To ask about washing clothes

[m0therofdragons]

I've noticed mn has very mixed but strong opinions on frequency of washing stuff. There have been many threads over my years on here. There are those who shower 3 times a day and change their clothes constantly etc. All fine, we're all different. But my question is to those who only wear their clothes once before washing - how do you deal with dry clean only clothes?

Lots of my work dresses are dry clean only and I just can't imagine constantly getting them cleaned every week. Curious what others do.

Dry clean only items sit at the bottom of the washing basket for weeks until I think fuck it and just put it in the wash

Dry cleaning batch gets sent out once a month. Anything dry clean only that clearly needs a clean gets sent. Things worn only once or twice don't normally go. It's not good for the clothes to frequently dry clean them.
Proper care and the expense of dry cleaning is part of buying a decent wardrobe. That's why DH and I dress like utter polyester clad slobs when not at work!

I don't have any dry clean only clothes.

never mind not good for the clothes, it's not good for the environment to frequently dry clean clothes.

Unless it's something really special (which I have no need for) or a decent coat, then if the label says "dry clean only" it goes back on the rail, in the shop.

I do have a few Dry Clean Only clothes but I rarely send stuff to drycleaner as I am a vaire good laundry maid.

On the style page it seems to suggest all Mnetters wear hobbs and lk Bennett. Is that just me then? (Currently wearing a sainsburys dress but I have the smarter dresses for board meetings etc)

Depends what it is. For dresses, I try and wear a vest top or slip underneath if possible, and also use these sheets in the tumble dryer

Otherwise, things tend to go to the dry cleaners after 2 or 3 washes, depending on the fabric and what it is.

Some dry clean only things get alternated between washing machine and dry cleaners as well...

The only clothes I've had that were dry-clean only were suits and very posh party frocks. The party frocks would be sent to the cleaners after one wear (because my god they'd need it ). The suits didn't make 'skin contact' so maybe fortnightly - less if the armpit of the jacket failed the evening sniff test.

But the easiest thing to do really is to inspect the care label in the shop and if it says dry-clean-only, put it back on the rack.

tbh anything dry clean only goes in the wash on a delicates or wool cycle unless its a fabric I am really unsure about might hand wash that touch wood so far i have had no disasters.

dry clean only means 'don't buy' unless it is an outer garment worn rarely. Nothing that goes near the skin is practical if it can't be washed.

dry clean only dresses are a disaster in a sweaty office, and most offices are sweaty. Are you sure they can't be washed? If not, start a replacement programme.

'Dry clean only' is sometimes on the label simply for legal reasons, similarly those items that state even 'no dry cleaning': that way no risk of being sued if someone's mangled an item by over-handling - etc.

Like the 'vaire good laundry maid' I've found that you can wash most of these - comes down to detail of manufacture/material. Suits and coats - not normally. Delicate blouses, quality wool jumpers - usually fine; where unsure of methods google with discernment first (or ask on MumsNet ).

Pure wool garments don't need either dry cleaning or washing until stained or worn many times, typically one winter: they'll just air themselves clean (ideally outdoors). It's one of the natural qualities of wool. Where appropriate to the garment, brushing helps get rid of dust build-up within the fabric, or a good shake.

But a lot of 'pure wool' nowadays has a percentage of manmade fibres in it (legal definition of 'pure' now less than 100%) - you can tell by the armpit smell, which is whiffy and doesn't disappear on airing.

I think there's whole books on garment care, for those who are really keen. I once had a great one aimed at charity shop shoppers (found it in a charity shop!), lots of highly practical information, now long-lost but it taught me a lot.

Depends what it is and how dirty it is. If it is something fragile that might unravel I put it on a wool wash. If it feels like it would survive I just chuck it in a 30 degree quick wash. If it is stained or something it gets a 60 degree wash and a prayer. I don't care what it says, nothing is too good for the washer in this house lol. Only thing I've ever had dry cleaned is a coat that if washed, takes literally weeks to dry. Sometimes I will hand wash something if it is new and likely to lose a lot of colour but even most of those get put in for a spin afterwards.

magicsoakingmyspine made me laugh, but sums us up!

I've always hand washed dry clean only clothes and never had any problem. It doesn't happen very often though- I hand washed some clothes from my holiday last June a few weeks ago