How to properly clean and store your winter jackets, gloves

Laundry expert Linley McConnell has the best tips and tricks for cleaning and maintaining your winter gear before you stow it away for the summer months.

With winter coming to an end for much of Canada, one expert broke down the best way to clean and store winter clothes for the warmer months.

Linley McConnell, a laundry expert, explained to CTV Your Morning some tips and tricks to best take care of cold-weather items.

“A lot of the time, people don’t know they can actually clean their lightweight, winter down jackets at home,” McConnel said on Friday.

Coats

The first steps for McConnell are emptying pockets and washing on cold using a delicate cycle.

“I know it sounds super simple,” she says about checking pockets but “it can really just like destroy your laundry machine and your items.”

• READ MORE: Cold temperatures drive demand for warm clothing for Sudbury Outreach Support

Let the coat dry about 90 per cent of the way through before using wool dryer balls, or a tennis ball, and a low heat dryer cycle to re-fluff the coat.

“The dryer ball is key here because it needs to break up the down,” McConnell said.

Winter hats, toques

McConnell says the first step for winter hats is to remove pom poms if the design allows it.

Non-synthetic knit caps should never go into the washing machine as it can shrink and warp the hat, McConnell says. She advised to hand soak hats in cold or lukewarm water with cashmere or wool-specific detergent and massage the hat inside the water.

• READ MORE: New Canadians, Family of 14 among recipients of winter clothing in Koats for Kids campaign

To dry, she says the best method is to lay flat or use a hair dryer on a low setting.

“Don’t wring it out,” she said, adding that “you just want to squeeze any moisture.”

Gloves

“Gloves are a little bit of a different material,” McConnell said, adding that they’re often synthetic. She suggests to clean them off with a brush first.

Similar to hats, McConnell said the best way to clean was with hand soaking in a detergent appropriate for the material.

• READ MORE: University of Calgary duo collects winter clothes for city’s vulnerable population

“Again, you’re going to use a little bit more of hand action here for hand cleaning, just to get those dirty areas, especially under the thumb,” McConnell said. She recommended putting your hand inside after cleaning the gloves to reform the interior.

For drying and storage, McConnell advises cool, dry places and laying clothes flat. She recommends cedar balls or lavender for moth protection.