"Dry Clean the Suit? Are You Crazy?"

[Justdog]

True and sort of funny

Yes that is true we get used to our vintage aroma, smile.
If I win something it is off to the cleaners.
Especially hate cigarette smoke in clothes
Cerutti is a fine maker of fabric.
Bought a Charcoal suit of Cerutti fabric must have been 30 yrs old.
Still beautiful drape and feel after cleaning of course.

 

[Justdog]

Justdog, I was wondering how were WWII issued wool cleaned ? It is obvious they did not sent their uniforms out for dry cleaning ! All repro uniform producers emphasize "Dry Clean only". I can see some Officer stationed in England but how about the average Joe ?

May have washed em in the Rhine.
Repo I can see that I prefer drycleaning to washing.
Find a good cleaner, research the product they use.
I am going to ask mine and post back.

 

[carldelo]

Steaming suits

Absolutely great advice.

Good wool or pretty much any wool when hung usually rebounds very well..

I find myself coming to the same conclusions as this thread, namely that cleaning should be done fairly infrequently, unless something obviously needs to be taken care of. I resist dry cleaning my suits until they need it, as they seem to last longer that way. My wife's suits really only need to go in once or twice a year, probably. My main problem is losing the trouser crease, and getting wrinkles on the inside of the elbows, back of jacket and trouser seat - what kind of steamers do you guys use to remove these?

I noticed a hand-held Jiffy Steamer recently - it seemed kind of expensive at $70-$80, but I don't have room for a standing model - any suggestions?

 

[Wolfmanjack]

Dryel

I'm a big fan of the home dry cleaning kit called Dryel. You pop your suit into the bag (provided), drop in a damp pad of Dryel 'cleaner', and put it into your home clothes dryer. Your suit gets a deep, uniform steaming as it tumbles in the bag. You can regulate the depth of the cleaning by how long
you leave it in the dryer. Of course the suit needs to be hung-up immediately after it comes out.

Tip: I like to put on the suit jacket while it is still warm and let it cool-down while I wear it for 10-15 minutes.. The jacket settles-in around my shoulders and chest, conforming to my body like a well-tailored bespoke.

The kit comes with a spot cleaner that is the best I've ever used. My impression is that this treatment is much gentler than commercial dry cleaning.

What are others' experiences with Dryel?

 

[Martinis at 8]

It's better to have a clean suit than one which lasts a lifetime. Whether you know it or not, you are sweating into the pits and back of the lining. Also, the pants, who knows what splashes on them when a man is doing what a man does in a restroom. To spot clean, brush, hang and pray, simply will not do the job.

I have a three-piece brown suit, you all have seen, I bought is around 1989. I wear it once a week, dry clean it about every other month, and I have been wearing it for 20 years. If it turned to dust tomorrow, I would be pleased that I got my worth from it.

Please wash your clothes.

I'm with Hemingway Jones on this one.

Some suits I'll send to a dry cleaner weekly. A good suit can handle this for 10 or more years.

M8

 

[lt508th]

Dry cleaning is a good thing, IMHO

I agree that suits need to be dry cleaned as has been previously stated in this thread. I also agree though that a well cared for suit need only be dry cleaned every other month, depending upon how often the suit is worn. In short, dirt, dust, smoke all harm the natural fibers in a wool garment and occasional cleaning is necessary to prolong the garments life. I own many original WWII uniforms, at last count, 48 pairs of trousers alone, in addition to coats, jackets, shirts etc. The first thing that I do when acquiring a new piece is to have it dry cleaned. I don't know where it has been first off, and these items tend to be dusty or at least smell of moth balls etc when first acquired. After that, well as I said, it depends on how often I wear the item and quite frankly, if I have perspired or otherwise gotten dirty while wearing it. I can also describe how WWII GI's got their clothing cleaned; if anyone is interested, let me know. ~ Tim

 

[Wolfmanjack]

I can also describe how WWII GI's got their clothing cleaned; if anyone is interested, let me know. ~ Tim

Tim, I am sure many of us would like to learn how WWII GI's got their clothing cleaned.

 

[Feraud]

I can also describe how WWII GI's got their clothing cleaned; if anyone is interested, let me know. ~ Tim

Do tell.

 

[resortes805]

I'm a big fan of the home dry cleaning kit called Dryel. /QUOTE]

YES!!!! My modern garments are sent to the cleaners quite regularly, but when it comes to vintage, a trip to the dry cleaners is like shattering the glass to get to the fire extinguisher: only in the case of emergency! It's been stated before, but the chemicals used in the typical dry cleaning process takes years off of the life of your vintage garment.

that being said, I love Dryel. All of my gab shirts and slacks are tossed into the Dryel-dryer bag after wearing them.

 

[Mack]

The Soldiers Method

Justdog, I was wondering how were WWII issued wool cleaned ? It is obvious they did not sent their uniforms out for dry cleaning ! All repro uniform producers emphasize "Dry Clean only". I can see some Officer stationed in England but how about the average Joe ?

From what I've gathered they used kerosene as a dry cleaning fluid. I wouldn't recommend it for a suit, but it shouldn't hurt pure wool. The wool would probably smell funny for a while, but I don't think a synthetic lining would take this type of cleaning very well.

 

[Will]

You make fantastic points. I just wanted to add a few things to this statement; sadly, it is not always true. I dated a girl who dressed exclusively vintage and didn't dry clean her clothes and she reeked a mixture of ancient sweat and moth balls. It was tough to get beyond it. Also, there is a gentleman here at my company who thinks that dry cleaners are a scam so he sponges and airs his suits and that fellow reeks of mildew and aged sweat. Some people cannot smell themselves. It's tough for us who have to say something!

Dry cleaning removes dirt. It does not remove odors. Brushing and airing do that.

 

[KObalto]

Also New wool is pretty much the same as Vigin wool

Unused not recycled.

I thought virgin wool is from the first shearing of the sheep and is a higher designation than new wool.

 

[Matt Deckard]

It takes out what can't be dissolved by water... everything else is a problem. I need a local wet cleaner.

Because of the materials that vintage suits were made of... their stoutness, you could get away with sponging and pressing a suit like Cary Grant's in North By Northwest. But since the wool of today isn't made like the wool of yesterday when it comes to suitings, well the cleaners is a place that might need to be visited on occasion, they are the experts at modern fabrics.

 

[PenMan]

I've read two schools of thought on cleaning a suit. One is that cleaning distresses the fabric so is to be avoided; the other is that small particles of grime inevitably gets into the 'grooves' of the cloth, into the weave itself, and exerts pressure which will distort the fabric over time.

I have never cleaned a suit unless I bought it second hand, but I am fairly neat and sweat very little.