Dry clean only- do you always comply

[whataboutbob]

I bought a dress online without checking the washing instructions. Unfortunately it is DCO. I do like the dress. It’s made of cupro which I believe is derived from a plant fibre. However I do notice that along the waist seam ( which is stretchy) there’s an elastic shiny fibre which looks like plastic. Would it be risky to cold hand wash it? Thanks for any advice/ opinions.

i always ignore DCO and hand wash in sink or in machine.

I wash everything. I put in a colour catcher, patch test first for dye run with prints, and wash according to the fibre. That plastic strip is often used to support stitching where there is stretch .

Thanks guys! Weirdly, I enjoy a spot of hand washing. Doing a patch test is a good idea sirvix.

I tend to wash DCO stuff on a hand wash in the machine.

I did wreck one dress though as the dress and lining were different materials - the dress shrunk and the lining didn't! Something to bear in mind if the dress is lined in a different material.

Cupro should be fine though, especially if you hand wash it. I expect it's the waist seam that's potentially the problem.

Some fabrics, like viscose, shrink considerably but will come back to size if you steam press. I have a Miele machine with a silk cycle that is extremely gentle, most things go in that. Remember to use appropriate detergent. To patch test, blot an inconspicuous area repeatedly with a damp sponge, over a white cloth. Then you can see if a print is likely to bleed in places. Putting a colour catcher in also helps mop up any loose dye.

Depends what the fabric is.
I have just machine washed a lightweight short summer mac and it came out great, but I also washed two wool coats, one came up really nice but the other one shrank slightly.
I mostly do DCO on a 30 degrees or lower wash and on a low spin (it's often the spin that shrinks them) and only use a minimum of washing powder. If I want to be really careful I hand wash, squashing instead of wringing and dry flat
Also check the fabric lining, the outer item itself might OK but the lining not so much, it might shrink and pull the rest of the garment inward.

....to add. A cold wash can also damage clothes.

I guess the best temperature might be luke warm?

With wool, agitation and temp shifts can shrink it, you either need a machine with a top notch wool cycle, or to hand wash very gently, with pressure rather than agitation.

I very rarely adhere to dry clean. Haven't had a disaster yet.

Our machine has a handwash programme and I've just washed a dco blazer that has been sat on top of the wardrobe,so far it looks fine.

I generally wash DCO garments on a Woolwash, in a net laundry bag, at 30° and in over 40 years I've never had a problem (I've even done an expensive evening dress, hanging it up to virtually drip dry).
I wouldn't wash an expensive wool or cashmere coat but everything else is fair game!