how do you get mulch out of a fleece jacket?

So you have come in to contact with some mulch on your fleece jacket that simply will not come off. Or maybe the kids have just come back from school and your attempts to shake off their dirty jackets has little to no effect. In this article we go through a range of solutions so that dirty jacket can get back to being worn without mulch!

Can you EVER remove ALL of the mulch from your fleece jacket?

The process of removing the mulch is a hard task so it is only reasonable to wonder if your jacket is even able to be saved. In case you have been considering throwing it away, let me say this…

Mulch is always able to be removed. It all depends on the time and effort your are willing to put in to bring your jacket back to life. Some methods require a lot of tedious work while others are quite simple.

It also depends on the type of mulch and the amount of mulch that is stuck in your jacket. As well as the type of fleece you have.

Generally, the tighter the wool in your fleece jacket, the harder it is going to be to remove the mulch. So I would encourage you to go through the solutions in this article and determine from there what methods you want to try or even if you want to remove the mulch at all.

This process may be long so put on your thinking cap and get ready for your patience to be tested.

Remove mulch from fleece jacket using a vacuum

Ok this is probably one of the easiest and quickest solutions to getting rid of your mulch. Get your hands on the vacuum cleaner and go over the effected fleece.

Combing out or brushing out the biggest pieces before you vacuum can be useful in getting to the smaller, harder to remove pieces.

Get busy experimenting with as many different heads of the vacuum as you can. It may be that a head with bristles is better at dislodging smaller pieces for example.

Pros

• Quickly removes mulch
• Cost effective (if you already have a vacuum)
• Will not damage jacket at all

Cons

• You need to own a vacuum
• Ineffective at removing larger more embedded mulch bits

Use Duct or Packing tape to remove mulch from fleece

Using a strong type of tape can be a great way at removing mulch from your jacket. Simply break off a bit of tape and continuously press the sticky side of the tape over the areas where there is mulch.

Make sure you change the length of tape you are using regularly as tape can lose its ability to stick on to things very quickly. Especially as you go over wool that has its own fibres that will stick to the tape too.

Also, to get the most out of using tape, be sure to give the tape a good massage in to the fleece before removing it as this will maximize the amount of tape able to stick to the mulch.

I wouldn’t recommend using tape unless you have some seriously sticky tape though. Using a clear tape for wrapping presents wouldn’t be the right tool for the job.

The stickier it is, the more mulch can be removed.

Pros

• Relatively cheap
• Will definitely remove at least some mulch

Cons

• Extremely strong tape may stretch wool fibres
• Ineffective at cleaning harder to reach areas

Put your fleece jacket in the washing machine to remove mulch

Before you add your jacket to the washing machine. Give it a quick brush with a comb. Preferably one with metal spokes as you don’t want your comb to break.

What this will do is loosen the fabric on the jacket before you put it in the wash, so the mulch is more likely to fall off.

When you do put your jacket in the wash. have a fiddle with the settings. Try and turn the number of spins up to as high as you can and turn the temperature down.

The higher spins will mean the mulch will be able to spin out of the jacket and the lower temperatures ensure the jacket’s fleece wont further curl due to the hot water or even worse – shrink.

Washing at 50 – 70°F around room temperature would be ideal.

Also, make sure you give your washing machine a quick inspection for any mulch in your drum when you have finished.

It would be a big inconvenience to have the same mulch stick to another set of clothes in your next wash if you don’t remove them or even stick back on to the same jacket if you are doing multiple washes.

Using a washing machine is a great method to combine with another one as it is rare you will remove all the mulch just from giving it a wash.

So maybe start with a wash of your jacket first to remove the bigger pieces and then go over it with a vacuum or comb later on for example.

Pros

• Washes away dirt as well as mulch
• Minimal time required
• Effective at removing large pieces of mulch

Cons

• You risk making things worse if you wash at the wrong temperature
• Requires electricity and a washing machine
• Rarely removes all the mulch

Remove mulch from fleece jacket using fine toothed comb

You may have seen fine toothed combs for removing nits or doing your hair. Little did you know they can be extremely effective at removing the little bit of mulch from your jacket too.

This method is definitely one of the more time consuming processes but when you meticulously go through every bit of mulch that is stuck to your jacket the result is great.

You want to stick the end of the comb underneath the bit of mulch you want to remove and flick upwards to dislodge the mulch. Kind of like you are stabbing the jacket and lifting upwards repeatedly.

It may be tempting to run the comb through the jacket like you would do your hair but this won’t remove the bits of mulch that is embedded deeper in to the jacket and may even damage some of the fleece.

Pros

• Extremely effective
• Cost effective
• More efficient than picking with your fingers

Cons

• Takes up a lot of time
• Tedious, boring, repeating process

Take your fleece jacket to the dry cleaners

I get it, you’ve had enough of picking at the mulch in your jacket and you are getting to the point of throwing it away or giving up.

This is where if you have the money to spare and still want to keep your jacket it would be an excellent idea to go to your local dry cleaners and ask them to save you the work.

Depending on the service, they may be able to get your jacket back to you in matter of days but at the latest a few weeks.

What’s great is the dry cleaners are experts. You won’t damage your jacket or injure yourself in the restoration process and they will have the tools necessary to effectively remove the mulch from your jacket in the best way possible.

So you can consider getting your jacket restored completely off hands – you’d just have to say goodbye to it for a while

Pros

• Saves you time
• Will get your jacket back to “good as new”

Cons

• Expensive
• You will have to wait at least a few days 

Use a FURminator deshedding tool to remove mulch

Surprisingly enough, deshedding tools used for pets such as cats and dogs can be excellent at removing the mulch from your fleece jacket. Who knew such a specifically designed tool could have multiple uses?

Of course, before you get stuck in, remove any pet hair from the tool. Then begin by stroking the inside of the jacket to remove the mulch.

Depending on how coarse the fleece is and the type of mulch, apply varying amounts of pressure so as to not catch your fleece jacket in the tool and end up pulling out wool – damaging it.

What’s great about using a shedding tool like a FURminator is the teeth of the tool are so small that they are perfect for getting in to the harder to reach areas in your jacket and pulling out the smallest bits of mulch.

Pros

• Very effective
• Faster than hand picking

Cons

• Still takes up a lot of time
• Requires you to have or buy the tool

Remove mulch from fleece jacket using a fabric shaver

Fabric shavers are great for getting rid of those bobbles you have on wool and in the same way, you can use it to remove mulch. As long as the pieces of mulch you are removing aren’t too big and they are able to fit inside the holes of the tool.

Simply use the tool as instructed to remove old fabric as you would mulch. 

I would not recommend taking your fabric shaver to large areas of fabric that contains a lot of mulch because the tool simply isn’t designed for it.

As mulch goes through a machine made for fabric the tool could get damaged or malfunction.

Use your fabric sparingly and treat it with care. Maybe only reserve it for the most stubborn bits of mulch.

If you don’t have fabric trimmer and don’t feel the need to buy one. Don’t worry as you can use a trustworthy hair trimmer instead.

Place the edge of the hair trimmer flat against the jacket and move it along in the same way as you would trim someones hair.

This is effective as you can literally “cut” out the lodged bits of mulch from your jacket. Great for finishing up the job and getting rid of those final bits of mulch that are stubborn and don’t want to come out.

Pros

• Tool will be useful in the future for removing old fabric anyway
• Can use a hair trimmer instead
• Very effective at removing mulch

Cons

• Tool is not designed for this so could have problems
• If you use a trimmer, you can ruin your jacket by pressing too hard.

How to avoid mulch getting stuck in fleece jacket again

I bet you’d love to go back in time and prevent your jacket from picking up mulch in the first place. If only you could avoid the trouble you would put yourself through as you try to remove it!

Bear these steps in mind next time you step outside with your fleece jacket on.

You don’t want to spend yet another boring evening obsessing over whether enough mulch is gone from your jacket so you can wear it again without looking like you got dragged through a hedge.

Buy a fleece with an outer layer

Wearing a fleece jacket has its advantages. It provides a warm, snug fit and feels great as it is a natural material. So getting rid of fleece altogether wouldn’t be ideal.

So next time you buy something with fleece on it, look for a jacket with a waterproof outer layer or maybe even just a surrounding material easy to wash. Like jeans.

If your fleece isn’t exposed to the elements then it can’t get dirty and you can get hands on placing down your mulch netting without worry

Wear alternative clothing on outdoor days

If the chances are you will encounter mulch again, simply wear something else. Bring out your fleece clothing when you’re doing something that doesn’t involve the outdoors.

Or, wear a fleece jacket you can easily and quickly take off like this one.

However, it is hard to plan that far in advance sometimes, so maybe put on additional layers over your fleece jacket if you do find yourself or your kids in a situation where they will be coming into contact with the ground.

Remove mulch immediately after noticing it

I don’t know if you noticed this but if you manage to wash your jacket once or twice or wear it a few times with mulch on it, the bit of mulch can get further embedded in to the jacket and even harder to remove.

Take the time to remove as much mulch as you can before re-wearing it. Wool can be a difficult material to maintain so take the time necessary to take care of it.

Common mistakes when removing mulch from fleece jackets 

Try and avoid as many mistakes as you can when getting rid of the mulch in your wool. Hopefully your jacket can get back to normal as soon as possible by avoiding them.

• Giving up too soon (Often requires a few mulch removal methods to remove everything)
• Using lint rollers (they don’t work)
• Being too aggressive when picking out mulch and ruining the jacket
• Washing the jacket at too high a temperature and tightening the wool curls