Is it safe to dry clean a tie?

[lsquare]

I just did a quick search on Google and it was mentioned that dry cleaning a tie is bad. Have anyone of you guys tried to dry clean a silk tie?

 

[aportnoy]

Originally Posted by Sgt_Strider

I just did a quick search on Google and it was mentioned that dry cleaning a tie is bad. Have anyone of you guys tried to dry clean a silk tie?

Don't do it!! At a minimum, they will screw up the blocking and probably shrink the lining. Send it to Tie Crafters and all will be well.

 

[Piobaire]

+1. Never once had a good experience with a dry cleaner and a tie.

 

[tlmusic]

I had a house fire about 4 years ago. I had a collection about 150 ties, both modern and vintage from the 1940s and 50s. The ties smelled like smoke, so I let a dry cleaner take them all, as the insurance would pay for that.

The ties came back, mashed flat as pancakes, with the edges creased. Ties are supposed to have "rolled edges". In some cases the ties had been pressed so that the lining had made a permanent impression on the outer silk. Other ties had shiny marks.

I kept some of my favorite ties, after junking the rest. Last year, I discovered Tiecrafters in New York, and they have helped fix some of the remaining ruined ties. They put in new linings and refolded the edges. The results have been pretty good. Each tie costs $17 to reline.

Tiecrafters also has a cleaning service that actually works. They take the ties apart before cleaning. I wish I had known about them right after the fire.

www.tiecrafters.com

 

[Kranthi]

well i lost 2 of my ties

am in this thread little late

 

[merkur]

..

 

[Homme]

I had my favourite tie dry cleaned after a wedding; and it came back paper thin. Never again.

 

[JayJay]

I tried dry cleaning a tie to get rid of a stain. Although the stain was removed, it looked flat and felt stiff. I ended up throwing it away without ever wearing it again.

 

[Joffrey]

I have dry cleaned ties before and they came out fine.

 

[Recoil]

I dry cleaned a silk tie and it came back amazing. Cost me $15, but I'm happy with the results.

 

[EL72]

I wouldn't do it but if you must, make sure they only spot clean it and do NOT press the tie under any circumstances.

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

+1. Never once had a good experience with a dry cleaner and a tie.

+1. Your neighborhood dry cleaner is completely clueless on how to properly clean a tie. Thankfully I've only lost 1 tie to a dry cleaner. It will not happen again.

 

[thinman]

I wouldn't take a tie to my neighborhood drycleaners, but I did take a tie to Margaret's in Southern California, reputedly one of the best drycleaners in the US. The tie came back as good as new, for $25. It was a new tie and one of my favorites, though, so the cost was worth it to me (they cleaned off some pickle juice and grease).