How to Clean Faux Fur

Co-authored by Ayad Mirjan

Last Updated: December 12, 2023 Approved

Faux fur, sometimes called fake fur, is a material found on many types of clothing, upholstery, and other household objects. After use, you may find yourself wanting to clean your faux fur. Luckily, you can keep your faux fur looking its best with just a little effort!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Machine Washing Faux Fur

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1
Check the tag. Most items (including faux fur) will have tags on them with specific cleaning instructions. Whether you want to follow those guidelines explicitly or not is up to you, but they will include important tips for you to notice.
- The tag should tell you if you should wash it by itself, if the colors will run, or if you should only wash it with similarly colored items.
- The tag may include standardized symbols that indicate how the item should be cared for.^{[1]
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- Use the tag information to help you decide what to do next.
If it's part of a garment, turn it inside out. This will limit the wear on the fur. Place it gently in the machine without any other items.

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3
Use the right washing machine settings. Set the washing machine to use cold water and the delicate wash cycle. Turn the machine on and add a mild laundry detergent. Even though you are laundering by machine, consider using a gentle detergent designed for hand washing.
- Use the machine setting with the least amount of agitation in the spin.
- Put fabric softener in when the rinse cycle starts and rinse in cold water.
4
Take out the faux fur item. Remove the item when the wash cycle stops. Shake it to fluff up the faux fur and help remove any additional excess water.
- You can try absorbing excess water by rolling the item in a thick towel.
- Pull the item into its original shape and dimensions. Do this carefully so you don't damage it.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Hand Washing Faux Fur

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Wash the faux fur item in cold or lukewarm water. This will help the faux fur maintain its shape and texture. Use a mild laundry soap designed for hand-washing.
2
Spot clean the item. Rather than submerging the entire garment in the water, use the spot-cleaning technique to clean only the places that need it. This will help your item last much longer and maintain its original texture.^{[2]
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- Use the mild detergent on the areas that need cleaning and gently rub the soap in with your fingers. You can also use the item itself to gently rub two sections that need cleaning together – just take care not to be too rough in your scrubbing so you don’t damage the item.
- Rinse the item in cold water until all the suds are gone.
3
Dry the faux fur item. First, shake out the item to fluff the faux fur and to get rid of any excess water on the surface. Then proceed to remove the additional excess water from the item by rolling it in a thick towel.
- Reshape the item, taking care not to damage it.

Part 3

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Drying Faux Fur

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1
Air-dry faux fur. Never use an electric dryer, even on a no-heat setting, because the friction caused by the faux fur item tumbling around in the dryer creates heat that destroys the fibers. Only air-dry faux fur items.
- Choose a site that's well ventilated for air drying. You may want to put it outside or add a fan to speed the drying process.
- Hang your item on a plastic hanger or lay it flat.
- Be sure all the excess water is removed before you hang the item. If you don't, the weight of the water will pull the item out of shape.
Brush and fluff up the faux fur using a pet care brush with widely spaced metal bristles – this kind of brush is called a slicker brush. Brush and fluff carefully so you don't damage the faux fur's backing fabric.^{[3]
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3
Take your faux fur to the dry cleaner. Perhaps the safest option to wash and dry your faux fur items is to take them to the dry cleaner. Dry cleaners have more supplies and more knowledge about fabrics than you, so they will be able to clean your faux fur item more effectively.^{[4]
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- Make sure you choose a dry cleaner you trust so you know that they will handle your item with care.

Community Q&A

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Question

If the label on a coat reads "clean with fur method", is the fur real or faux?

Community Answer

It is probably faux fur.

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Question

Fur is matted up what do I?

Community Answer

If the faux fur is matted, try spraying a bit of hair detangling product on the matted portion and then use a pet brush/comb to gently brush out the matted area. After you finish this process, you can use a hair blow dryer on low setting to help dry and smooth out the detangled faux fur.

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Question

My very large faux fur throw says not to get wet and not to dry clean; how do I clean it?

Community Answer

It'd be best to spot clean using a bit of detergent and water in a small spritz bottle. I use it on my throw and it works well!

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