Dry Cleaning Your Clothes

 

dry cleaning clothes press a suit how to care for a suit do i have to dry clean? suit care

Does the idea of dry cleaning your clothes seem like a herculean task? Well it is not! In fact, dry cleaning clothes, especially your suits and other expensive shirts is very simple. If you do this at home, you would be saving yourself a lot of money on the laundry. However, there are a lot of factors that should be kept in mind when cleaning your clothes at home.

 

Rayon, silk and woolen garments need special cleaning because they tend to lose their shape when exposed to moisture. So, don’t make the mistake of putting your suits in water or worse in the washing machine. If submerged, the garment will expand and consequently, turn rumpled and shapeless.

 

So how does dry cleaning work at home? Well it is not entirely a dry process, if you were not aware of this. The suit care method involves using a good removing oil to get rid of stains that are grease based. However, these solvents tend to be rather nauseating and so you have to be careful when handling them at home. Make sure it stays away from your eyes, nose, throat, etc. or it can cause irritation and reaction.

dry cleaning clothes press a suit how to care for a suit do i have to dry clean? suit care

How to care for a suit and dry cleaning?

 

There are basically three methods employed to dry clean your suits and these are-

 

  • Using a stain remover or absorbing pad
  • Dryer activated pieces of cloth
  • Reusable dryer bags

 

It should be kept in mind that stain removals tend to dissolve on their own, while the water based ones are more useful for wet stains like soup. In this reference, the products, which are petroleum-based, are more efficient.

 

Do I have to dry clean?

 

Yes! Dry cleaning, whether done at home or at a professional laundry is mandatory to get rid of the dirt and keep your suit in top condition. It also improves and enhances the fabric life. One can try using home dry cleaning packs or kits, which contain pre treatment solutions and agents to clean the suit. But remember that greasy stains like oil are not removable that easily without detergents. Chances are that the home kit has solutions, which are detergent based. So pick a kit that is oil based or your suit could be ruined.

 

Some other tips to keep in mind are-

 

  • Do not rub the fabric vigorously as it can turn rough
  • You should never treat velvet, fur or suede or leather at home using home dry cleaning kits.
  • Always test the cleaning kit on a small patch first so that you don’t ruin your expensive suit
  • Along with dry cleaning, learn how to press a suit. Else it has to be sent to professionals for ironing.
  • Don’t wring out the material if it gets wet. Just towel dry it and iron it.

 

If you are not confident about dry cleaning at home, start off with less expensive suits or something that you are planning to throw out. This will save you a lot of time, energy and money in the end!