How often do you dry clean your suits?

[jakejake]

and how much do you normally pay for it? and how about dress shirts? Is there a way to tell if the cleaner did a good job.. what do you look for? I have places around me that want to charge from $6-$12 for a suit and $1.30-$3.50 for a dress shirt.

 

[mishon]

I dry clean my suits about twice a year - I was told anything in excess of that is not good for the fabric. I just picked up two from dry cleaners last night. They were $8.77 each. I dry clean my shirts after one, maximum two wears. The cost depends on the fabric ($1.99 for a cotton shirt and $4.25 for silk, linen). When I pick up my suits, I don't take them home until I had a chance to inspect them inside the store. I look at everything. With shirts, I am less meticulous. I look at the collar, the sleeves, and the overall pressing job.

 

[Roikins]

Originally Posted by jakejake

and how much do you normally pay for it? and how about dress shirts? Is there a way to tell if the cleaner did a good job.. what do you look for? I have places around me that want to charge from $6-$12 for a suit and $1.30-$3.50 for a dress shirt.

Suits... maybe once a year tops, for instances when a nice brush and steamer aren't doing the trick.

Shirts... pretty much never. I wash my shirts myself, usually on a Friday, then let them drip dry overnight. When I get up Saturday morning, while they're still slightly damp, I iron them.

 

[SoCal2NYC]

daily

 

[Eustace Tilley]

No more than once a year.

I never dry clean shirts.

 

[montecristo#4]

Steam and brush. Never dry clean. Save dry cleaning for when you spill something on them.

 

[mishon]

Certainly, there is a lot of digression when it comes to cleaning shirts. Quite a few of this board's esteemed members wash and iron their own shirts. For me, it is a matter of time and convenience. As a second year associate who works close to 80 hours a week, I can't fathom doing my own washing and ironing; it is enough that I wash my socks every night. Dry cleaners is convenient, especially if you find one that's close and does a good job.

 

[MTM]

I Never dry clean, spot clean if needed.

 

[SuitingStyle]

as little as possible, only when a disaster happan like coffee spill.
I think as long as you don't wear a suit more than once a week, and be carefull when you wear it (ie , watch whwere you sit, and don't do anything that will cause excessive sweating), you don't need dry cleaning. Also, brush and air dry 1 full day after wearing.

 

[Viktri]

Originally Posted by SoCal2NYC

daily

Do you ever find that your suits start falling apart?

Just wondering b/c I've grown up with the idea that dry cleaning reduces suit life but I'm not sure if this is true.

 

[Ricardo Malocchio]

Is anyone familiar with some special "wet cleaning" process for suits and other fabrics that are typically dry-cleaned?

One of my tailors was telling me about a place that does this (responding to my remark "most of my suits have never been to the drycleaners"). He regarded the process as being far less damaging to the suit, but I was in a big hurry that day and there's a slight language barrier so I never really got the name of this process or the place that does it. I plan to ask him again when I go back this weekend, but I was just wondering if this rings a bell for anyone?

 

[lawyerdad]

Another vote for "pretty much never unless there's a stain or some other affirmative reason to do so".

 

[Kuro]

Steam and brush after each wear and spot-cleaning only if there is a stain. Shirts wash in cold water and iron damp to slightly dry with a touch of sizing.

 

[bowtielover]

I have a steam cleaner that I use for my suits and shirts, it works pretty well but about every two monts i have them dry cleaned just to get the fresh smell.

 

[taxgenius]

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

Another vote for "pretty much never unless there's a stain or some other affirmative reason to do so".

+1