How to Avoid the Dry Cleaner

SelfService4I seriously hate going to the dry cleaners. Not to sound all diva but if I didn’t have someone else drop-off and pick-up my dry cleaning, it would literally never get done. My dry clean only garments would get worn once and then never see the light of day. Due to this hatred of the dry cleaner (it’s inconvenient and expensive) I have found some methods to keep me from that dreaded place, and I’m going to share them with you now. Um, you’re welcome.

At-Home Dry Cleaning = Hooray!

Dryel, Woolite, and Bounce all make at-home dry cleaning kits. They are all pretty rad but you’ll need a few other supplies to really get the job done. You’ll also need stain remover,  stain absorbing pads, and dryer activated cloth refills – the kits alone are best at getting out smells but stains are a different story.

Start by treating the stain with a stain remover, place the absorbent pad underneath, gently rub the stain so the pad can capture the dissolved dirt. Just don’t get too rough while applying the stain remover! Most dry-clean-only fabrics are not tough and durable, so rough treatment can damage them.aacjfaacj

Leave these to the pros

Don’t treat suede (this one is way too easy to ruin), velvet, fur or leather at home. BAD IDEA! Even I get off my lazy butt up for my precious leather pieces, unless it’s a surface stain and in that case you can wipe it down with a damp cloth. They also have leather soap (Meltonian or Leather Mate are great options) but proceed with caution.

steven-meisel6

Dry clean only my ass!

There are a few fabrics out there that claim to be dry clean only, but really they are full of lies. Cashmere being one of them. You can hand-wash cashmere with warm water and Woolite. Lay it flat to air-dry (no wringing out) and you’ll be good to go. Wool is another one that claims to be dry clean only. For this one hand-wash, or machine wash on gentle in cold water – again no wringing out to dry. Lastly we have silk, this is does best at the dry cleaner but for small spots you can dab it with a a Shout wipe and leave it out to dry.

Are you a dry-cleaner hater? How do you treat stains at home?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *