When should you dry clean your suit?

 

In many cases, a dress suit is one of the most expensive items in a person’s wardrobe. It is important that you know how to properly take care of your suit to keep it looking its best. Whether you are wearing an off-the-rack suit or a custom-tailored suit, sooner or later it will require dry cleaning. Read on to discover how often you should have your suit dry cleaned and how to keep it looking its best between visits. 

What is Dry Cleaning?

The process of dry cleaning uses non-water based chemical solvents to clean clothing, bedding, upholstery, and other types of fabrics. Because water can be damaging to certain fabrics and the washing machine may damage delicate items, dry cleaning is an excellent alternative. The dry cleaning process consists of many steps, including inspection and tagging, pre-spotting, post-spotting, and finishing touches. 

During this process, your clothes are placed into a machine and submerged into a non-water based solvent. While the clothes are being rotated in a perforated cylinder, the cleaning solvent is released in a steady amount throughout the process. From there, the machine spins rapidly to get rid of any excess solvent from the garments. Next, the machine releases warm air and your clothes emerge completely dry. 

How Often Should You Dry Clean A Suit?

How often you dry clean your suit will largely depend on how often you wear your suit. If you only wear your suit a couple times a year for special events, you may get by with only having your suit dry cleaned once or twice a year. However, if you wear your suit more frequently, the general rule of thumb is to have your suit jacket dry cleaned after the sixth wearing, and the pants or skirts dry cleaned after the second wearing. 

It is important that you only dry clean your suit when necessary and if other care measures aren’t helping. Dry cleaning strips the wool of its natural fibers, which can cause the suit to wear prematurely.

How to Care for Your Suit Between Dry Cleaning Visits

If you want to keep your suit looking its best between visits to the dry cleaners, here are a few tips that can help:

Rotate your suits

Wearing the same suit repeatedly will cause it to show wear after a while. 

Cover up your suit

Using a cloth cover on your suit will allow air to still circulate through the suit even when it is being stored.

Hang suit after wearing it 

Allow your suit to hang for a day or two after wearing it. It is recommended that you use a good wood hanger when hanging your suit. Hanging it up allows the material to recover and drape out most wrinkles between uses. Ensure that all of the pockets are empty to avoid any creasing. 

Remove wrinkles

Before wearing your suit, use a steam cleaner to remove any wrinkles. This will have your suit appearing freshly pressed without all of the added costs. Make sure to use the lowest heat setting on the steam cleaner.

Brush of dirt 

After you wear your suit, make sure to brush off any dirt or food particles that may be clinging to the suit. 

Choosing a Dry Cleaner’s

Whether you are in need of more time or just want to avoid the hassle of laundry, our team of professionals at Hangers Cleaners is here to help. From dry cleaning services to wet services, alterations, pressing clothes, and many more, Hangers Cleaners has got you covered! We know that life can get busy – that’s why we offer free dry cleaning delivery and pickup for all of our customers! Call us at 501-227-8500 to schedule services for all of your laundry needs today.