Can you wash your Canada Goose or other expensive down coat? That was the question I had after years of paying for a dry cleaner to do it. So I chucked it in my washing machine and I can tell you yes. Yes you can wash a down jacket at home. Read on.
Skip right to the instructions.
One of my earliest memories, although I have no idea how old I was, is of me standing in the front hall of the house I grew up in getting bundled up to go outside on a cold winter day.
Standing there in my coat, boots, snow pants, mittens, and hat, so protected against the weather I was more like a stuffed animal than a human. Arms and legs locked into place by stuffed mounds of nylon, dacron and scratchy wool. The final step before going out into the kind of cold that makes your nostril hairs freeze in place, was the doing up of the coat.
This step normally went well, but if Betty was in a hurry to get me out of the house she'd grab onto the zipper and tug it up fast and hard. If I looked down at the wrong moment the zipper teeth would chew into my chin leaving me screaming and my chin scarred.
That chin scar was how you could tell the kids of all the mothers on the street that had a job, soap opera or drink to get back to. Those kids had the tribal scarring of a tiny red welt on their chin all winter long.
As a kid, my coats were never down filled. They had some kind of revolutionary 70's era pillow filling in them that mainly kept you from getting wet as opposed to cold.
Now my two main winter coats are down filled. The first one, is a white, down filled inexpensive coat known as The Upper East Side coat in New York. Because .... everyone on the Upper East Side owns one. I got mine on Amazon and you can too. They aren't as cheap as they were a few years ago but if you buy the coat in the *summer* the price on it is always lower than it is in the winter.
The second one is a Canada Goose "Resolute" which I've owned for well over a decade. It's huge, warm and comfortable.
The only problem is … you have to dry clean it.
I have a thing about dry cleaning. I hate it. It isn't the price, it's the pain.
I realize it doesn't take that much time and it's really no harder than filling up your car with gas, but I hate that too, so I guess it all makes sense.
Can you wash a down jacket in the washing machine?
YES.
I'd been washing my down coats for years. For some reason, the Canada Goose coat says dry clean only. So for 10 years I watched my beautiful red Canada Goose coat get dirtier and grungier and filthier.
It was $800 when I bought it. The Resolute now sells for $1,500.
One day I took a $1,500 chance and shoved it into the washing machine. And then the dryer.
How to wash a down jacket at home.
Wash & dry a down jacket.
How to wash a down jacket at home in your own washing machine.
Materials
- Down coat
- Washing machine
- Dryer
- Gentle washing powder
Instructions
- If your coat has a removable fur collar, remove it.
- Apply stain remover like Resolve to any terrifying stains.
- Wash in the washing machine on warm with the bulky items setting if you have one.
- Repeat stain removal and washing if needed but remember the more times you wash the greater chance your coat colour will fade. Just like jeans.
- Dry in the dryer until the coat is completely dry and puffed up. This could take up to 7 hours for a large coat.
Notes
* If you wash your Canada Goose coat in your washing machine you void the warranty.
*This Resolve product in particular is fantastic.
* If you can feel any down that's squished down and not fluffed up after drying, shake the area of the coat a bit to loosen the wet down and put it back in the dryer.
* Make sure the coat is COMPLETELY dry or you'll end up with stinky damp down.
Recommended Products
I'm an Amazon affiliate some I get a few cents when you buy something I've linked to.
My Canada Goose coat washed perfectly in the washing machine. Perfectly.
Here however, are my disclaimers.
1. If you wash your Canada Goose coat in your washing machine you void the warranty.
2. If you let your coat get as dirty as mine was it might take several washes as well as working in a bit of stain remover. (I had to wash my coat a total of 4 times, using various stain removers in between to get it clean. I started off with the "delicate/hand wash" cold cycle to be safe then gave up and went full force with a regular wash with warm water.)
3. To dry it, you need to add a few tennis balls or dryer balls into your dryer to help smash the down and let it fluff up. Do NOT try to air dry a down coat. It needs to go in the dryer.
4. It will take around 7 hours to fully dry. That's your dryer running for 7 hours straight. Just so you know.
5. I'm not responsible if your Canada Goose coat happens to fall apart if you wash it and you're forced to wear leg warmers, a snood and oatmeal mittens to keep warm. Not. Responsible.
Having said that, I can tell you I will never dry clean my Canada Goose coat again. I'll be washing it in my own washing machine at the end of every season while I fondly reminisce about childhood chin scars.
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kelli
I love your frugal-ness! I feel the same way about dry cleaning...I have a bag o' stuff that requires dry cleaning, and it's been sitting in my closet now for....a year. :( Ah, someday...
I got brave with my white cotton down filled comforter awhile back, and decided to do it myself. While shoving the entire thing into my washer takes some doing (queen size, and very poofy!) once it's wet, it shrinks down immensely (there's a naughty joke in there somewhere). And yes, drying takes For. Ev. Er. Two hours with dryer balls (heh...balls), two more hours without, and she's sparkling white and fluffy again.
Of course if you have a sheddy gray cat, you'll probably be doing this more often than you think. :-P
Chris
Awesome!! Thanks, I now have the balls to try this! lol
Carolyn Boyd
I wash my down coats all the time; not Canada Goose but the slightly more budget friendly Eddie Bauer. I usually let them air dry and then fluff in the dryer. Works great. I also wash my down bed pillows and my duvet about once a year or so. Pillows are thick and the duvet is king-sized, so I pick a nice sunny day and lay them outside in the sun, then finish in the dryer. I read somewhere that home washing is way better for the down as opposed to dry cleaning with chemicals.
Melissa in North Carolina
Sorry to hear about the hijack...I wondered where you were this morning. Glad to hear everything is now in order. Just wondering if you really have to dry your coat in the dryer until it's completely dry? I've never had a Canadian Goose or down coat before so for what it's worth, can't you air dry after a few hours of dryer time? Just trying to save your investment! I had a flood of memories come back when you shared the comment of the kind of cold that makes your nostril hairs freeze. I grew up in Michigan, on a lake, so we had lots of cold and lots of snow. I remember that well. I also have that same scar on my chin, lol.
catey
Memories of my wintertime childhood just came flooding back. The panic of lost mittens and broken zippers, frozen nose hairs, frost bitten toes, and plenty of psychological scars from zipping too fast. It's no wonder why I fled to Southern California! Loved
Your post,
Karen! Thanks!
janpartist
More and more in life I've realized that "rules" or "instructions" are just to cover someones' ass and completely arbitrary. Resolution-break more rules! The occasional rule is good-don't cross the center line into oncoming traffic and such but really, who said that earrings need to match? Think about it.
Tara Fletcher-Gibbs
If only I had known you were going to be doing this experiment, I would have sent you some of my wool dryer balls (http://www.CleanSypria.Etsy.com) to do the job (in most certainly less time than 7 hours!)
They're much quieter than tennis balls and they help dry things faster. :)
brenda
what a weird coincidence.....I put my down coat on yesterday and realized it was pretty dirty. In to the washer it goes. Thank you!!
christine
You have had your Canada Goose long enough for it to be cool.My goal is to be the only woman in the Golden Horseshoe without one.No coach purse either.
Jan in Waterdown
A down coat must be put in the dryer 'til dry for the down to "loft" completely. Otherwise it will dry in a clump somewhere near the bottom of your coat and not do its warming job. What I want to know is how the heck did you stand the tennis ball racket (haha) in your dryer for 7 hours?!
Deb J.
I think the dry clean only thing is a butt covering move. I wash all sorts of things that say not to. My mother washed EVERYTHING! Even red suede (real leather) sneakers. Those were a last resort sort of thing but they survived amazingly well. Not everything can go in the washer and dryer but lots of things can. The biggest issue I have found with this is if the item has not been made well enough to survive the agitation - unfinished seams, poor construction, embellishments that get ruined. It would be really disappointing if a Canada Goose couldn't survive. As to the dryer, it is often worth the time to dry well - it avoids that lovely wet dog smell:)
Well done Karen! And I love your coat. Too cheap to buy one myself.
Karin
How would they _know_ if you machine washed it and something happened? Maybe you just got caught in a sleet storm or something? Just saying....
Maria
Remember the movie a Christmas story where the little brother is bundled up in a snowsuit and three scarves? I always thought it was an exaggeration. But if Karen says it happens it must be true. You'll put your eye out
Karen
Oh it's true, lol. And my brother in law used to have a Red Ryder bb gun. So I know things. ~ karen!
Rebecca
Danica, I have a red Canada goose coat that was fading from a few dry cleanings. Karen, I feel I should've posted online somewhere, as I searched and found nothing online about machine washing, but I bit the bullet and did it anyway. Absolutely fine. Need to do it again soon as mine is disgusting!
Karen
Hi Rebecca. That's why I did this post! Because I figured if I searched and searched and found nothing that there were other people in the same situation. :) Turns out I was I guess, lol. ~ karen!
Jody
I too was attacked by zipper teeth in my childhood. I probably did the same thing to my son but I don't remember as I was trying to get to work. I'll have to check his chin for the telltale scar. Don't you love being way ahead of a trend before it was trendy when the reason was imply to keep warm?
Danica
It would be interesting to know why they say Dry Clean only? I have a North Face Jacket which you can wash thankfully in the washer and put in the dryer. I suppose if you wash it at the end of the season it should be fairly warm out. I would put in the dryer for maybe an hour and half and then let it hang outside for the day.
The only concern I would have with washing your jacket regularly(once a year) is your color might start to fade because it's red. That might be one of the reasons for dry clean only.
This is a good article from Martha Stewart http://www.marthastewart.com/270246/dry-cleaning-solutions
AND here http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/laundry/do-i-have-to-dry-clean-this
Karen
I couldn't figure it out Danica. My Lacoste jacket made of the same materials (pretty much) said it was fine to machine wash. ~ karen!
Xin
it's dry cleaning only because washing it in the machine will damage the water resistance surface of the coat. But then again, it doesn't rain much when you need to wear it
Heather
Snood! What a great word! Haven't heard that in decades (or at least since last century). :)
Jack Ledger
It is that 7 hours in the dryer that would scare me off.......$$$$$$ emptying out into the cold. What about just hanging it up over a heating vent (for those is the cold north) and then shaking it out when it is dry??
ktr
I would probably give it one cycle in the dryer before hanging it up or else it will take forever to dry (if you have a second coat then you could go right to hanging it up - I just know that the day after I wash my coat the temp will drop to -30F and my coat will still be wet). Then if it needs a little fluffing up at the end, toss it in the dryer again for a second cycle.
Karen
No, lol. A down coat needs to be dried in a dryer to fluff the feathers up and provide insulation. So you can't unfortunately dry it for a little bit and then just hang it. It must be dried in the dryer. Just shove it in. Since it only costs $4 to run an electric dryer for an entire week you can rest assured the drying doesn't cost as much as you think it does and you can continue to save your money for more important things. Like clown paintings. ~ karen!
Ron
Long time reader of your column who looks forward to your posts but would like to clarify your statement about the cost of running a dryer for a week as $4.
I monitor my electricity usage every month and based on that the average hourly cost of my electricity from Toronto Hydro is about $0.20/kwh when HST, delivery, regulatory and debt charges are included. On this basis my average cost of running my dryer for an hour is about $0.88/hr (ref: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/dryers.html). I suspect that your figure of $4/week for using your dryer would apply to typical weekly usage for a couple with no children. I should also note that we have time of use billing here in Ontario whereby the cost of electricity varies depending on the time of day. As a result I only do laundry on the weekend and try whenever possible to dry my clothes on the clothesline.
Having said that, the cost of drying your coat for 7 hours would be about $6, which is still a lot less than the cost of dry cleaning.
I don't want to be a nitpicker, I just don't want your readers to think that they could run their electric dryer 24/7 for a week at a cost of $4. The more aware people are of the actual costs of doing things the more informed decisions they can make.
Karen
THanks Ron, I should have been more clear. (I'm in Ontario as well by the way). To run the dryer for around 4 hours a week would cost around 4 dollars. (very approximate here). So yes, the cost of the coat drying is about $7 approximately, or $6 a little more precisely. ~ karen!
Darlene Cox
I did the same.....what no Karen with my morning coffee?????? What could be wrong????
Karen
Just a small site issue Darlene. :) Everything's fine now and the email will go out in a few minutes. :) ~ karen!
Tigersmom
I got all excited over being the first comment and then I realized it's probably because I didn't get an email notification of a new post which means that probably nobody else did. You may want to look into that.
I came on over to your site to check on you because when you don't post, I worry.
Karen
I know you do, lol. Everything's fine with me. My site however was hijacked. The fine folks at ServInt worked on it until 2:30 in the morning and it's back as good as new. The email will go out, just later than normal.l ~ karen!
Elen G
Haha. I did the same thing. Talk about loyal followers. Okay. I was looking for my laugh for the day, too. That is a fabu jacket. Black and red. They are my colours. So this coat speaks to me. I have that chin zipper scar thingy. Ouch. That hurt. LOL
Lynne from Design The Life You Want To Live
My site was GONE for an hour and half too Karen! Not gonna lie, I went and had a stiff drink of some nasty stuff hiding at the back of my liquor cabinet. Now I know why I don't drink hard liquor. Straight from the bottle.
What.A.Day.
Soooo on that note ~ I SCREAM ~ thanks!!!! I am going to wash my Canada Goose stat. I just need to find the box with the tennis balls in it. Grrrrr.
Thanks a million. I O U.
Batool Azim
Hi Lynne. Did you go for it? If so what was your outcome?
Ronnie
Hi Karen
Thanks for sharing your experiment with others. I having been washing all my children's down fill coats and jackets for the past 25 yrs. My daughter is now 21 and got her 1st Canada Goose jacket for Christmas 2 yrs ago because she will be working in the outdoors doing drilling and blasting. Her black coat is very dirty and I refused to take it to the dry cleaner. I am also allergic to the chemical and they are not good for your cloths. Yet I was scared to give her jacket a try because I didn't want to void the warranty but since I have come across your blog I will give it a try, I now have the courage and will let you know. Thanks for sharing
Karen
Let me know how it goes Ronnie! ~ karen
Ronnie
Dear Karen
This has been long over due. Sorry I had a very busy summer. I just come across your site which I had bookmarked when I remember about the coat Canada Goose Coat.
In July I decided to washed my daughter's Canada Goose coat since the weather was very warm. I have a front load washer. I put the coat in by it self into the washer and put it on quick wash, which is 35 mins. along with a small amount of tide cold washing detergent. I also used cold water since it is a black coat. I wasn't a bit surprise as to how dirty the coat was. After the cycle was finished I removed it from the washer and give it a good shake. To put the down back in placed. Then I hang it out outside to dry. Within a few hrs it was dry. I then toss it into the dry for about 5 mins to air fluff. My daughter couldn't believe it was her coat. I now have a following of friends who want me to clean their coat which I do gladly. Since it make me feel very special and cost them nothing. I do trust that it was of some help to others.
InspektrGadgt
You should not hang/air dry down jackets as it takes to long to fully dry and thus will be prone to mildew and mold.
The outside may feel dry but the down inside may still have wet spot.
Tigersmom
Countless frugal minions of yours are saying thank you for going where no one has been brave enough to go before.
But not me! I loooooooove dry cleaning, especially since mine has a drive up window and I don't even have to get out of my car!
Plus, I hate hate hate ironing and my husband's shirts are all extra long because he is so tall, it's like ironing bed sheets.