Bringing life back into my faux fur cardigan that looks like road kill
I got this cardigan from Anthropologie a couple winters ago and it’s gone from soft and luxe to… road kill.
I’m still obsessed with it though. However, I did wonder if there was a way I could revive this delicate faux fur without damaging the fibres, and exacerbating the matting.
Luckily, since I brought home my dog, I’ve become a DIY expert in caring for delicate fibres. 😒
Here are the tools I experimented with:
I tried some brushes that I thought might work and the one that worked best was the boar bristle hairbrush. The boar bristle brush I used isn’t particularly stiff. It doesn’t hurt when you run it on your skin. It has just the right amount of stiffness, but I wasn’t worried that it would be breaking the fibres of the fabric. If you don’t have a brush like this at home, I would recommend buying one in-store rather than online incase you end up with one that could damage fabric. The other brushes kept snagging on the backing fabric or tearing the faux fur out.
No matter what brush you use, make sure you wash it/shampoo it thoroughly first, removing it of hair, dirt and oils.
From experimenting with restoring my beloved Anthropologie Sophie Faux Fur blanket, I decided to use the True Blue easy comb conditioner that I use on my dog. It has a minimalist ingredient list that is all natural, and truly, completely weightless. I don’t use it for detangling Bloo as much as just use it to prevent static from building up as I brush her, and protecting her hair from damage. It’s an absolute must if you want to go at her with a comb/brush – otherwise, you’ll breathe on her and she’ll have mats everywhere you just brushed. Turns out it’s also been great for fabric care. I avoid fabric softeners because you end up with product build-up that ends up feeling gross over time. This isn’t a piece I wash frequently, so I want to keep it as fluffy and fresh for as long as possible.
STEP 1:
Spritz a fine mist of the conditioner over the area
STEP 2:
Gently brush in one direction with the boar bristle brush
STEP 3:
Using fingers brush the fur upward
STEP 4:
Spritz conditioner again
STEP 5:
Run fingers up and down the cardigan until the conditioner has been worked in/fabric feels dry. The motion I used was kind of the motion you would use to pat a dog on the head while saying “good doggy!!”
Now, if you’re wondering if the conditioner is a necessary step… I would say yes. Otherwise, you get a very staticky situation, which won’t give you the results you want (more matting in a short amount of time) and it doesn’t leave as nice of a finish. You can see in the photo below, the left side is without conditioner, and the right side is with. The left side isn’t quite as fluffy.
I have documented my other fabric restoration adventures for:
- High Pile Faux Fur
- Normal Faux Fur