You know the feeling. You get home from a festival, peel off your coat, and it looks like it has been through a storm. The fur is flat in patches, there is a mystery stickiness on one sleeve, and the whole thing smells faintly of smoke and someone else’s night out.

Here is the good news. Faux fur is almost always recoverable. Most coats that end up looking tired are not dirty, they are just crushed and neglected. Ten minutes of the right care will bring back a coat you thought was finished, and knowing how to store it properly means you will not have to rescue it in the first place.

First, Understand What You Are Working With

Faux fur is not fur. It is a pile of fine plastic fibres, usually polyester or acrylic, stitched into a woven backing. That one fact explains every rule that follows.

Plastic melts. Heat is the enemy, not dirt. A hot wash, a tumble dryer or a night draped over a heater will do more damage than a whole summer of festivals. Once those fibres have been heat damaged they go crispy and matted, and no amount of brushing brings them back.

Treat heat as the thing to avoid and you have already won most of the battle.

The Ten Minute Reset After A Big Night

Do this before you even think about washing anything.

Hang the coat somewhere airy, ideally outside in the shade or near an open window. Give it a proper shake first. Leave it a few hours, or overnight if you can manage it. Most festival smells lift on their own with nothing but fresh air.

While it is hanging, run a brush through the pile. A pet slicker brush is the secret weapon here, and they cost almost nothing. Work in small sections, brush gently in the direction the fur naturally falls, and watch the coat puff back into shape. A wide tooth comb works too if that is what you have.

Nine times out of ten, that is the whole job done.

Spot Cleaning, Which Is What You Should Be Doing Most Of The Time

Full washes are hard on faux fur, so avoid them when you can. If the problem is one spot of spilled drink, treat one spot.

Mix a little mild detergent into cool water. Dip a clean cloth, wring it out well so it is damp rather than wet, and dab at the mark. Do not scrub, because scrubbing tangles the pile and leaves a visible matted patch. Dab, lift, repeat.

Rinse by going over the same area with a second cloth dampened with plain water, then blot dry with a towel and let it air dry the rest of the way. Brush the area once it is completely dry.

When It really Does Need A Full Wash

Check the care label first, every time. Different coats have different backings and linings, and the label always wins over anything you read on a blog, including this one.

If hand washing is allowed, fill a basin or bath with cool water and a small amount of gentle detergent. No fabric softener, ever. Softener coats the fibres and leaves faux fur limp and greasy looking. Submerge the coat, swish it around gently for a couple of minutes, then leave it to soak for about fifteen.

Drain, refill with clean cool water, and rinse until the water runs clear. Press the water out rather than wringing. Wringing twists the backing and can leave permanent creases in the pile.

If the label allows machine washing, turn the garment inside out, put it in a mesh laundry bag, and use the most delicate cycle your machine has with a cold wash and the lowest spin speed available. Wash it on its own, not crammed in with towels and jeans.

Drying, Where Most Coats Are Ruined

Never tumble dry faux fur. Not on low, not for five minutes, not “just to get the worst out”. This is the single fastest way to destroy a coat.

Do not use a heater, a heat pump vent, a hair dryer or direct sun either.

Instead, lay the coat flat on a dry towel, roll it up loosely and press to draw out the excess water. Then hang it on a wide padded hanger somewhere cool with good air movement, or lay it flat on a fresh dry towel if it is heavy. Shake it out every few hours as it dries so the pile does not set flat.

It will take longer than you expect, sometimes a full day or two for a heavyweight coat. That is normal. Once it is bone dry, brush it out and it will look far better than it did wet, which is worth remembering because a wet faux fur coat always looks like a disaster.

Special Cases

LED garments. Anything with lights built in needs different treatment. LED Faux Fur Coat have LEDs embedded in the lining, so never submerge them and never put them in a machine. Remove the battery pack first, then spot clean only using the damp cloth method above, keeping moisture well away from the wiring and the battery housing. Let it dry completely before you reconnect anything, and always follow the specific care instructions that came with the garment.

Sequins and mixed panels. Pieces like the Mermaid Sequin Fur Coat combine faux fur with sequin panels, so turn it inside out before washing to stop sequins catching and pulling. Hand washing is much kinder than a machine here.

Storing It so Next Season Starts Well

Most faux fur damage happens in storage, not at events.

Hang it, do not fold it. Long term folding leaves crease lines in the pile that are very hard to remove. Use a wide, padded or wooden hanger so the shoulders keep their shape, and give the coat breathing room in the wardrobe. Fur that is squashed between other garments comes out flat every time.

Use a breathable cotton garment bag rather than a plastic one. Plastic traps moisture, and trapped moisture in a New Zealand winter means mildew.

Keep it somewhere cool, dark and dry. Sunlight fades colour and weakens the fibres over time.

Skip the mothballs. Faux fur is synthetic, so moths are not interested anyway, and the smell lingers for months. A cedar block is a nicer option if you want something in the wardrobe.

The Quick Version

• Air it out before you wash it, most of the time that is enough
• Brush with a pet slicker brush to bring the pile back
• Spot clean where you can, full wash only when you must
• Cool water, mild detergent, no fabric softener
• Never tumble dry, never use direct heat
• Air dry on a wide hanger, shaking it out as it goes
• Spot clean LED pieces only, battery pack removed
• Store hung, in a breathable bag, somewhere cool and dark

Look after your it properly and a good faux fur piece will outlast a decade of festivals. Ours are built to be worn hard, but they will always look better on the dance floor if they have had ten minutes of attention.