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DENBY BEARSI have a white angora fur jacket that I want to make a bear from and need to know how to clean it as it is dirty. I bought it in an antique store.Any suggestions?
Thanx, Pat Hage
Hi Pat~
The proper way to clean a fur is professionally. That's the correct answer. I've never done that because I won't buy a fur if it is obviously dirty. I vaccuum all of my furs as I am taking them apart. If weather permits it is also good to cut, brush, and shake the fur pieces outside. That's usually all that the furs that I use need.
I have gotten these tips from other artists that work with real fur (but have never tried the tips myself): If you go to the pet store you can find "dry shampoo" which is a powder for either dogs, cats, or birds...my friends have told me that this worked for them for spot cleaning.
You would think that after all these years of working with furs that I would have some special tricks....but I don't, other than just buying clean furs to begin with.
Good Luck~
Kathy
Posts: 3,540I've tried the 'baking soda' trick, where you sprinkle the baking soda into the fur, rub, and then vacuum til the cows come home....and then vaccum some more. I do not recommend it. I wasn't able to get all the baking soda out ~ ever. Poor bear is still slightly dusty 
I've also been told that you can tumble the coat on a NO HEAT setting to remove light dust. And in the past I've used an ozone generator to remove smells from a coat, but was just smells, nothing was wrong with the feel of the fur.
If the fur is truly duly dirty, I'd highly recommend shipping it to the professionals to get it cleaned. It will cost you an arm and a leg but the fur will be as clean as it can possibly get.
Charlotte Des Roches DesignsThe lady I used to work for who does beaded suede & leather clothing used cornstarch for cleaning spots on the suede...but she did have a professional dry cleaner who did major cleaning of stuff too. Guess it depends on how dirty it is.
Sorry I can't help more.
Hugs &
I had my niece's fur coat that smelled of Moth Balls. A dry cleaning company suggested putting it in a bag with some "aroma therapy" I used Lavender (or maybe lilac) Kept it in the bag for a while, then used Febreeze, sprayed that all over the coat outside, and let it air out a nice sunny day. When I made the first bear, I stuffed it with some of the "aroma theray" The coat was not dirty, just smelly......whoever stores fur coats in Moth Balls? 
As far as I can tell, neither of the bears I made for her smell anymore.
Ellen
DENBY BEARS:clap: Thanx for all the suggestions, it happens to be a white jacket and with long shaggy strands of fur. I tried the cleaning method in the dryer with those new bags but it didn't do too well. Live and learn I guess.
Baird'sBears
Pat,
Gentle surface washing will do no harm to the fur, but wetting the pelt might make the fur fall out. You could try a very mild shampoo diluted with water, and use a cloth or a brush to clean the fur without penetrating to the pelt.
I`ve had great results with wood alcohol (methyl hydrate from the hardware store--not the rubbing alcohol diluted with water). I`d try it on a small piece first, but in my experience it cleans very well without harming the fur or drying the pelt. I`ve experimented a lot. A year later, bits of fur that I left to soak overnight are as soft and pliable as those I just surface-cleaned. I`m sure there are many reasons why this shouldn`t work, but it does!
Another possiblility is bran. You can buy it in bulk from the health food stores, put it into a large bag along with the coat, and tumble them together until the bran absorbs most of the gunk. Messy, and not completely effective.
DENBY BEARS:dance: EILEEN
Thanx so much this sounds very good, I will try on a small part first. The coat did not seem as dirty when I bought it. It is mostly oily from hands I guess.
