To dryclean or not to dryclean?

[nizzer]

Yes I know my post title is a bit of a misnomer as my question is more, to dryclean suits often or not to dryclean often?

Does drycleaning shorten the lifespan and damage the pants and jacket of a suit? For example if a pair of pants become wrinkled and slightly dirtied such that a wet cloth and a steam iron in my apartment would fix the problem - should I avoid drycleaning?

I have no clue. Obviously. Thanks for the help.

 

[acecow]

Not to dry clean. I dry clean only when it is absolutely necessary.

 

[dragon8]

Dry cleaning your suit often shortens the lifespan of the suit. Dryclean the suit once a year at the most unless extremely dirty. Usually, steaming it or brushing the suit will do the trick.

 

[UrbanAesthetics]

Generally, you shouldn't really dry clean your suit unless it's an absolute emergency, or it's been a year since it's previous dry cleaning. After every wear, remember to brush your suit and steam it whenever necessary. Hope this helped!
http://urbanaesthetics.tumblr.com/

 

[NAMOR]

When I was in college, I would dry clean my suits after about 5 wears because I didnt know any better. Looking back, I could have just had them pressed for a fraction of the cost and used the rest of the money on red plastic cups and ping pong balls

 

[CYstyle]

Qhile drycleaning causes your nice suits to be subject to harsh chemicals, high temperatures and whatever else happens in the drycleaning business I really have no idea, you should still get your stuff cleaned. brushing it after wearing or steaming it will not get all the accumulated filth and crap off of it. The stuff accumulating on the suits are worse for your suits than cleaning it.

 

[MyOtherLife]

Originally Posted by CYstyle

Qhile drycleaning causes your nice suits to be subject to harsh chemicals, high temperatures and whatever else happens in the drycleaning business I really have no idea, you should still get your stuff cleaned. brushing it after wearing or steaming it will not get all the accumulated filth and crap off of it. The stuff accumulating on the suits are worse for your suits than cleaning it.
Accumulated filth and crap?

You certainly party a lot harder than I do, but my compliments (and/or condolences) to you.

 

[acecow]

Since we're on the topic: what do you use to brush your suits? Just a typical shoe horse brush or something special?

 

[VickiePoe]

How often should you steam your suit and how often should you dry clean it? Before answering this question, we should point out that there are a number of things that you should do to take care of your suit even before the dry cleaning and steaming part.

1) Keep the dust and particles off. Brush your suit as often as you can in order to keep particles that don't belong off of your precious clothing.

2) Hang your suit and pants as soon as your done wearing them. Leave these items enough room in your closet so they aren't squished. If you really care about your pants (we recommend this), you shouldn't fold it over a hanger but rather hang it upside down from the cuffs with soft clamps.

3) Don't forget the moth balls somewhere in a box in your closet.

4) If you're storing your suit for a long time, make sure to store it within a garment bag.

 

[Thorn Proof]

2 Words: RAVE Fabricare. Google it. This is not a commercial, I swear. It is without parallel. Check out Will over at the Suitable Wardrobe for a solid reference. Cheers

 

[doctordapper]

I always store my suits in garment bags and it has really paid off.

 

[stubloom]

Every few months the dry clean vs no dry clean discussion pops up on SF. And the majority of those expressing an opinion always advise to either never dry clean or to dry clean only when it is absolutely necessary. I have always wondered why the majority views dry cleaning in such a negative light. It seems to me that it can only be the result one of two things: either that individual has had a negative experience with dry cleaning, or that individual has heard from someone else about their negative experience with dry cleaning. As with any service you experience -- restaurants, electricians or doctors -- there are true quality cleaners and there are ordinary cleaners. There are those that clean your garments in very gentle solutions and then hand press them to perfection irrespective of cost and time. And then there are the overwhelming majority of cleaners who clean your garments in aggressive solvents and then machine press them to a thin crisp in order to achieve the fastest throughput at the lowest possible cost (see, I can be complimentary to ordinary cleaners!). So is the answer to never dry clean or to dry clean only in an emergency situation? Or is the answer to find yourself a true quality cleaner who will handle your fine garments with the respect they deserve? Dry cleaning doesn't destroy the feel, drape and longevity of your garments. BAD dry cleaning destroys the feel, drape and longevity of your garments. Here's some background information you should know about BEFORE you begin your search for a quality cleaner..... Blog post: The shocking world of ordinary dry cleaning & shirt laundry http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...t-laundry.aspx Blog post: Your dry cleaning bill of rights http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...of-rights.aspx Blog post: Understanding the difference between a cleaner and a fabricare specialist http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...pecialist.aspx Happy hunting!

 

[pvrhye]

The tailors on these boards routinely implore people not to steam their suits.

 

[either/or]

The consensus on SF seems to be "less is more". Funny though, usually no one mentions the size of their wardrobe, I guess it would make a huge difference if you were rotating between 2, 20 or 200 suits. stubloom, really valuing your input on this site, looks like you know what you are talking about

+ you have me thinking now. What could be really nice at this point - also from a source-critical POV

- would be some input from some high-end SF'ers on this subject. And with stublooms latest comment in mind, this:

Originally Posted by stubloom

Dry cleaning doesn't destroy the feel, drape and longevity of your garments. BAD dry cleaning destroys the feel, drape and longevity of your garments.

Originally Posted by pvrhye

The tailors on these boards routinely implore people not to steam their suits.
-there's one interesting piece in particular, I'll see if I can look it up. steam suits in bathroom? jefferyd's post -the one I was looking for.

Originally Posted by acecow

Since we're on the topic: what do you use to brush your suits? Just a typical shoe horse brush or something special?
-also interested in this^^

 

[paras2001]

all ways dryclean for expensive item's