How do you 'de-shine' a suit?

[Austin Allegro]

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]

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

[maryb]

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

[Austin Allegro]

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!

[LionKing]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Lorian]

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

[shopbot]

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]

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

[tawnyowls]

Steaming the suit using a wet cloth and a hot iron held close to, but not on the cloth, is also suggested as a remedy.

[CGG]

Oh dear Gawd, help me!
OH bought a new suit 2 years ago for his father's funeral. It's not been worn since.
We are going to an awards do tonight at DS's school, so need to look our best.
Last night I got out OH's suit, but it had been squashed in the wardrobe, so I hung it in the bathroom believing the unwanted mass of creases would hang out in the steamy atmosphere.
They didn't.
I have steam ironed the trousers this morning. They have come up fine. But, and it's a big but, I did the same to the jacket, and now I've hung it up - it's gone shiny!
Is there anything I can do?

[arnie&caseysma!]

Try ironing it again but this time put a damp (not too wet) tea towel ontop first. This is what we used to do with our old uniform trousers even through boss used to tell us not to wet the tea towel but this made them shiny and I had to use a damp one to get rid.

[Penelope Penguin]

Hi there We have an existing thread on just this subject - I'll add this thread so that you can browse the other replies.

Penny. x