No letterman jacket is complete without those iconic, plush chenille patches. Letterman jackets may be a status symbol for high school and college students, but they can be a struggle for parents to clean.
Your days of fretting are over. We’ll go over how to clean chenille patches and more, so keep reading below.
Having been developed in the 1830s, chenille is a relatively newer type of fabric. Its thick pile gives a plush, velvety luxury used on furniture, clothing, rugs, and letterman jacket patches.
Because of the way the fabric is twisted and tufted, it gives off an iridescent, feathery sheen from certain angles. This loose weave means that handling chenille must be done delicately. Improper methods can lead to the unwinding of the pile and bald spots in the fabric, giving your chenille piece a bedraggled appearance.
The plush nature of the chenille gives it absorbance comparable to a sponge, which can make stains a real problem. The key of how to clean chenille patches is immediacy.
If your beloved child has just spilled something on their letterman jacket, use a dry rag or paper towel to blot up as much liquid as possible. When cleaning a letterman jacket or cleaning chenille patches on a letterman jacket, never rub, scrub, or wipe at the stain. This damages the delicate chenille pile or wool of the jacket and can cause the stain to spread.
Once you’ve blotted up as much as you can, fill a bowl with cold water and add a few drops of a mild clear liquid dish detergent. Dip a rag in and then wring out as much water as you can.
Gently dab at the stain with the cloth until the stain is gone. This may need a few extra dips into the soapy water. When the stain is gone, wet your rag with clean water to blot up any soap in the pile. Lay flat to dry.
If your beloved child has come home and the stain has dried, follow the above directions only to bypass the blotting up of the spill.
Should I dry clean my letterman jacket patches?
When it comes to how to clean letterman jacket patches, you may feel more comfortable leaving it to the professionals. The good news is that dry cleaning is the safest, most effective method for cleaning chenille patches as well as the letterman jacket itself (especially if it has leather sleeves).
Now that you know how to clean chenille patches (or how to let someone else clean them), you’re set to keep the student in your life looking clean.
For more information about the variety of chenille patches we offer, be sure to contact us today for a free quote.
