Cleaning Arctic parka with fur

[Chindit]

Greetings Ladies,
I hope I am not violating any rules or procedures by posting here. I originally posted my question in Outerwear and received no responses so I thought I would try here.
My question is: I have an early 1960's Air Force winter parka with coyote fur around the hood. I would like to get this coat cleaned. However, I am worried about damage to the fur hood at the dry cleaners (I have read many horror stories on this site about dry cleaners). I should add that I am not really concerned about cleaning the fur.

Do you think dry cleaning would be safe?

Is Dryel a safe alternative for a more gentle cleaning (I do believe the company says not to use it on fur)?

Thanks so much for your thoughts on this.

Joe

 

[Idledame]

As the daughter of a Dry Cleaner, I know that all leather has to go to a specialized leather cleaner and fur goes to a furrier. The fact that it has fur on it, even just a little bit means it probably has to go to a furrier. Your dry cleaner should be able to tell you who they reccommend in your area or check the phone book. Here's a great site for you: http://www.fur.org/poen_abou.cfm?sect=care
I never knew we should be putting our little fur pieces in the refrigerator!

 

[The Shirt]

Oh I cannot wait to put mine in the fridge and see the boyfriend's reaction when he opens the package looking ofr leftovers! teehee.

I agree with the furrier recommendation. Most of the drycleaning shops around me simply refuse to touch anything vintage.

 

[Sweet Leilani]

If you can remove the fur collar, then you can take the parka itself to the regular cleaners. I always go this route with my wool coats with fur collars. They are fairly simple to remove and sew back on. Your coat may be more difficult to remove the fur, though, because it was not intended for removal in the first place.

 

[Chindit]

Ladies, thanks for all the advice--it really is very helpful.