Washing and Storing a Down Shawl

The Orenburg shawl has today become a fully-fledged part of so-called urban fashion. While it used to be worn by spirited Cossack women, now it is worn by stylish modern young women who drive cars with flair and relax in nightclubs. However, life in a big city has its nuances, one of which is a high level of exhaust fumes, dust and dirt. Under the influence of these and other factors, the delicate fabric of the Orenburg item also gets dirty. Which means that the question of how to wash a down shawl is very relevant.

Washing specifics

Handmade down requires tender care and delicate washing. The accessory should be washed in water heated to 20–30 degrees. As a cleaning agent, baby soap or shampoo will do. Washing powders, especially those containing alkali, are out of place here.

The shawl must be handled very carefully during washing: never rub, stretch or wring it. To squeeze out the shawl, it is lightly pressed by hand. After that, it is a good idea to put it in a nylon mesh bag and hang it over the bath so that the water can drain off.

Then the shawl is laid out at full length on a towel and left to dry, remembering to change the wet towel periodically.

In answer to the question of how to wash a machine-knitted down shawl, specialists give the following recommendations. A factory-made Orenburg shawl may be washed in water of thirty-five to forty degrees, also by hand, using a mild detergent. For extra-gentle spinning, a factory-knitted shawl is wrapped in cotton fabric, but again not wrung. A factory shawl is dried in the same way as a handmade item.

Storage rules

To treat an Orenburg creation as it deserves and give it due honour, it is important to know not only how to wash a down shawl but also how to store it.

In a wardrobe or chest of drawers, the down accessory should be kept only with clean things and should not be crushed by them. The most disciplined housewives roll the treasured item into a tube, wrap it in natural fabric and do not forget to keep moths away.

What about bleaching it?

If an Orenburg shawl was originally white, you naturally want it to stay that way and not turn grey over time. But how can you achieve snow-white natural down without damaging it?

For bleaching a delicate item, it is better to use boiled water. Do not immediately and decisively immerse the whole item in the bleaching solution; first wet an edge and wait for the result.

High-quality bleaches for woollen items with instructions are now on sale. If you have managed to buy such a product, it is best to follow the step-by-step recommendations given by the manufacturer.

You can also use a folk method for bleaching. Two tablespoons of sodium hydrosulphite (this chemical is available for sale) are dissolved in ten litres of water at up to 50°C. The shawl should be kept in the bleaching solution for 30 minutes, turning it periodically so that all parts of the fabric come into contact with the solution.

After half an hour, the shawl is thoroughly rinsed in water with a little vinegar (2 spoons per 10 litres). After bleaching, the down shawl should be squeezed and dried according to the same rules as after washing.