Dry Cleaning

[CoolToned]

If you do it, do you wear one article of clothing then dry clean?

It must be expensive!

Yes for things like dresses, no for things like coats, and yes it's expensive.

I don't bother dry cleaning most stuff that has a dry clean label. I just put it in the wash on a delicate cycle with a very mild detergent (do this at your own risk). Only once have I had something shrink - a pair of smart wool work trousers - but that was my own fault as I didn't check the label first and stuck them in a normal wash. In my defence they were ridiculously cheap in a sale so it didn't even occur to me they might be made of proper wool that would need dry cleaned.

I remember years ago when I was 17 I saved up for ages to buy a beautiful jumper that was dry clean only. I took it to the dry cleaners after wearing it twice and they managed to ruin it (weird melted part in one corner). They denied the damage was thier fault and I must have done it myself in the 30 minutes between collecting it and taking it back into the shop to complain. I was young at the time so didn't argue back but I should have. That experience has put me off dry cleaners to be honest. Now I will only take in things like coats that I wouldn't risk washing myself. I only take them once a year (unless they really, really need a clean before then) but I still grudge the expense.

If it's a cotton/silk blend, should it really be dry cleaned? Or can it be handwashed in cool water?

I look at garment structure rather than fabric when deciding machine or dry cleaner. I don't hand wash.

Coats and jackets, for example, often have shoulder pads that move about if you machine wash them. Tops and jumpers, including silk, I machine wash on delicate with wool wash in a wash bag. They've always survived ok.

If it has really really delicate fabric or embellishments or something then I will sometimes get things dry cleaned by exception.

I've washed cotton/silk trousers in a wash bag in the machine on the most gentle cycle.

Sentia's point about the structure of the garment is good.

Blouses/tops I'd never send to the drycleaner these days - but then I take care to buy things that I think could be washed, and don't spend a fortune on them.

Handwashing is always going to be more gently than nearly any machine washing cycle; I don't know about the "handwash" programmes, never had a machine with one.

Normally just coats, everything else either delicate cycle in a pillow case or swish around in lukwarm water with something very mild. However I've just left a vintage brocade skirt at the dry cleaners as I was a bit scared to do it myself. I'm nervous now. Slightly pissed off too as the cleaning will cost nearly as much as the skirt.