Dry clean only?

HelenKA_2

I bought a real suede skirt for DD in the charity shop. Felt I should get it cleaned and was told £25 - eek! - it only cost £7.50. So I decided to take the plunge. Washed on delicates/silk wash with a wool liquid washing solution. Dried on a hanger, was absolutely fine except...... it was too short :mad: and it didn't shrink.

SunnyGirl

I nearly always wash dry clean only things. My dh has an Yves St Laurent suit (15 yrs old now LOL) and I've washed it quite a few times over the years, especially the trousers. I washed my dd's dry clean only black wool coat last week too & it came out lovely. I use the wool cycle and reduce the spin to about 500 just to be on the safe side.
HTH

gooismeid

I used to work for a silk merchant, and I know that many clothing manufacturers slap a "dry clean only" label on garments which are perfectly safe to wash, just because it means they don't have to pay for wash tests on the fabrics and it saves them any comeback from people who do try to wash the garments and don't get perfect results. For most 100% silks or silk mixes, a cool handwash with woolite or soapflakes (I've even used Simple soap in a bar!) plus lots of rinsing and a drip dry will bring them up lovely and clean.

keelyjrs

If you are unsure about risking it, you could try this.. Next bath you have, have it nice and hot and hang the dress up over it. When you get out, put some vinegar in the water and it will refresh it. Might not be as good as a proper wash but it will freshen it up

jillymit

lazy_daisy wrote: »

It sounds like it might be worth some negative e-bay feedback on this seller - selling dirty clothes -Yuk!!

I thought about this long and hard but going back to the eBay listing the seller did not claim the dress had been cleaned or that it was from a smoke free house so although I think it's pretty minging to send me a dress that she's obviously picked off her bedroom floor and listed to be honest I got it as described and it was only a fiver including p&p.
I have left feedback ' fast delivery, item as described' which I think is more than fair.
I'm going to be more careful when i buy next time.:o
I think I'll bung it in the washer on handwash and risk it as it's going no where near me until it's clean, I don't even know if it fits ha ha!

andyrules

I've just washed 2 wool-mix coats (separately:D) on my machine hand wash cycle, shaken and hung up immediately. Both look professionally cleaned and smell lovely of lavender fabric conditioner.

i also washed lined curtains the same way after pricing up the dry-cleaning (:eek:) and they came out perfectly OK.

I've got a lot of viscose clothes which are all machine wash so I'm sure the only weak point would be the silk.

I would say the trick is gentle cold wash, non-bio liquid, short spin and deal with as soon as finished. I would try to iron as little as possible, on the reverse and use a cloth.

With dry-cleaning, I always worry what else goes into the machine :eek: maybe I'm wrong about that though!

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

I worked in bridal for years and on the hire out side we had some very expensive dresses.We washed them all for the next hire out.They were all fine.Just use a liquid detergent.If it's got silk in it,put a bit white vinegar in the final rinse(helps with the natural sheen)along with the fabric conditioner and always iron on the wrong side.

jillymit

Just got the dress out of the machine and it looks fine it's out on a hanger blowing in the wind to dry.
I think the risk has paid off!
Thank you for all your replies.

pollypenny

I usually hand such things, carefully, on a 'sun and wind' day, then peg on the line so that they dry as quickly as possible. Iron on wrong side.

Glad it worked for you, jilly.
Pol

martindow

My father has an old jacket 70% polyester, 30% viscose with a 100% viscose lining. This needs frequent cleaning as his eyesight is not good and there are lots of food spills.

Despite the dry clean only label is it going to survive hand or machine washing? Any advice on dealing with this would be very welcome.