Dry clean only? But it's cotton!

[Katiekitty]

I've been given a lovely cotton top, a fancy designer name one. So far, so good. I lok at the care label and it says it's dry clean only... surely not! It's 100% cotton... what would you do? Take it to the cleaners or bung it in the washer?

they're just covering themselves - I'd wash it in the machine on a delicate wash.

That's what I was hoping someone would say gg! I mean, what's likely to go wrong with it if I wash it gently?

It might shrink.
I have a cotton dress which is dryclean only but it has a lining and i'm worried that if I wash it it might shrink up around the lining - so its still hanging there till I decide what to do

It hasn't got any lining, it's just a piece of cotton.

I know what you mean about lining though, that's the thing that'll shrink and it'll shrink at a different rate to the rest of the garment, rendering it unwearable. Gah!

What shall I do? I am also not wearing this fab top until I know how I should wash it! Why do they do this to us?!

Wash it with a good quality product on a low temperature. I bought a cotton DvF top a fortnight ago that said dry clean only and it has washed beautifully.

does it have like beading or something? or fancy 'broidery?

I do agree they might be coveirng themselves. mil buys us fancy children's clothes for xmas and they say 'wash at 30' or 'send to fairy drycleaners' and we stick them in the washer

Wash it in the machine. It is a pain having something that is dry clean only. If it shrinks in the washing machine, get rid of it and just think how much you will have saved on dry cleaning bills. If giver asks, say your DH washed it .

Has it got a print? That might be the reason. DH had a shirt which was 100% cotton and dry clean only. We ignored this on the grounds that he'd never wear it otherwise(!) but the printed pattern did come off over time. HTH.

Wash it - it really should be fine.

Slight hijack - I've just bought bedlinen which is a cotton/bamboo mix and it says not to tumble dry it. Obviously that's fine at the moment but a PITA in the winter - would you risk it??

i always dry clean the first time, then wash on delicates

It hasn't got a print or any beading and what not, it's just got a pattern woven in (not printed on) and it just wraps over.
Good point about thinking how much saved on Dry cleaning bills (about £5 a time??) so taking everything on baord here, I think I'll wear it and wash it (gulp!).. possibly a hand wash in cold water!

Stitch - does it help dry cleaning it the first time?

Squiffy - no idea, sorry! What temp does your dry cleaner operate on? It sounds like the bamboo element might shrink?

if you're concerned about colour run, soak it in cold salt water for half an hour first.

Put it in a pillowcase on a low temp, I do this with all my dry clean stuff....I hardly ever dryclean anything. I did ruin one of DH jackets once though