you need to walk it over the entire mink surface from top to bottom.
This way you can refresh the bright color of your favorite fur coat, and with each season it will delight you with its presentable appearance, and people around you will think that this is a new thing and give you pleasant compliments.
Advice: this type of cleaning should be carried out no more than twice a season to maintain the good appearance of the product.
Cleaning yellowed fur using traditional methods
You can clean fur from yellowness using both traditional methods and special methods. At home, it is recommended to try simple recipes using available products, as they are economical and do not harm the fur.
Semolina
Semolina is good at cleaning the product from dirt and dust particles, so it is often used for cleaning fur items. First, the fur coat is laid out on a horizontal surface so that the grain does not fall off when applied. If a hat is being processed, it should be placed on a large jar wrapped in a towel.
Cleaning involves the following steps:
- Semolina is sprinkled over the entire area of the problem area.
- After this, a soft brush is taken and the fur is slowly combed.
- The procedure continues until the semolina turns grey. If the product is not sufficiently cleaned, combing can be repeated again, but with clean grain.
To remove semolina, just shake the thing. It can also be vacuumed, but the suction power should be minimal.
Potato starch
This product cleans fur like semolina. To enhance the effect, you can add other cleaning ingredients, for example, powder: the fur coat is sprinkled with starch, then you need to pour a little detergent into the water. After stirring, the solution is poured into a spray bottle for convenience - the fur should be lightly sprayed. Once the mixture has dried, you need to remove the starch using a clothes brush.
A mixture of gasoline and potato starch helps both bleach fur that has turned yellow over time and remove stains from it. The ingredients should be mixed to form a paste and applied to problem areas. In this case, the product must be applied against the growth of villi. After drying, the starch is removed with a brush.
Attention! Gasoline must be purified so that no streaks remain on the product.
Alcohol, salt and water
A mixture of 1 tsp. ammonia, 3 tsp. salt and 0.5 liters of water is suitable for removing sweat marks. After mixing the ingredients, the solution is sprayed onto the fur using a spray bottle. Next, the product needs to be combed and dried.
Sawdust or bran
To clean the fur, you can use sawdust: pour it into a basin and add a small amount of purified gasoline. After mixing, the product is applied to problem areas and then shaken off. To remove small sawdust, you need to comb the product with a soft brush.
Bran effectively removes yellow stains from problem areas of a fur coat. To do this, first heat them in a frying pan to 60 °C, stirring regularly. Next, the fur coat is laid out on a table or clean floor, and the bran is poured onto the yellowed areas in an even layer. They should be rubbed into the pile with a soft brush, but care must be taken not to pull out the fur.
The product is removed after cooling, and the remaining crumbs are combed out with a fine-toothed comb.
Attention! To avoid getting burned by hot bran, you should wear kitchen gloves.
Flour
First you need to heat it in a clean frying pan, and then sprinkle it on the yellowed areas of your fur coat. The pile should be combed well so that the flour absorbs the dirt. After it turns gray, the procedure stops.
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General cleaning of residential premises - apartment cleaning plan
Soap solution
You should choose animal shampoo as a means for cleaning fur, as it contains a blue pigment that neutralizes yellowness. First, warm water is taken into a basin and a little shampoo is dissolved. Next, you need to take a sponge soaked in the solution and treat the target areas of the fur coat in the direction of the pile.
You can add 2 tbsp to the mixture. l. hydrogen peroxide to enhance the cleaning effect.
If you don't have pet shampoo on hand, clear or white liquid soap will do. 3 drops are enough for a basin; you need to foam the water well. The product is applied to the fur with a sponge, after which the product is combed and dried.
Blue
If the fur is dirty and yellowed, then you can use a clever method - to mask the stains with blue. This product is used to bleach laundry: the blue pigment displaces the yellow one, due to which the product “glows” white when exposed to light.
You can buy blue in the departments of household chemicals or pharmacies. A couple of drops per bowl of water is enough: the solution should turn slightly blue.
The mixture is poured into a spray bottle and sprayed onto the pile, after which the fur coat should dry.
Attention! There is no need to wet the fur abundantly, since if it gets too wet and does not dry properly, the fur can shrink and deteriorate.
Vinegar
The product helps whiten fur and restore shine to the pile. First, the product is laid out on a horizontal surface, then a cotton swab or cloth is moistened in vinegar. After wiping the lint, the fur coat should be hung on the balcony so that it can be ventilated and dry naturally. It is recommended to open the windows as vinegar has a strong odor.
What cannot be cleaned
When cleaning blue mink, it is necessary to take into account that the use of certain products can change the structure of the fur and its color.
It is not recommended to use:
- aggressive household chemicals;
- laundry detergents containing bleach and enzymes;
- acetone and nail polish remover (to get rid of paint stains);
- tea leaves;
- pine sawdust (they contain resin).
If you follow the recommendations given and the sequence of the cleaning procedure, you can rid the yellowed blue mink fur of dirty deposits and return it to its original shine.
Bleaching natural fur
Unlike artificial material, natural fur is more whimsical. Nevertheless, fashionistas prefer it for its warming properties and luxurious appearance. White fur is especially valued, but it is easy to get dirty, and traces of yellowness are clearly visible.
Many dry cleaners specialize in how to bleach fur if it has turned yellow, so in difficult cases it is recommended to contact the service.
Glycerin solution
A mixture of water and glycerin is suitable for softening lint and removing yellow stains. The ingredients are mixed in equal proportions and applied to the product: this can be done with a moistened cloth or a spray bottle. After drying, the fur should be combed with a soft bristle brush.
Hydrogen peroxide
Peroxide is an excellent bleach, so it is used in washing clothes and caring for fur items. The product is effective against yellow spots that appear due to high humidity or aging.
Attention! Hydrogen peroxide is a caustic solution, so you should only work with it wearing rubber gloves.
Recipe for removing yellowness from fur using peroxide: a small spoon of the product and a few drops of ammonia are diluted in a glass of water. You need to moisten a sponge or cotton pad in the mixture and rub it over the pile. In this case, you must not touch the inner layer (skin), otherwise the impregnation will negatively affect its condition.
Starch and hydrogen peroxide
To remove yellowness from white mink as effectively as possible, a mixture of peroxide and starch is used - the ingredients are mixed to a paste and applied to problem areas of the product. After drying, the pile is combed with a soft brush and the starch is shaken off.
Caring for fur products must be regular, otherwise they will begin to fade and turn yellow. If such a situation does occur, you should use traditional methods to lighten the item, and if there is no effect, it is recommended to take it to the dry cleaner. When working with solutions, you need to remember safety measures: wear rubber gloves and open windows in the room.
Using alcohol
Surely every housewife has a jar of this useful product somewhere in her medicine cabinet, and if not, you can easily buy it at the pharmacy. For this method, you will need ammonia or rubbing alcohol and water. How to use this method:
- Take these ingredients and mix in proportions of 1 tablespoon of alcohol ingredient and 2 tablespoons of water (if the contaminated area is small).
- After this, soak a cotton pad in the resulting mixture and squeeze it out.
- Gently rub the stain.
- Take a dry, clean towel and use it to blot all the areas you cleaned.
- Finally, fluff up the fur and leave it until completely dry.
- Repeat the above steps if necessary.
Medical alcohol very well removes not only yellowness, but also stains from lipstick and foundation, which almost every girl often encounters. It is very important to follow all instructions, otherwise the structure of the fur may be damaged and not restored.
Advice: if your mink product has a long pile, then you need to rub it in the direction of the hairs, and if the mink is shorn, rub “against the grain.”
Rules for drying and storage in the off-season
After all kinds of wet treatments, blue mink needs high-quality drying. Natural conditions are the most comfortable for her. You cannot dry such things near an open fire (fireplace, stove, etc.); heating and heating devices are also contraindicated for use.
When the mink outfit is not being used for its intended purpose, it should be kept in a linen cover in a closet, with periodic ventilation. It wouldn’t hurt to put a moth repellent inside the case.
Having figured out how to clean a blue mink, you need to boldly use the knowledge gained and put it into practice. Blue fur is not as difficult to care for as it seems. Even at home, you can restore the former attractiveness of a fur coat.
Another good article on a similar topic: How to clean a rabbit fur coat.
Using semolina
If you are not a fan of semolina porridge and you don’t have this cereal at home, ask a friend or neighbor, or buy it in bulk, because you only need a little of it. Use this method to remove unwanted stains from mink fur. Here's what you need to do to do this:
- First you need to cook the porridge: take 2 glasses of milk and 2 tablespoons of cereal.
- Cool the resulting mixture and apply to the required areas of the product.
- Leave it like this until the morning.
- After this, use a soft brush to clean the mink surface.
- Use a blunt-toothed comb to comb out the grain and shake it out.
Before throwing away or putting away a damaged item, and even such an expensive one, in your wardrobe, first try to clean and renew it using the methods described above. After all, they are very simple and affordable, you can use them both at home and at work, and the result will be no worse than after dry cleaning. Having done this, you will put on your favorite fur coat, vest or any other blue mink product with the same feelings and emotions as the first time, and for this it is worth spending several hours of your time.
Remember
- Test the product on an inconspicuous area. Different fur reacts to exposure differently. After checking the product, wait 12–15 hours, and if nothing happened to the fur, start cleaning.
- Remember the reasons why fur turns yellow . To avoid constant cleaning, do not allow moisture, perfume, dust or cosmetics to come into contact with light-colored fur.
- Follow the rules for storing fur . To prevent it from becoming dull, caked or yellowed, store the fur correctly.
- Choose the right cleaning method. Natural fur cannot be cleaned using methods that are suitable for cleaning artificial fur, and vice versa. For example, artificial fur may shed due to mechanical stress.
The author of the video demonstrates an effective method of bleaching light fur