Caring for wool and wool-blend coats

Most damage to a coat happens not when you wear it but between wears: hung on a thin hanger, packed into a crowded wardrobe, cleaned too often or not aired at all. Wool is resilient. Given a little routine care it recovers from creases, sheds dirt and keeps its colour for years. Here is the routine we recommend for every wool and wool-blend coat we make.

Know what your coat is made of

Our winter coats are wool blends: wool for warmth and recovery, polyester and polyamide for strength and shape, sometimes acrylic or viscose for softness. A "cashmere feel" coat has a brushed surface that is softer to the touch than a standard melton. Blends are more forgiving than pure wool, but the same principles apply. Always check the care label first; it overrides any general advice, including ours.

After every wear: brush and air

Use a clothes brush with natural bristles. Brush downwards, in the direction of the nap, starting at the shoulders. This lifts dust and hair before it settles into the weave. Then hang the coat somewhere with air around it, not straight back into a full wardrobe, for a few hours or overnight. Wool releases odours and moisture on its own when it can breathe.

The right hanger

A coat needs a broad, shaped hanger that fills the shoulder, ideally wooden and at least four centimetres deep at the ends. Wire and thin plastic hangers leave peaks in the shoulders that are hard to remove. Button the top button so the front hangs straight, and empty the pockets: keys and phones stretch them over a season.

Creases and steaming

Hang a creased coat in a steamy bathroom after a shower and most creases drop out within an hour. For stubborn ones, use a hand steamer held a few centimetres from the fabric, moving constantly, then leave the coat to dry fully before wearing. Avoid ironing wool directly; if you must, use a pressing cloth and a low wool setting, and never press a brushed surface flat.

Pilling

Small balls of fibre form where the coat rubs: under the arms, at the cuffs, where a bag strap sits. This is normal for blends with soft fibres and does not mean the fabric is failing. Remove them with a fabric shaver or a de-pilling comb, working gently on a flat surface. Do it early and often; pills removed while they are small leave no trace.

• Carry cross-body bags on alternating shoulders to spread the friction.
• Avoid scarves with rough fibres or metallic threads rubbing at the collar.
• Turn the coat inside out before any machine-safe cleaning, if the label allows it.

Stains and spills

Blot, do not rub. Lift as much as you can with a clean dry cloth, then dab with a cloth dampened in cold water. Hot water can set protein stains such as food or makeup. For oil, a little cornflour left on overnight and brushed off draws much of it out. Anything larger or older goes to a dry cleaner, and tell them what the stain is.

Dry cleaning: less is better

Most coats need professional cleaning once a season at most, usually at the end of winter before storage. Over-cleaning strips the natural oils from wool and dulls the colour. Between cleans, brushing, airing and spot-cleaning keep a coat fresh.

Brush, air, rest. A coat that rests between wears lasts years longer than one worn every day.

Summer storage

Clean the coat before storing it: moths are drawn to traces of food and skin, not to clean wool. Store it on its shaped hanger in a breathable cotton garment bag, never plastic, which traps moisture. Add cedar blocks or lavender sachets and refresh them each spring. Leave space around the coat so it is not crushed, and take it out once in midsummer to air and check it.