Dry clean only - do you risk hand washing?

[HuntingoftheSnark]

I know, depends what it is. It's a Jigsaw dress - in a photograph on here recently I think - and like a fool I bought it before checking washing instructions. I am usually good ....

If I wash it in cold water, what do you think (I appreciate that you don't know) are the chances of it being ok? It could afford to shrink a bit anyway.

What fabric is it made of?

I'm feeding next door's cat - will check as soon as I am back home. Thank you!

Unless an exceptionally delicate fabric/ lots of embellishment, then I stick them in the washing machine on the handwash/delicate cycle.

Is it lined?
What fabric is it?
Can you post a picture?
I am a bugger for washing clothes as I know I will never wear them anyway if I have to have them dry cleaned!

Washing instructions and material.

I'd risk it and put it on a delicate cycle.

Viscose can shrink when wet, and the fibres become delicate.

Gentle reshaping whilst still slightly damp should sort it out

@Trumpton yes, separate lining, like a "slip" my mother used to wear. I took photographs but it won't let me post so this is what it looks like (on S&B earlier anyway).

Depends how much you love it and how often you'll wear it.

If you ruin it by washing it how gutted would you be?

Id wash it in cool water by hand because I wouldn't wear it if I had to dry clean it every time.

DD has a Jigsaw blouse (charity shop buy) that's a crinkly viscose. I've washed it and it survived.
Be prepared for it to shrink or warp though. I wouldn't risk it for something I had spent a lot of money on.

I'm so annoyed with myself for not checking. I'm just starting work now and this dress was way over priced but I won a £100 Jigsaw Jubilee voucher so bought something a lot more pricey than usual.

Thank you all - I will hope for the best!

That's exactly how I feel.

I wouldn't risk a lined garment as they might shink differently and not lay properly afterwards.

I definitely wouldn’t wash viscose! In my experience viscose shrinks the second it sees a washing machine or water! I’ve ruined several items even hand washing in cold water!

Something that is 100% viscose will almost certainly have some shrinkage however you wash it.

The lining is a completely separate item - so you think that makes it better? Argh, I'm reading posts for which I'm really grateful and still not sure whether to risk it. Cold water, hand wash, mild detergent .... waste of money after that?!

It's quite big for me ... it could shrink a little.

How annoying. Wear a full length slip under it - it'll hang better as well. As pp have said, try a delicate cold wash, see what happens.

@Maireas thank you and I'm going to try that today.

Let us know!

I've hand-washed viscose with no shrinkage. I'm a fan of hand-washing, because the garments are in the water for so very much less time than they are in a washing machine - much less chance of doing damage, I think. I would definitely risk hand-washing that dress.

I have washed many "dry clean" items in my machine including my wedding dress!

If it's wool/cashmere/viscose then put it on a no spin delicate cycle and it will come out just fine. It's the spin that shrinks it, not so much the temperature or duration.

Also - is it desparately needing to be washed?

Can you hang it in the bathroom for a couple of steamy showers?

I make a lot of clothes, many of them out of viscose, and they all get washed A LOT! In a normal 40c wash, with everything else.
Viscose can be a bit alarming when you wash it because of what it's made of (cellulose). It can feel really stiff, and look like it's shrunk significantly, when it's been washed and dried because the fibres kind of contract, but they relax again when it's ironed, and order is restored.

As it's a fibre made from natural materials, there is potential for a small amount of shrinkage (although that's not a given, and it would be less than something like cotton), but viscose is definitely a fabric which can wash perfectly well.

If I was OP, I'd risk a delicate wash - assuming that the whole dress is made with the same fabric. It will probably need a good iron afterwards. I doubt it would shrink enough to make the under slip longer than the dress, but there is a chance you may need to alter the slip if it does (may be able to get away with shortening the straps rather than the hem, if there's enough leeway at the top).

(All this assumes that the slip is completely separate from the dress and not joined anywhere - if it's joined, then the potential for different levels of shrinkage means it is likely to go out of shape).

I always wash viscose and pull it into shape. Good luck. And I agree does it really need washing? Air it instead.

Thank you @ReviewingTheSituation I've just hand washed both slip and dress, I think that was my instinct really. I might buy the odd expensive dress, but then I actually want to wear it, not save it for "best". Hope it works, I have done what several of you said.