A good suit is an investment in your image, and like any valuable item it needs the best care. Most people know that dry cleaning is the recommended way to clean a suit but there are key things to consider before you drop your garments off at any dry cleaner. From understanding fabric requirements to asking for specific cleaning methods, learning all of this will help keep your suits looking sharp for years.
Here’s a breakdown of what to ask for when dry cleaning a suit and some questions to help you understand the dry-cleaning process.
Suit Fabric and Care Instructions
First things first, when dry cleaning a suit the most important is the fabric. Different fabrics require different handling and cleaning methods. Here are some common suit fabrics and what to look out for in each of them:
- Wool: Wool suits are popular because they are durable and resilient but can shrink if not cleaned properly. Ask your dry cleaner if they use a method that doesn’t use too much heat.
- Cotton: Cotton suits can lose their shape if not handled properly. Make sure the cleaner has experience with cotton and can prevent wrinkling and fabric weakening.
- Linen: Linen is delicate and wrinkles easily. Ensure your dry cleaner can handle linen suits and doesn’t press too hard that might damage the fabric.
- Silk and Velvet: These are luxurious fabrics and require gentle handling and special cleaning methods. Check if your dry cleaner has experience with these fabrics and uses low heat cleaning.
Before you bring your suit to the dry cleaner check the label to see what type of fabric it is and any special care instructions from the manufacturer.
Questions to Ask Your When Giving Your Suit for Dry Cleaning
Here are some questions that you must ask your cleaners when giving them your suits.
1. What Solvent Do You Use?
Some solvents can be harsh on fabrics and cause them to lose color and shape over time. Ask if they use perchloroethylene, a common but strong solvent. Or do they use hydrocarbon, which is a gentler solvent for delicate fabrics.
2. Do You Do Spot Cleaning?
If there are visible stains on your suit, you should ask for spot cleaning instead or full dry cleaning. This will minimize over cleaning the suit which can break down the fibers of the fabric. Make sure they check for any spots or stains and treat them with the right solution.
3. How Do You Press and Finish?
Proper pressing is key to keeping the shape of a suit. Excessive or improper pressing can damage the fabric or cause it to lose its shape. Ask if they have special techniques for pressing suits without leaving creases or lines in the wrong places.
4. What Measures Are Taken to Prevent Shrinkage?
Shrinkage is a big issue especially for wool suits. Make sure they use methods that minimize this risk such as low heat cleaning and air drying instead of high heat tumble drying.
5. Do You Store in Plastic Bags?
While plastic bags are common for storage after dry cleaning, they can trap moisture and cause mildew or a stale smell. If your dry cleaner puts suits in plastic, ask for a fabric cover or remove the plastic as soon as you get it home so the suit can breathe.
6. Do You Offer Odor Removal?
Suits that have absorbed smoke, food odors or other strong smells may need more than a basic cleaning. If that’s the case, ask your dry cleaner if they offer odor removal services which can remove lingering smells without harming the fabric.
7. How Often Should I Dry Clean My Suit?
Over cleaning can shorten the life of a suit but under cleaning can cause fabric degradation and odors. Suits don’t need to be dry cleaned after every wear. A good rule of thumb is to clean them only after every 5 to 10 wears unless they are visibly soiled or have absorbed odors.
8. Do You Inspect the Suit Before and After Cleaning?
Good dry cleaners will inspect each suit before and after cleaning, checking for loose buttons, small tears or areas that need special attention. Ask if they do this as a way to ensure your suit is returned in perfect condition.
Tips for Maintaining Your Suit Between Cleanings
Dry cleaning is by no means the final solution, and getting your suit cleaned routinely is the solution to maintaining maximum quality. Here are some tips to maintain your suit between trips to the cleaner:
- Use a Suit Brush: It is good to brush your suit everyday. By doing this you have a way of washing away dust and small particles of dirt that are normally fixed on the outfit.
- Hang It Properly: Use a hanger that is of high quality to ensure that it offers the shoulder shape. Do not use wire hangers as they will create a wrong shape on the suit.
- Air It Out: Do not fold your suit instead hang it and leave it open to air for a few hours before placing it in your cupboard. This helps in reducing odors and also prevents formation of moisture.
- Steam It: Handheld steamer is also useful instead of frequent dry cleaning of the suits that will maintain its fresh look.
- Avoid Overuse: It is recommended that you do not wear suits to function to and from function without changing them in between because this always causes strains on the suit.
FAQs
Of course, the process of dry cleaning a suit is worth the price. It retains fabrics’ quality, banishes even crazy stains and nasty odors, and leaves the shape and size of the suit intact. Since your suit appears professionally cared for a long time in a dry cleaner makes the process more reasonable for quality outfits.
The process of dry cleaning includes all of the following steps: Starting with the tagging of the garment, then the inspection of the suit to check for stains and spots. Pre treatment for stains is added and then the cleaner moves on to the machine dry cleaning process. In the end, there comes a post spotting process and then finishing is done before hanging the suit away for the client to pick up.
If you are still not sure if that suit is to be dry cleaned, then there is usually a label somewhere inside the jacket or pants of the suit. Then the label may have text written that says Don’t wash or keep away from water, and dry clean only. But if nothing is mentioned, then keep in mind that wool, silk, and suits made from synthetic fiber fabrics should not be washed in water.
Final Thoughts
When giving your suits to the dry cleaner, make sure to ask them relevant questions. Provide them details regarding the fabric and point any stains so they know which solutions to add to remove them. Suits last for years and one of the reasons why they do is to get them dry cleaned on time or after using them. So, next time you visit your dry cleaner make sure to ask questions we have mentioned above for a seamless dry cleaning process.
