Dry Clean or bung it in the WM?

ellas9602

I overcame my two year phobia of washing dry clean only sofa covers at the weekend and I'm so glad I did it. They look/smell fab.

Would the coat benefit from a good sponge down and a febreeze?

vivaladiva

I once read that you could freshen up a wool coat by hanging it in a steamy bathroom and giving it a gentle brush.
Probably won't work if you have an extractor fan though.:D

Bambam

I've got a silk summer top which requires dry cleaning. It keeps finding its way to the bottom of the laundry bin, so think I'm going to risk it and put it in the washing machine this weekend:j

vivaladiva

Bambam - if you're going to risk it, slip it into a pillowcase for protection.

Also on the Dry Cleaning issue - I thought you dry cleaned things to prevent shrinkage but I had a quote on a curtain yesterday and as I was reeling with shock at the cost (£17) I mentioned that I had washed an identical pair on a 30 degree wash and had only very minimal shrinkage to the linings. The lady who was doing the quote said you had to allow for that with dry cleaning as well. The curtain waspromptly put in the big machine for £4.40!

kittiwoz

I washed my 70% wool donkey jacket with it on a hanger over the bath using the shower and carpet shampoo. It looked OK and much better for having been washed since it had spent a lot of time on the floor under my seat at uni. It wasn't an expensive jacket though, about £30 in Tammy girl.

I also have a sheep-skin coat and that I get dry cleaned. It's more expensive as the coat was (secondhand) but I think worth it because it is a very good coat and should last me a very long time.

tomstickland

What can a 30deg wash do that a "dry clean" can't?
Or maybe I meant vice versa?
They must use standard dodgy solvents at dry clean. Related to trichloroethylenes I guess. Off to google.

tomstickland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_cleaning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchloroethylene

Elliesmum

MATH wrote:

I used to work as a textile designer designing for a hugh English clothing store (they sell food too - I believe) :rolleyes: and I know that wash care lables are the biggest pile of doh dah going! Times I've seen dry clean lables stuck on items just because they are the labels in stock, why order five different care lables when 40 c wash or dry clean can be stuck on everything. I've even known dry clean labels to be used for no other resason than the dry clean lable is dry clean only LOL. This is really true I'm not being stupid!!

I look at the fabric blend and use common sense. A cool wash with minimum aggitation, gentle soap and light spin and you can get away with a lot more than you think you can put items in a pillowcase for extra protection too.

Over the years I have washed allsorts of dry clean only things from suits to heavily beaded evening/bridle wear with great results. My sofa covers are specialist clean only and have been routinly washed four times a year for the last 3 years - they look great!

Hear, hear! I've worked for a clothing importers and we did the same thing! Just depended on what labels we had in at the time! :eek:

piglet6

No good washing/dry cleaning advice here (I am firmly of the "try washing it on a gentle cycle" school because I think dry cleaners charge a fortune for what they do!), but I just wanted to say thank you to MATH for your posts - I love them and they really cheer me up whenever I log onto the site!!:D :T :rotfl:

Piglet

Austin_Allegro

Since we're old stylers let's look at what people did in the olden days.

Dry cleaning wasn't invented until the late nineteenth century, and it didn't really become widespread until the 1960s or so.

Before that, non-washable items, ie those made of shrinkable fabrics or with lots of padding, such as suits and overcoats, were brushed, sponged and pressed. This means brushing regularly with a stiff brush to remove surface dirt, then every now and then dabbing it down with a damp sponge and pressing with a hot iron over a linen cloth. The theory is the dirt rises out in the steam, which also kills bacteria. You can also use fabric steam cleaners - most charity shops clean clothes with these as they also kill moths.

You can handwash most dry clean items but take care - I gently handwashed some linen/acrylic blend trousers from a charity shop which shrunk considerably. It didn't matter though because they were too big for me anyway, and after were a perfect fit!