Washing dry clean only trousers.

[whyme2]

Just wondering what would happen really. DH bought some M&S wool trousers in the sale for £6. They need washing/cleaning now. I am very tempted to put them on a wool wash although the label is dry clean only.

Just wondered if anyone had any words of wisdom?

DD (11) has a "nice" wool jumper, that used to be DH's, size XXL, and now is about the equivalent of a size 8!

Agree, don't do it

Don't do it......

okay - point taken, thank you everyone. At 6'8" it is hard enough to find trousers that are long enough so I won't risk it.

I don't believe in dry cleaning and have rarely had a problem. I only wear natural fibres like silk, wool, and linen because I am a weirdy-weird and I can't stand the sensation of plastic clothes, so half my wardrobe is supposedly dry clean only.

Wool washing is probably best done by hand because the key is to not agitate the fibres (that's felting). Woolite and other wool washing detergents are a waste of money. Their selling point is that they are ph-neutral but so is fairy liquid (or similar) so use that.

Fill your sink with lukewarm water and a squirt of washing up liquid. Place the trousers in and swirl gently, leave to soak (the surfactant will remove the grease without agitation, honestly). Then soak again in clean water. Hang to drip dry, do not wring. Wool absorbs masses of water so it will take a while to dry.

If you've got a posh washer, the wool cycle will use low temperatures, minimal agitation and no spin, so you can use that, with the washing up liquid. Put something cotton in and watch what it does.

er, also, to press out some water, I might roll the trousers briefly in a clean bath towel

Thanks you acumenin I may give that a try then. There are a few marks on the trousers and a general unwashed niff to them. He has also got two other pairs so it wouldn't quite be the end of the world . . .

I am undecided now.

I wash dryclean only stuff in lukewarm water with a mild shampoo, then rinse in cold. No wringing, I leave it to drip dry. If there are organic stains - e.g. tomato, then hanging it in sunlight for a couple of hours will fade these.