Caring for your waxed cotton KerrieALDO coat.

I have put together a guide for how to care for your KerrieAldo waxed coat or jacket now that some of you have had your waxed coats for quite some time now and also for those of you who have recently invested in this wardrobe staple, this information will come in handy somewhere down the line!

CLEANING

First of all and importantly you can not machine wash, dry clean or use any detergents to clean your waxed jacket – if you do you will damage the wax surface and and any future coating of the wax will be absorbed into the fabric and could soil the inner lining.

The best method is to simply sponge down the coat with cold water and a clean cloth or sponge, any dirt marks may be brushed off beforehand.

Once you have cleaned the surface of your jacket towel dry any metal press studs and zippers and leave to dry naturally.

DOES YOUR COAT NEED RE-WAXED?

Depending on how long you have had your coat and how much it has been worn will determine if it needs re-proofed or not – usually around 1 year or this can be sooner with excesive wear, but generally speaking if you feel your jacket needs re-waxed then the next steps are for you.  The best way to do it is by buying the was dressing and doing it yourself.  The example shown has been re-waxed after 2.5 years of wear, however it is best not to leave your jacket this long before re-proofing I'd suggest around the 1 year mark, especially if it has had excessive wear like this one but you will see it can be done!

You can use any reproofing wax but I find this Barbour one to be cost effective of a good quality you can buy it

HERE

 and 1 tin should be enough unless you want to stock up or plan to do more than 1 coat.  

To start with you will need to place the tin of wax into a bowl of hot water to soften the wax - don't let the water touch the wax but place the tin in the water.

Whilst the wax is melting you can prepare your surface – it is best to put down a plastic sheet or black bag over the area you will be waxing on.

Left: Melting the wax Right: Applying the wax

Once the wax has softened you can start to apply the wax to the surface of your coat.  (If you have never re-waxed a coat before you may want to do a test patch on an inconspicuous part of the coat and leave overnight – maybe at the back or a small patch on the inside facing).   Apply the wax in small areas with the help of a sponge or paintbrush – or I’ve even used a piece of cardboard to spread on as seen in the above photo – just whatever you find works for you.  Pay particular attention to the seams, cuffs, pockets and all the more detailed areas and seams and try not to get the wax on any areas which were not originally waxed such as the lining.  You can also smooth in the wax with your your hands which can be easier on the trickier areas such as the pockets.

Above: The re-proofing starting to take shape

The reproofing process will take you a couple of hours but rest assured it is worth it as you can see in the above photos I have re-waxed just one side of the front of the coat to show the difference it can make - remember this example is after 2.5 years of wear.

The application process

I found the best way to re-proof with care is to use a small amount of wax and concentrate on a small patch or area at a time, you can work on bigger patches of fabric in the less detailed areas of the coat such as the back.

Once you have covered the whole jacket – make sure there is no excess wax – put your jacket on a hanger and use a hairdryer to even out and dry the wax for a factory finish and to give it a new sheen.  Leave your jacket for a day to let it set, the wax will also shift and spread when you start to wear it again adding to it's character.

Here is a picture of the Original jacket from the look book shoot which shows the jacket at it's absolute best and below that shows

 the same style coat but after 2.5 years of wear and after following these care instructions for cleaning and re-waxing. 

The Original KerrieALDO olive green waxed cotton coat

Final photos showing the reproofed olive green waxed original

The results have been great and can restore your jacket to new, t

his is a definite way to prolong the life of your KerrieALDO coat or jacket and make sure it stays in your wardrobe for years to come.  This method can can also be used on any of our other products in the range including waxed cotton tote bags or bucket hats.

If after reading this you still don’t feel confident there are professional waxed cleaning and reproofing specialists that you can use. I have came across this company however I have only ever done it this way 

http://www.waxjacketcleaningcompany.co.uk

 prices start at around £35 for a short style.

Please feel free to leave any personal tips you might have on caring for your waxed jacket or further questions you might have in the comments below!

KerrieALDO

KerrieALDO.com

The current range of KerrieALDO waxed coats and jackets for mean and women can be found

HERE

.