Dry Cleaning Shrinkage??

Hey Guys,

I was wondering if you guys could shed some light on something for me. I was at my tailor's just now to pick up some pants and we started talking about trouser length, break, etc. and he told that on brand new trousers he will sometimes leave the inseam a little longer (.25-.5 inch) to compensate for shrinkage from prolonged drycleaning.

My question for you guys is, what are your experiences with trouser inseam shrinkage from the dry cleaners? is losing a quarter to half an inch in the inseam normal from dry cleaning? I can't remember if this has happened to any of my pants before, so if you guys could provide me with some insight, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

It happens, but I would say it is more the exception than the norm.

shrinkage usually is caused by cold water

Originally Posted by Dman33

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Hey Guys,

I was wondering if you guys could shed some light on something for me. I was at my tailor's just now to pick up some pants and we started talking about trouser length, break, etc. and he told that on brand new trousers he will sometimes leave the inseam a little longer (.25-.5 inch) to compensate for shrinkage from prolonged drycleaning.

My question for you guys is, what are your experiences with trouser inseam shrinkage from the dry cleaners? is losing a quarter to half an inch in the inseam normal from dry cleaning? I can't remember if this has happened to any of my pants before, so if you guys could provide me with some insight, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Yes, dry cleaning shrinks clothes. A jacket may shrink 2-3" and trouser 1". So always buy your clothes that you dry clean a few inches larger and btw, don't clean suits more than once a year(the dry cleaning chemicals ruin them) Just hang them and brush them. Wool repels dirt so it's really just surface dust you have to brush.

To be honest it seems like most posters here don't get their pants/suits dry cleaned regularly, there seems to be a general consensus that dry cleaners are hard on clothes.

I myself get them cleaned only a couple of times a year, but I steam them thoroughly before every use.

Originally Posted by Achilles_

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To be honest it seems like most posters here don't get their pants/suits dry cleaned regularly, there seems to be a general consensus that dry cleaners are hard on clothes.

I myself get them cleaned only a couple of times a year, but I steam them thoroughly before every use.

You steam the sweat and dirt in? lol

Originally Posted by Nogginn

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Yes, dry cleaning shrinks clothes. A jacket may shrink 2-3" and trouser 1". So always buy your clothes that you dry clean a few inches larger and btw, don't clean suits more than once a year(the dry cleaning chemicals ruin them) Just hang them and brush them. Wool repels dirt so it's really just surface dust you have to brush.

So you buy your suit jackets 2-3 inches too large?

Originally Posted by Nogginn

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You steam the sweat and dirt in? lol

Forgot to add the brushing part.

I do it to get rid of the wrinkles as well. It's a mental thing I guess, makes me feel more clean.

Originally Posted by Nogginn

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A jacket may shrink 2-3" and trouser 1". So always buy your clothes that you dry clean a few inches larger

Good lord. Sometimes the advice on this forum is shockingly bad.

Originally Posted by raphaelargus

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Good lord. Sometimes the advice on this forum is shockingly bad.

Its a troll...

Originally Posted by Jack2000

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So you buy your suit jackets 2-3 inches too large?

Yes. My Burberry wool/alpaca sportscoat shrunk 2" in the chest after dry cleaning at Jeeves which is the best dry cleaner in the world.

Generally speaking, the primary cause of shrinkage in dry cleaning is the presence of water or excessive moisture in the dry cleaning machine during the "wash" cycle. Here's a brief background.... The are basically 2 types of stains: oil-based stains (body oil, lotions, creams, food fats and oils, etc.) and water-based stains (such as perspiration, juice, coffee, beer, wine, etc). Dry cleaning solvents and fluids are excellent emulsifiers of oil-based stains but do almost nothing for water-based stains. So dry cleaners have 4 choices when it comes to removing water-based stains from "dry clean only" garments: 1. Flush out the water-based stains with a steam gun on their spotting table/board and fully hang dry the garment BEFORE it ever enters the dry cleaning machine. This routinely requires time (no same day or next day service or 3 day pickup/delivery service) and skilled labor (expensive). 2. Wet clean the garment. This involves cleaning the "dry clean only" garment in water using special detergents and conditioners. In this case, the cleaner will pre-measure the garment prior to cleaning and return the garment to it's original texture and dimensions after cleaning. 3. Add water to the dry cleaning wash cycle (a programmable feature of most dry cleaning machines) and/or moisture to the garment (a manual operation that involves applying a spray of water and chemical agent to those parts of the garment that typically attract perspiration such as the underarm and crotch areas). In both cases, your garments are being cleaned in a dry cleaning solvent that's SUPPLEMENTED BY WATER AND/OR MOISTURE. 4. Do nothing. Just sort garments into light and darks, toss into dry cleaning machine, press the start button and go play a few rounds golf. A true quality cleaner operates using procedure #1 (mostly) and #2 (sometimes, depending on the circumstances of the garment). In either case, the garments will be FULLY DRY when they enter the dry cleaning machine, resulting in almost no moisture in the dry cleaning machine (other than the moisture naturally present in the garment) The overwhelming majority of dry cleaners operate using procedure #3 or #4. For more information on this subject... Blog post: My dry cleaned garments still smell of perspiration! http://ravefabricare.com/true-qualit...piration!.aspx Blog post: You have dry cleaning rights. Exercise those rights. http://ravefabricare.com/true-qualit...se-rights.aspx

Originally Posted by in stitches

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shrinkage usually is caused by hot water

FTFY