# Cleaning a rain- or trench coat



## swb120 (Aug 9, 2005)

This may be a dumb question, but my Aquascutum is starting to get a slight discoloration around the neck/collar, and I need to take it to the dry cleaner. Any concerns or special considerations when taking a good raincoat or trench to the cleaners? Any concern about asking them to treat the neck/collar?


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Skip the dry cleaning and just hit the collar with some Colgate soap and a toothbrush, which should eliminate the collar discoloration. Unless I'm really desperate I avoid the dry cleaners at all costs since they don't seem to know how to clean anything. I can't tell you the number of times the dry cleaner has failed to remove a stain that I've then removed with either Colgate soap or vinegar/Oxi-Clean.


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## Charles Saturn (May 27, 2010)

^^^ Do you have a link, I keep getting hits for Palmolive, Irish Spring, and Octagon.


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

Cardinals5 said:


> Skip the dry cleaning and just hit the collar with some Colgate soap and a toothbrush, which should eliminate the collar discoloration. Unless I'm really desperate I avoid the dry cleaners at all costs since they don't seem to know how to clean anything. I can't tell you the number of times the dry cleaner has failed to remove a stain that I've then removed with either Colgate soap or vinegar/Oxi-Clean.


 A version of the same process, with a pre-wash, such as Shout, and a washcloth has worked a few times for me over the years. Also, I have successfully then washed trench coats at least twice, on gentle cycle and the coolest dryer temperature. Cardinals5 is right. Keep them away from cleaners.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Here's a cleaning method from a guy at SF. I've used this lots of times and it's removed almost every stain (it only failed on fountain pen ink)

Step 1: Soak shirt in a solution made from one gallon hot water (as hot as it will come out of the faucet) and one cup of vinegar. Let the shirt soak for 30 mins to 2 hours.

Step 2: Rinse shirts, and squeeze out excess water. Empty bucket and rinse. In a cup, prepare a concentrated Oxy-Clean solution. Make sure to use the Oxy-Clean granules that come in the tub. Make the solution about 10 parts HOT water to one part O-C. Usually this amounts to two scoops of O-C (using the provided scoop) per 4-6 ounces of water. You want this to be very concentrated.

Step 3: Apply the strong solution generously to the stained areas. Place the shirts in a bucket (so that the solution doesn't flow away, or dry) with the stained areas towards the bottom of the bucket so they stay nice and covered in the solution. Allow to soak overnight. It can also help to use an old toothbrush and scrub the stained areas every hour or so, if you've got the time.

Step 4: In the morning, remove the shirts from bucket. Fill the bucket with a gallon of hot water, and two scoops of the Oxy-Clean (basically, follow the recipe on the package for a general cleaning solution) and mix well. Place the shirts in the bucket, and soak for 2-24 hours. This just helps to remove any trace of stain. You might want to stir the shirts around with your hands after you put them in the bucket with the weaker solution just to remove some of the stronger solution that is still on the shirts.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Charles Saturn said:


> ^^^ Do you have a link, I keep getting hits for Palmolive, Irish Spring, and Octagon.


Octagon is Colgate soap. Its official name is "Colgate's Octagon Soap". I bought mine on eBay - something like $1 per bar.


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