How do you 'de-shine' a suit?

Austin_Allegro · 17 March 2005 at 4:59PM

Normally we like shiney things but not when they're suits.

I've got a nice navy blue wool suit that I've had about four years. It's starting to gleam a bit round the elbows and the trouser seat.

The dry cleaner said he could 'retexturise' it (whatever that means) but thought it was too worn to make much difference.

Does anyone have any old style remedies for this? I seem to recall reading in a wartime 'make do and mend' book that you could do it with light sandpapering, but I'd be worried I'd end up with my bum showing through!

Pooky · 17 March 2005 at 5:15PM

I've got a nice belt sander if you wanna borrow it

maryb · 17 March 2005 at 10:24PM

I've read somewhere that sponging with vinegar and water takes the shine out temporarily but haven't tried it myself

Austin_Allegro · 18 March 2005 at 10:30AM

MaryB, yes, I read that as well, and couldn't believe our old friend vinegar had yet another use! Will give that a try.

And the belt sander sounds a good idea. Perhaps I could market a 'frugal belt' that has leather on one side, and sandpaper on the other. When your suit starts shining, you just whip it off and shimmy it up and down your legs to make your trousers good as new! :eek:

LionKing · 27 April 2006 at 1:48PM

Hi,

I have dry cleaned my suit jacket a few times and there is now a shiny section just under the shoulder area.....(looks as if someone has ironed!).

Is there anyway of getting rid of this as the rest of the suit is fine.

Thanks!

aliasojo · 5 May 2006 at 10:56AM

I'm not sure you can get rid of it now? I remember my Father (who always wore uniforms and suits) being a stickler for using a cloth whilst pressing so that this didn't happen......he always said that once the shine was there, it was too late.

There's loads of clever peeps on here with good ideas though so I'll keep my fingers crossed that one of them can prove me wrong.

calleyw · 5 May 2006 at 3:40PM

According to my household book of hints and tips it says for shiny patches that occur at elbow and knees due to wear is to sponge with a 1 tbsp (15ml) of ammonia diluted in 1/2 pint (250ml) of water.

HTH

Yours

Calley

LionKing · 19 May 2006 at 10:38AM

Thanks Calley. Would this method be ok for shine occurred by dry cleaning...not due to wear?

Lorian · 15 July 2006 at 8:48PM

If it's old enough to be shiny maybe it's old enough to look dated, and a new one is in order?

shopbot · 15 July 2006 at 8:58PM

In my experience when a suit goes shiny it is usually is made of polyester or has high polyester content. Wool tends to wear through rather than go shiny.

I think that if it has got to the point where you have shiny patches it is time to retire it. This especially important if you are in a job where impressions count.

I realise that you were referring to a suit jacket but on a related matter....
The best way to extend the life of a suit is to buy two pairs of trousers. This is initially more expensive however will be cheaper in the long run. The quickest way to destroy a suit (or shoes for that matter) is to wear it continuosly day after day. If you can alternate suits so much the better. If you can only afford one suit definately get two pairs of trousers.

maryb · 15 July 2006 at 9:36PM

at the risk of sounding repetitive - try spnoging it with (what else?) vinegar and water

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How do you 'de-shine' a suit?

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