Caring for cashmere sportcoat

Someone told me I should regularly dry clean it to keep moths away...is this true?

No.

Don't dry clean it ever unless you absolutely have to. I have several I've had for about six years and they've never been dry cleaned.
Use cedar blocks or balls or something in your wardrobe to keep moths away.

Originally Posted by leftover_salmon

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Someone told me I should regularly dry clean it to keep moths away...is this true?

Does this "someone" also run a drycleaning business? If he's not excessively bigger in physical size than you, I'd hit him on the head with a bat for saying stupid sh*t like that.

No dry cleaning.

I have an overcoat that is more than 15 years old and it has never been dry cleaned. I still wear it almost daily in winter and have no plans to dry clean it, ever. It still looks great.

You're correct. You should regularly try to keep your cashmere jacket cleaned. If you do your research, moths are drawn to your body, which in this case, would be in the neck rear neck area and you sleeves. In addition to using moth balls or flakes, it is also imperative to keep your garment drycleaned. The other member (JayJay) is incorrect.

For your own clarification, I would recommend you researching this for yourself (as I did).

p

Dry clean only when necessary. I'm sure like me, you're extra careful when you wear your good clothing, so it'll probably only get dirty enough to have to clean after a few years or so.

The problem with dry cleaning clothing is that it ruins the hand and feel of the cloth and wears it out prematurely.

Originally Posted by lee_44106

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Does this "someone" also run a drycleaning business? If he's not excessively bigger in physical size than you, I'd hit him on the head with a bat for saying stupid sh*t like that.

+1

Originally Posted by paul

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You're correct. You should regularly try to keep your cashmere jacket cleaned. If you do your research, moths are drawn to your body, which in this case, would be in the neck rear neck area and you sleeves. In addition to using moth balls or flakes, it is also imperative to keep your garment drycleaned. The other member (JayJay) is incorrect.

For your own clarification, I would recommend you researching this for yourself (as I did).

p

While this may be factually correct, I would follow the advice of the other respondents. Dry clean it regularly, you will keep the moths away and ruin the fabric of your jacket. I would find another way to keep the moths away, like cedar..or garlic ( ). Even dry cleaning done properly is not good for finer wools and silks.

Originally Posted by thomaus247

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Dry clean it regularly, you will keep the moths away and ruin the fabric of your jacket.

+1.

Would it be ok to use the "hand wash" option on a washer w/ woolite to clean a Cashmere sportcoat? I was reading around and it seems like the consensus is - no dry cleaning.

I was thinking of throwing sportcoat in a pillowcase and throwing that into the wash. Bad idea?

Originally Posted by iDressLikeA2yrOld

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Would it be ok to use the "hand wash" option on a washer w/ woolite to clean a Cashmere sportcoat? I was reading around and it seems like the consensus is - no dry cleaning.

I was thinking of throwing sportcoat in a pillowcase and throwing that into the wash. Bad idea?

If you ever intend to wear the coat again, this would not be one of the better courses of action. There are several issues: wet agitation of woolen fabrics causes felting resulting in substantial shrinkage, changing the fabric texture, and potential damage to seams--not to mention what it may do to linings and interfacing (particularly if its fused).

I think you are mistaken about there being a concensus of opinion on this. Instead there are two distinctly opposite, and quite vocal, camps in the "should I dry clean my suit (SC, sweater, or whatever - take your pick)" debate. One eschews cleaning except in the most extreme cases citing fabric degradation as the main reason. The other recognizes that the world is a dirty place and the inevitable accumulations from that world on our clothes need to be at least occasionally cleaned away. You'll eventually have to decide which camp you're in. Do you mind living in dirty (albeit not necessarily obviously dirty) clothes in order to extend their service life or do you prefer things clean? I'm in the latter camp and clean my garments at least seasonally.

Depending on where you live, dry cleaning before you put the coat away in storage for the season may be a decent idea. But if it's always in your closet ready for wear, probably don't need to ever. Although it should be brushed every so often.

iDressLikeA2yrOld asks if he can hand wash his cashmere sport coat. The question is not can you wash it, the question ought to be should you wash it? That answer is NO. As to the issue of dry clean vs no dry clean, allow me make 3 points: First, the female adult moth can lay up to 200 eggs in a cycle, up to 5 cycles a year. When the female adult moth is looking for the "ideal" egg laying location, she's looking for a source of nutrition for the larvae to feed on when they hatch. Unfortunately, garments STORED WITHOUT FIRST BEING CLEANED contain all the nutrients necessary to sustain life for those larvae. These nutrients include proteins, mineral salts, vitamin B complex and cholesterol that accumulate on garments from perspiration, body oil, food or beverage simply by virtue of the fact that the garment has been worn. The problem is that the larvae will often feed on the inside of the garment, on the surface of a garment, or on certain threads in a garment. This reduces the thickness or strength of the fibers in those places. So when the garment is either worn, hand cleaned or dry cleaned, the possibility exists that holes could open up. In other words, no source of nutrition, no possible moth damage. Herbal sachets, cedar blocks and moth balls are generally ineffective when it comes to protecting your fine wool garments from the feeding frenzy of larvae when they hatch. While i'm not advocating dry cleaning after EVERY wearing, you certainly need to dry clean BEFORE YOU STORE for the season. Second, for those who claim that their wools have survived intact for x number of years without ever having them cleaned, my response is that you been lucky. As the owner a high-end dry cleaner and shirt laundry, we get requests for reweaving almost every day. The female adult moth is looking for nutrition for the larvae when they hatch. It makes no difference how clean you closets are or how good the housekeeping is. Your garments contain all the nutrients the female adult moth is looking for. Third, it's rather unfair to characterize ALL dry cleaners as "folks who destroy you garments". That's like putting all establishments that serve steaks in the same category. Dennys and Mortons are not the same. There are over 26,000 dry cleaners in the USA and, for the most part, they're all ordinary, bang and hang cleaners. Your garments are in by 9:00 and out by 4:00. Picked up on day 1 and returned on day 3. These cleaners are to garment care what Dennys is to fine steaks. I, too, wouldn't trust my fine garments to an ordinary cleaner. But there are a handful of cleaners (probably no more than 20 or 25) that actually know what they're doing, who understand the garments they're holding in their hands, whose bread and butter is caring for bespoke, made-to-measure and other fine garments. Everything they do -- the dry cleaning fluids they use, the equipment they use, the processes and procedures they use, the skilled technicians they employ, etc. -- are all dedicated to the type of garments they care for. website: www.ravefabricare.com Daily blog: www.truequalitycleaning.com

^ thanks for all your responses. It seems like I won't be washing my sportcoat after all. I just want to fresh it up, because it smells like smoke.