Unless there's a dry cleaners on your block, many of us would prefer to just buy garments we can launder at home without the hassle of taking things in, let alone remembering to pick them back up. Well relax, there might be some garments that can easily be washed at home without the headache. Here's what to look for:
The folks over at Whole Living shared a little insight behind the world of fashion. When an item can be either washed or dry cleaned, usually the company will opt to just say dry clean on the label to make sure we don't shrink our shirts and write them nasty letters telling them they told us we could do so.
So many items that are dry clean — really aren't! Some items that can be washed by hand at home are solid-c0lor cotton, wool, linen, rayon and washable silk. Want to learn more? It might just open up a whole new world of shopping and laundering to you. Check out all the details over at Whole Living.
Image: Flickr member vintagedept licensed for use by Creative Commons
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I once made the mistake of washing a dress instead of dry cleaning it. The skirt part of the dress had lots of pleats and I ended up washing them out! I will wash somethings that say dry clean but am careful that I won't be washing something that will be difficult to iron later.
Have to wonder if the clothing manufacturers are in cahoots with the dry cleaning industry...
I've always done the hand washing method they suggest with cashmere, silk, etc.
The only thing I really pay to dry clean is wool suits.
I agree... I wash nearly everything except my wool trousers.
Everything I own is washable at home, if though some of their tags say dry clean.
I recently bought a really lovely cotton dress, expecting the designer to say "dry clean only", only to find that they suggest cleaning it gently at home! So pleased.
Dry Clean is really gross and not really clean.
The chemicals are recirculated from dirty business mans armpit stains to dress maybe even with fecal stains and then through your clothes and then onto next persons clothes. It is too expensive to use fresh chemicals for each laundry load plus the chemicals are toxic and not natural.
I highly recommend to only wash your clothes at home.
Fashion person speaking here - I own a clothing company and have worked in the industry for a while. Basically the reason that companies put a dry clean only tag into garments is (1) because they are using different types of fabrics in one garment, and those different fabrics react differently to washing (e.g. different shrinkage %, bleeding, crocking) - so dry clean only is the safety net. Or (2) the fabric used in the garment is persnickety and/or delicate, and the clothing company does not want to receive returns from people who wash the item improperly. That's it, really. Personally I wash most of my dry clean only items by hand in cold water, armed with this knowledge. I do take most of my wool to the dry cleaner about once a year, but I'm ready to try washing that myself too. Most fabric is way more resilient than clothing companies would lead you to believe.
I wash almost everything...if I want some silk dress to look it's best, I wash it my self, then send it to the cleaners for pressing. Then I know it is CLEAN and I don't have to bother with pressing the pleats, etc. I won't wash a wool suit, but that's just because I have never tried. you never know...
Are we supposed to thing jeans are supposed to be dry cleaned? In fact, dry cleaning is the single worst thing you can do to cotton. Let's think about this. Silk, Linen, & Cotton has been around for thousands of years. Dry cleaning was invented in the 1930s. Life and clothing existed for hundreds of years w/o the chemical contamination caused by dry cleaners. Wash your clothes people. It's been done before.
If I want a garment to retain a precisely tailored shape (like a winter coat or creased wool trousers) then I'll have it dry cleaned. Otherwise...it's going in the washing machine. If it doesn't survive, then it wasn't meant to be part of my wardrobe.
I guess you folks like to iron WAAY more than anyone I know.
Dear Fabric,
There is no room for fussy cloth in my world! You will be washed and dried with concern for your care and will being, but I will not bend over backwards to have you in my life!
Sincerely, Marina
I use dryel. http://thefirstapartment.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-save-on-dry-cleaning.html
It works wonders and saves tons of money!
We like to wear a lot of wool in our household, and with thrifting I've acquired a lot more recently. And our previously filthy basement (inherited from previous renters - really I'd be surprised if it was thoroughly cleaned once in the last 20 years) has gotten a preliminary scrub-down today with more to come (it really was filthy), especially the giant double cement sink with hot and cold water that I want to turn into my hand-washing headquarters.
And then I'm going to build a giant hanging sweater drying rack. Since I think it's ridiculous to go through all the trouble of hand washing and only doing one item at a time and they tend to sell only single sweater drying racks in stores (and they are pricey!).
There is an "organic" drycleaners near us (apparently they use a different solvent) which is where I will maybe someday bring our wool coats, skirts, and maybe the wool hunting trousers I will someday get the boyfriend. But the sickly sweet smell of regular drycleaning gives me a serious headache and it's scary to think about chemicals like that next to my skin. Otherwise? If it's not wool and it can't go in the washing machine, I'm not buying it.
i have a quilt from urban outfitters that says dry clean only but is 100%cotton. a friend of mine has a similar one in a different pattern and when she washed it the batting inside got all messed up to the point where she just gave it away. what home remedy would you guys suggest to clean it? it has a few stains and discoloration here and there but other than that it is still fine. i just really love this quilt and i dont want to destroy it.
I've washed everything. really. Coats. trousers. Everything. Remember that the fibers that the fabric is made of has had a lot of water and hot water processing for thousands of years. It can take it. Sometimes, however, the dye cannot. Sometimes the weave is dramatically changed by water.
Read about how wool and silk are processed from the raw fiber to the fabric to the garment. Brutal.
Dye and weave are possible to really alter with washing. As a spinner and weaver of art textiles this has been a serious lesson. If the fabric has been wet finished (washed) before construction there should be no issues. Otherwise there are lots of things that can change (go wrong). That said I will always wash everything. If there is some serious problem and that shirt/coat/skirt goes south, there is always the alteration box.
I'd never go for the dry cleaning option. Even leather pants. really. Wish me luck!
I usually wash everything at home except for my husband's suits. Those get sent to the cleaners b/c I would be in big trouble if I ruined them!
I wash everything because I do not want chemical residue of dry cleaning in my belongings. Most automatically dry clean things which can in fact be washed. I regularly wash my goose down duvet; it looks like a jumbled mess coming out of the washer but into the dryer it goes and comes out perfectly. If you have a yard and access to a garden hose with cold water you can hose down wool coats briefly, spray with laundry stain remover and then spray down again; drip and take indoors to dry - usually about 2 days or so. Like one of the other responders I had a quilt which I washed but like them the batting seemed to shift. I then dried it in the dryer and the quilt looked great afterward. Dry cleaners will steam press garments without actually "cleaning" them first if you request just pressing. Sometimes this is an issue with shoulders and arms of heavier jackets and coats. I have been successful pressing some jacket sleeves by inserting rolled up heavy socks into the arms and then pressing them this way.
Some items that can be washed by hand at home are solid-c0lor cotton, wool, linen, rayon and washable silk.
I refuse to buy anything that needs to be dry cleaned. It's never really clean to me anyway, just full of some horrid chemical.
I have the most wonderful washing machine, with a hand-wash cycle I use all the time. I almost only wear kashmir, silk and cotton, and I've never, ever had a problem. No shrinking, nothing. When things are really dirty, I wash the spills by hand, but spills don't happen often in everyday life.
Does anyone have a solution for men suits ? My husband's suits are the only thing I actually take to dry cleaning. Oh, and my coats, once a year. I'm too afraid to tackle my beloved coats myself...
Unless I spent a lot of money on something (and or it's got something special going on like fabulous fabric or intricate beading) I always handwash my dry clean only clothes and hang them to dry. I've never had a problem doing this. When I've accidentally machine washed dry clean only clothes, I find that they seem to wear out a little faster, but that's it.
Yeah, usually if it says dry clean only on the tag, it goes right back on the rack. Although I only check if it looks like a fussy fabric, which led to pilling on last fall's favorite purple dress... oh, well. That's why we have sweater stones.
The one exception is my wool winter coat (which, in Alabama, gets very little use anyway). It gets cleaned at the end of our short season, then hung up outside to off-gas before it gets to go back in the closet. Poor coat...
I worked at a dry cleaning outfit way back when I was in high school and I was surprised how many items got washed with water and soap. It seemed like only suits got the chemical treatment. Everything else was washed exactly like you would at home. Even wedding dresses were put in what looks exactly like a home washer. I only bring suit jackets to the dry cleaners but then again I don't mind ironing.
as a general rule I refuse to buy clothes that say dry clean only, unless im shopping in the $200+ range.
After we replaced our ancient washing machine with a new Bosch that has a "handwash" cycle (basically, very gentle), I've been slowly washing more and more of my "dry clean" clothes.
Be careful, and once in a while something may not work, so if the item is very precious, you may not want to experiment. But I've had great results - my DVF and Issa silk jersey dresses have all come out looking gorgeous, and so much cleaner than when they went to the dry cleaners.
Just remember - never put anything that is in any way delicate in the dryer! Air drying (flat or hanging, depending on the material and garment) is the only way to go.
Cashmere should actually be hand-washed. A dry cleaner in my neighborhood had a big notice warning customers that dry cleaning can cause bobbles on cashmere.
Most knitted woolens should be hand washed. Shrinking seems to be related to too hot water and also the drying. If it takes too long to dry, the sweater may shrink.
Watch out for printed rayon or silk. Some is OK, some not and you have no way of knowing in advance. You only find out when the pattern runs all over the place. Silk can also have a lot of dressing in it which seems to wash out and leaves the fabric really limp and without body.
Never, ever, try to wash clothes made from woven wool unless the fabric is sold as washable. It can felt, shrink and end up a mangled mess.
Any clothing with a lining shouldn't be washed either because as someone has already pointed out the different fabric may well respond differently to the washing (one may shrink, the other not).
You can tell I have attempted to wash many things over the years, sometimes successfully, sometimes not! Just remember, if the label says Dry Clean, you have no recourse if washing destroys anything.
Isn't this what Dryel was invented for? Why bother with dry cleaning, Dryel is way more convenient, and you don't have to worry about ruining your clothes!
I recently hand-washed a 100% viscose sweater that said 'dry clean only,' and as soon as it hit the cold water, the fabric went all stiff. I was afraid I had ruined it, but as it dried, the fabric became soft again, and appears to be just fine. Any idea why this happened?
I love to cook, will gladly enough clean, I LOVE to do laundry and do many other household tasks but I cannot stand ironing and couldn't do it if you paid me. While I don't send things for press only I have a drycleaning pickup and delivery service and I gladly send off hubbies shirts and anything else that can conveniently go to the dry cleaners. I just got a new washer and dryer system and the dryer has steam and I don't have the words to tell you how much I love it! I have tossed all kinds of things in for the steam only setting and while it's not crisp like ironing it's more than passable and I will never stop being glad I have it at my disposal!
I have just washed my curtains which stated quite plainly and stubbornly DRY CLEAN ONLY. I however hand washed them in luke warm water with a squirt of detergent and then put them on a "rinse and spin" setting on my washing machine and they've worked out perfect! No change in them at all other then they smell gorgeously fresh!
hi i have a lot of gucci viscose dresses with stains. i brought them to different drycleaners. only one drycleaner can get them out, but charges every time £75 a dress.
normally i wash visco myselve, but these dresses have goldplated clasps and decorations.
does anybody has tips how i can wash them myselve, but protect the goldplated decorations, so they wont rust, or the goldplate bits get peeled of.
many thanks