How to wash a men's classic suit

What is the best way to wash a men's suit: do it yourself or take it to the dry cleaner?

If you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better to dry clean the suit

It is believed that a men's suit will not withstand machine washing even on the “delicate cycle”. As for manual cleaning at home, this is possible if the manufacturer indicates the appropriate symbol on the label. It all depends on the type of matter:

• wool, corduroy, velvet, tweed - dry cleaning;
• satin and half-woolen products - hand cleaning;
• cotton, polyester, linen - machine cleaning.

The housewife must be confident in her actions when starting to wash a suit, otherwise an expensive brand item will be hopelessly damaged. The optimal solution is to take your expensive suit to a professional dry cleaner, but even this does not always guarantee a good result. Well, if the suit is not made from expensive materials and you have experience in manually cleaning delicate items, then following simple tips, you can clean the suit yourself.

How to clean a suit using a wet method?

Tweed jackets cannot be washed

The wet method is perfect for suits made of tweed, corduroy or wool: they should absolutely not be washed or wetted with water. Only light cleaning with a soft brush or a lint-free cloth is applicable. To clean, you need to dilute a simple solution: pour a little warm water and a “drop” of ammonia into a basin - with this mixture you need to gently wipe the clothes.

In this case, you need to pay attention to the following areas that are most susceptible to contamination:

• collar;
• cuffs;
• sleeves and elbows;
• back area (especially at the point of contact with the chair).

Clothes will look like new if you thoroughly clean all problem areas with a cloth. Finally, you need to hang the suit on hangers in a well-lit room and inspect it: if greasy shine and stains are found, they can be removed with the solution described above, then the suit should be left to dry for about 60 minutes, after drying, you can lightly go over the suit with an iron.

What detergents are best to wash a jacket?

Today, many soft chemicals are sold in stores. If you cannot choose what to wash your jacket with, you can ask a consultant for help. As mentioned above, it is better to use liquid detergents for washing - they dissolve better, rinse out faster and do not leave streaks. Here are some more recommendations for choosing funds:

• For black jackets there are special products that maintain brightness and color saturation.
• If you dare to machine wash a woolen or wool-blend jacket, choose a product containing lanolin for it.
• Do not use products with ammonia and chlorine - they can leave an unpleasant odor and have a rather aggressive effect on the fabric of the jacket.
• If you are washing a jacket made of cotton fabrics, additionally use fabric softener - it will make the fabric softer and easier to iron.

Before washing, you need to remove dirt and stains from the surface of the jacket. This can be done with ordinary vinegar - if the stains are not deep and not ingrained - or with a stain remover, which also needs to be selected according to the type of fabric and color.

How to wash a suit in the shower?

Washing a suit in the shower is quite easy

The idea of ​​cleaning your suit in the shower may seem ridiculous, but it is an effective and quick operation for removing dust, dirt and stains from your clothes in just a few minutes. In what cases is it necessary to resort to this method:

• if the surface of the suit is heavily soiled;
• if the lining side is very dirty;
• if the wet method described above failed to clean the surface of the product.

This is why washing in the shower is an excellent solution for deep and gentle cleaning of the product. Algorithm of actions:

1. Thoroughly shake out all dirt and dust, especially in the sleeve area.
2. Then clean the item using a wet method.
3. Hang the suit on hangers and place it under the shower so that drops of water freely fall on the clothes.
4. You need to turn on the warm water and carefully water the problem areas with a hose or completely drench the suit.
5. Apply a little detergent to a soft brush or cloth: liquid powder concentrate works well.
6. Using smooth hand movements, remove all dirt and greasy stains. But you shouldn’t put too much pressure on your clothes to avoid abrasions.
7. Gently rinse off the cleanser and hang the suit in a warm, dry place to dry.

You need to wash your suit in the shower as carefully as possible: in this case, the suit should not be twisted or wrung out - this can lead to permanent damage to the item. All remaining water should drain naturally and without using a hair dryer or other heating element. A slightly damp product should be lightly steamed with an iron or steam generator.

Suit care

An elegant jacket gives a man charm and elegance. You can wear these clothes anywhere: to the office, to the theater, to a party and to an interview. But constant wear has a bad effect on the appearance of clothes. And a woman has a question: how to wash a jacket so as not to completely ruin it? Hang your suit jacket on hangers and carefully inspect it from all sides. If necessary, remove dust with a brush or even vacuum.

Shiny areas on the jacket can be cleaned with a brush and water with ammonia or vinegar added to it.

If you find stains of various etymologies, try to remove them using a stain remover. But first, look at the manufacturer's labels, which usually warn of possible risks. If the fabric is sensitive to rough touches (velvet, corduroy, wool), then use a soft rag instead of a brush.

Can the suit be washed in a washing machine?

Carefully examine the tag on your jacket; your suit may not be machine washable.

If there is no crossed out icon with a picture of a washing machine on the lining, then the men's suit can be placed in the drum of an automatic washing machine. A prerequisite is to use modes for delicate fabrics. Algorithm of actions:

• recommended temperature: no higher than 30 degrees;
• recommended mode: “gentle”, “manual” or “delicate”;
• recommended speed: minimum possible;
• recommended spin: minimal or no spin;
• Recommended product: liquid powder and conditioner;
• Recommended rinsing: at least twice to ensure the detergent is completely removed.

If you also use fabric conditioner along with the cleanser, the suit will wrinkle less and there will be virtually no difficulty in ironing it.

How to determine whether a jacket can be washed

To decide how to clean a suit from dirt, you need to determine whether the manufacturer allows washing the jacket.

The information is on a label placed on the collar or lining of the product. Information may indicate the following:

• a circle inscribed in a square crossed out crosswise prohibits machine washing;
• The crossed out basin excludes hand washing.

The label may contain other symbols that determine the water temperature, or regulate drying and ironing methods, but these two icons are the main ones when choosing a cleaning method.

Tip: often a jacket does not need a full wash; minimal treatment of stains or creases is enough for it to regain its previous appearance.

How to determine if there is no marking

If the tag is lost or becomes unreadable, you can determine acceptable cleaning conditions by identifying the fabric.

Often, jackets combine several types of fabric, for example, a model made of polyester contains satin inserts, foam hangers and an adhesive base in the lapels, which means it is not always possible to accurately determine whether such a jacket can be machine washed.

Advice: if you are not 100% sure of the composition of the fabric, then it is better to refrain from machine washing.

How to wash a suit using the soak method

Soaking is one of the types of “gentle” washing

You can clean a men's suit by soaking it if it is made of good fabric that can be wetted. You need to pour warm water into a basin, add detergent, put the suit in the resulting solution and leave to soak for thirty to forty minutes. In this case, there is no need to apply any additional mechanical influences.

Next, you need to carefully wash the product by hand, and then hang it on hangers in a dry and well-ventilated area. There is no need to squeeze out excess water with your hands, just walk over the damp fabric with an iron with a steamer, or simply iron the clothes through gauze. Following simple rules will help keep your suit clean and extend its service life.

General washing recommendations

The first and main rule is to stop using hot water.
For any type of suit fabric, hot water is the enemy. It is also prohibited to use any laundry detergents that contain aggressive elements that can damage the structure of the fabric, turning the suit into a rag. Before washing, be sure to clean problem areas with a soft brush. These are: cuffs, lower parts of a jacket, skirt or jacket, sleeves at the elbows, etc. Then we fill a suitable container with warm water (no more than 40C) and dissolve the selected detergent in it. We lower the clothes into it, subject it to slight mechanical stress and then rinse thoroughly. If you cheat at this stage of washing, disgusting stains will remain on the fabric. It is strictly prohibited to wring out elements of the suit (except for sports and skiing ones). Otherwise, it will no longer be possible to smooth it out even with the most expensive iron. You just need to hang the costume elements to drain the water and then hang them in a well-ventilated room or in fresh air.

If you don’t have time or opportunity to wash by hand, you can use a washing machine. And the first thing you need to do is study the label. He will let us know whether the product can be machine washed. So, the label showed a green light, and we start washing. Without further ado, we select the delicate washing mode, refuse spinning and, especially, drying, and press the “Start” button. After finishing the program, hang it on hangers to dry.