How often should I dry clean my clothing?

We get a lot of questions as dry cleaners in Toronto. People ask us everything from whether clothing care tags are serious when they say dry clean only to how to treat a wine stain – and we don’t mind! We’re happy to pass along our knowledge, especially in the name of keeping clothing clean.

The question of how often clothing should be dry cleaned can be a tricky one because every garment is different. Some items might benefit from cleaning after every wearing, while others should only be cleaned when they have visible stains. So, let’s talk about some common items!

Suits

A wool suit should be brushed after every wearing and then hung with lots of room to air out. After a few wearings, after anything is spilled on it, or if you notice any odour, it’s time to have your suit dry cleaned.

Seasonal Items

Anything you typically wear in a single season, like a winter jacket, definitely needs to be cleaned after the season is over and before you pack these items up. An item like a sweater should be cleaned after a few wearings, unless something has been spilled on it (in which case it should be cleaned immediately), but should still have a final dry cleaning at the end of the season.

Silk or Light Colours

If your garment is silk or is light in colour and you notice a stain, schedule for us to pick it up and dry clean the next morning. Time is of the essence! Resist home fixes, as many times, these techniques are harsh and can damage the fabric’s fibres or colours. One more reason that silk or light coloured items often need to be cleaned after every wear is because perspiration can stain these items more easily than other garments.

Formal Dresses

It’s fairly safe to say that a fancy dress should be dry cleaned after each wear. Formal events almost always result in wine, perspiration, or sugar stains on your garment and if left untreated the stains could become difficult or impossible to remove later. Most importantly, if we’re talking about your wedding gown, you’ll want to get it dry cleaned and properly preserved as soon as possible to keep the dress looking perfect.

Overall, the general rule is that unless you have a spill, most of your clothing can be dry cleaned after a few wearings, with some exceptions. If you think that you’ll forget, the best thing you can do is schedule for us to come and pick up your dry cleaning. We won’t even charge you extra for the pick up or delivery.

For other answers to some frequently asked dry cleaning questions, visit our FAQs!