Cleaning Old Down Parka?

[maury]

I have this great old North Face down parka, vintage 1990 or there abouts. It is in great shape, except for the dirt that kind of worn itself into the cuffs and along the front areas around the zipper and pockets. It has formed these sorts of shinny dark areas that seem to be seriously bonded to the nylon.

I’ve had it dry cleaned a few times and have washed it in detergents sold epically for down garments, but these dirty areas remain. I am fine with it looking like it does, but Wife’O Mine keeps making disparaging comments about it being “time for a change.”

Now, when it comes to clothes, I don’t have to tell you guys how attached we can become to our stuff, right? So: is there any safe way to “restore” the exterior shell of this garment?

A friend suggested soaking in a detergent solution with a bit of ammonia added and then scrubbing the areas with a scrub brush.

I am leery of both the ammonia and the scrubbing for fear of weakening the nylon shell.

Am I right?

Any other recommendations?

As always, my thanks in advance for any help!

 

[bdmicarta]

Might be a long shot, but I would suggest contacting The North Face and asking for recommendations.

 

[Zidfeldts]

When my clothes get oil soaked at work I usually take some dish detergent and scub it right in. When you wash them add a little bit of Coke to the washing machine seems to help too.