Hand wash in lukewarm water with a gentle detergent, squeeze without wringing, and air dry flat on a towel or on a padded hanger, away from heat and sunlight. Once dry, brush gently with a wide-tooth comb or a pet slicker brush to restore the loft.
Faux fur is polyester or acrylic, and it has one enemy that matters more than dirt, wear, or age: heat. The fibers are plastic, and plastic shrinks, fuses, and loses its shape when it gets hot. Matting is usually fixable. Melting is not.
The care routine is short and specific. Wash cool, dry without heat, brush gently, and store with space. Every step exists to keep the fibers from the one thing that ruins them permanently.
Polyester's glass transition temperature sits around 70 to 80 degrees Celsius. Above that, the fibers soften, shrivel, and fuse into stiff shiny patches that no brushing will fix. Tumble dryers, hairdryers, and steam irons all cross that line easily, and even a no-heat dryer setting adds friction that mats the fibers.
Air drying is the only safe option, and it takes time: 48 to 72 hours for a heavy coat. Hang it on a padded hanger or lay it flat on a towel, away from radiators and direct sunlight, and let the water leave on its own schedule. The wait is the price of a coat that still looks like fur.
Spot clean first, with a damp cloth and a little gentle detergent, and see whether the whole garment needs washing at all. If it does, hand wash in lukewarm water with a gentle detergent, swirling for no more than five minutes. Rinse twice, in clean lukewarm water, until the water runs clear.
Press the water out by rolling the garment in a towel. Never wring it: wringing twists the fibers and breaks them. Machine washing is a last resort, cold and delicate, inside out, a few times a year at most. A coat that gets machine washed every month will mat in a year, however careful the cycle.
Brush only when the fur is fully dry. Use a wide-tooth comb or a pet slicker brush with soft bristles, in the direction of the growth, gently. Brushing against the grain fractures the fibers and shortens the coat's life. Every brush loses some fibers, so brush monthly, not daily, and only when the loft actually needs restoring.
Store the coat hung, with space around it, never compressed under other garments. Compression mats the fibers the same way heat does, just slower. A breathable garment bag keeps dust off without trapping moisture, and a cedar block in the closet keeps moths away from any wool in the same wardrobe.
Readers working through “Faux Fur Care: Washing It Without Matting It” often find these earlier guides useful as well: Faux Suede vs Microsuede: What the Label Means and How to Clean Each, Faux Wood Beams: The Weight, the Mounting, and the Ceiling That Holds Them, and Faux Leather Care: Cleaning Without Cracking It.
Only as a last resort, on a cold delicate cycle, inside out, a few times a year at most. Hand washing in lukewarm water is always better, because the agitation and heat of a machine mat the fibers faster than any hand wash will.
No. Polyester fibers shrivel and fuse above 70 to 80 degrees Celsius, and a tumble dryer crosses that line easily. Air dry flat on a towel or on a padded hanger, away from heat and sunlight, for 48 to 72 hours.
Brush it gently with a wide-tooth comb or a pet slicker brush, in the direction of the growth, once it is fully dry. Matting from dirt and compression usually lifts. Matting from heat, where the fibers have fused, does not, and that damage is permanent.
Monthly, not daily, and only when the loft needs restoring. Every brush loses some fibers, so brushing too often shortens the coat's life. Brush in the direction of growth, and never brush against the grain.