Q&A for How to Clean Fur

Try the method described above using coffee grounds placed in a sealed vinyl garment bag with the fur coat.

For stains on fur, you do not want to use any commercial cleaner or solvent - make a homemade solution of 1 part rubbing alcohol and 1 part water to apply to the stain.

If the wine is still wet, remove the lining if possible and flush the stained area with water until it comes out. Lay it flat to dry and work the area occasionally so the leather side doesn't get stiff. Once dry, brush the fur gently to remove the clumps from where it got wet. If the wine is already dry, take it to a furrier. The furrier can clean it or will give you options to dye the fur so the stain is not visible. If that isn't an option and the fur is white, you might be able to remove the stain with hydrogen peroxide. Apply some lightly to the fur only and let it sit for a few minutes. Gently rinse and repeat this process until clean. (Beware: this may damage the fur, especially if it gets on the leather side.)

Your best bet is to not clean it at home. Home remedies are guaranteed to be inferior to the work of trained professionals who have learned their ways from years of hard work and training. Let them do their job.

The best way to remove odors is to put dry baking soda over the fur for 2 hours.

Yes, but don't put it in the dryer, just let it sit out and brush the fur every couple minutes to make sure it does not clump.

Genuine furs should never be dry cleaned due to the solution they use. They should have sent it out to be cleaned and glazed properly by a furrier.

No, a real mink collar should only be dry cleaned.

Never brush mink coats because it causes tears in the fur. It would be best to get it dry cleaned.

Test the back of your fur without lining by folding it up and squeezing gently with your fingers, if the leather side is bristle and cracking, then it is time to let go. If not, re-condition the leather side, sew the tears, use sawdust with hand cleaning method. This is very time consuming and might not worth it after all. A fur coat has an average 25 - 30 year lifespan, even with good care. When the back of fur showing signs of extreme dryness and cracking, it is normally beyond repair; it has reached its end of life. Fur is a natural product and environment-friendly, and can be recycled back to earth through compost.

Shampoo and condition with good quality products! Try Lab 35 sulphate-free shampoo with argan oil and bamboo extract, and Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Shine for conditioner. Warm shower, generous amount of shampoo, lots of rinsing, then work in conditioner and leave for a while. Rinse, rinse, rinse. Condition again, then rinse. Place in pillowcase and tie knot tightly, spin in machine for 10 minutes. Place flat to dry via warm hairdryer and fingers to separate fur. Finish by ironing above a cotton sheet.

Fill a bathtub with cold water, adding high grade professional shampoo. Gently soak the fur. Drain the tub, rinse by filling the tub with clear cold water, and repeat. Give it a final soak in a tub with cold water, add pre-diluted high quality professional hair conditioner. Drain tub, gently press out water. Lay clean towels on coat, and gently roll the coat into the towels/a large flannel blanket. Remove the coat from the tub. Lay another blanket or couple of towels on a table or the floor. Unroll the coat, reshape, lay flat, press out excess water with towels. Lay flat for several hours to allow it to almost dry completely. Hang the coat up on a padded hanger, and shake the fur out when dry. Blow dry on cool setting, brush and fluff.

No, not if it is real fur. You can use it on fake fur. Garment steamers are different than the steamers that furriers use to clean real fur. Using a garment steamer can permanently damage the pelts' tan and cause irreversible shedding.

Take the lining off and condition the inside to avoid more tears. Once the edges of the tear are soft after drying, sew it back together leaving a 1/4" seam on the inside. Use heavy duty thread with a long doll needle so the stitches don't make the seam weak.

Not much can be done to stop fading, unfortunately. You can try to slow down fading by avoiding direct sun, water, and certain sources of friction while wearing the coat (like purse straps, rough chairs, seat belts, etc.). That being said, the coat can always be re-dyed or bleached by a furrier.

Furriers charge from $75 and up depending on the condition and length. Make sure your local dry cleaners will send it out to a professional furrier or do a search for "cost for cleaning mink coat" or some variation of that and you'll find more information.

Fake fur coats can be washed. To get rid of the musty smell, put the fake fur coat into the washing machine, set on gentle wash cycle, use solution with tea tree oil and special conditioner, making sure to use the no-scent type or it will have strong smell. Tea tree oil can naturalize the odor and gives it a fresh smell. You can find this kind of solution on Amazon. I tried Kookaburra Wash, which worked very well. Don't use heat to dry. Hang your coat up in well-ventilated area to air dry, and brush with a fur brush. Your fake fur coat will look and smell like new.

I would clean and condition the fur according to the above directions. You can lightly iron the fur to add a glazed finish. Then cut out the good parts and sew them into pillow covers, make matching cuffs with a collar to dress up a sweater, or make it into a blanket with matching faux fur on the inside.

See a furrier immediately; this needs a pro! Gas strips paint off cars, so just imagine what it's doing to a porous, absorbent fur. The cost of a cleaning isn't as bad; my full-length thrift store men's size XXL coyote will be cleaned and glazed for $68! Furriers provide two services these days: sell fur and restore fur (including cleaning and repairs). They've been trained to do these things in ways specific to the type of fur: some are coarse (coyote), some are fine (mink), some are less absorbent (sheep); even long versus short hair matters, and how the fur naturally lays.