Complete guide on dry cleaning and laundry of suits

Suit Cleaning 101: How to Dry Clean Your Suit the Right Way

Dry cleaning your suits frequently can actually reduce their lifespan due to the chemical process involved. Save the dry cleaning for stains or other major emergencies, and even then have them spot clean only the affected areas if possible. The rest of the time, man up and care for your suit yourself.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there, especially when it comes to dry cleaning and caring for suits. And all that bad advice can cause some serious damage to your wardrobe.

That’s why we turned to Nada, the Dependable Cleaners Manager with 34 years of dry-cleaning experience, to answer your suit cleaning questions and give the proper advice on how to care for your suit.

The Basics of dry cleaning suits

Your normal clothing care process is simple. Step one: Wear it. Step two: Wash it. Step three: Repeat. Your first inclination, after trotting out your suit for several days at the office or a few evenings on the town, is probably to have it dry cleaned. Don’t

These are the tips and essential tools you’ll need to make sure your suit stays looking as good as the day you bought it. Remember, NEVER wash your suit. Ever, despite what idiots tell you.

How often should I dry clean my suit?

According to Nada, you should really be dry cleaning your suit after every wear — especially if you live in Lagos.

“Cleaning is actually based on climate. Here in Lagos, the temperature can change drastically in just a few minutes. Which means sweat.”

Your body excretes ammonia in your sweat, which is bad news for your clothes because ammonia causes discolouration. And the longer you let your suit (or any of your clothes) sit covered in sweat, the more damage can occur.

“If you want your $600 suit to last, you need to take care of it the right way,” says Nada. The way to do that is to take your suits to get dry cleaned every time you wear them.

How should I care for my suit between trips to the dry cleaning person?

If realistically you’re not going to take your suits to get dry cleaned after each wear, then you should focus on wrinkle and stain prevention, NOT at-home cleaning. That’s because there’s not much you can do to clean your suit or get rid of wrinkles at home without negatively affecting its lifespan.

Nada recommends:

• Hanging your jacket and pants properly as soon as you take them off
• Not wearing your sportscoat when driving; hang it in the back instead
• Taking off your jacket when walking outside in warm weather or even leaving it at the office when you go to grab lunch

Can I throw my suit in the dryer to get wrinkles out?

That’s a hard no. According to Nada, you should never put your suit through the washer or the dryer. And de-wrinkling your clothes by throwing them in the dryer for 10 minutes is just bad advice.

“Heat is your clothes’ worst enemy. It does all sorts of terrible things to them. All you’re doing when you put your suit through the dryer is setting stains and sweat into the fibres.”

That’s why you should really take your suits to get dry cleaned and pressed; the solvent used in the dry-cleaning process isn’t hot and the drying temperature is relatively low.

Even if you’re in a pinch and need the suit right away, laundrymann can help. We offer quick, convenient same-day dry cleaning across lagos, like VIP Express Service and 24-hour kiosks.

Can’t make it to the cleaners? We’ll even come to pick it up. Learn more about our complimentary pick-up and delivery laundry service.

Should I iron my suits between wears?

No, you should not iron your suits at home. Heat is incredibly damaging to hair and fibres, and you should never apply high heat directly to your suit.

In fact, when your dry cleaner presses your suit, the iron never actually touches the fabric! There’s a special attachment on their iron that lets them get out wrinkles without touching the hot plate to the clothes.

What should I mention when I drop off my suits for dry cleaning?

When you drop off your suits — or any piece of clothing — for dry cleaning, make sure you point out anything that may need repair or extra attention, like stains and damage to garments. Terry recommends telling your dry cleaner about:

• Loose strings
• Missing buttons
• Any seam openings or fraying hemlines
• Stains (and anything you did to pre-treat them)

You should definitely tell the cleaners about any stains on your suit at drop-off so they can treat the stain properly. “The more we know, the better we are at getting the stain out right the first time… and most people don’t know this, but minor repairs can be free!”

Should I pre-treat stains before bringing my suit to the dry cleaning agents?

No; this one is another myth! You should not pre-treat stains, or even soak them in water, before dropping suits off for cleaning. This is for a few reasons:

• Your cleaner may not know how their solvents will react with whatever you treat the stain with
• It’s hard to mimic the effects of your at-home cleaning, like if you caused discolouration to the sleeve
• Soaking in water can cause water lines and leave a brown ring on garments; then your cleaner must fix the water line AND the original stain

Despite your best intentions (and all the bad advice out there), it’s best to leave stain removal to the experts at laundrymann! Curious what stains can dry cleaning remove? Check out our blog.

Essential Tips For dry Cleaning & Caring For Your Suit

With the basic tools in hand, you’re ready to get down to the nitty-gritty of actually tending to your dapper dress-up clothes. Work hard, play hard, care hard. Here’s how to extend the life of your faithful sartorial companion:

#1 Cleaning Your Suit

Have we made it clear yet that your suit should rarely be banished to the dry cleaners? Some especially dedicated suit enthusiasts will only dry clean their suits once or twice a year. Base your dry cleaning habits on your suit’s fabric. Fabrics of higher micron numbers (higher than Super 150s wool) are richer and softer, but also finer and more fragile. Dry clean these as infrequently as possible. After a big night hang your suit outside and use a damp cloth to clean any spots.

#2 Never Iron Your Suit, Steam It

A good steamer isn’t cheap, but it’s a worthwhile investment. Steaming your suit is a delicate method of removing wrinkles and odours and won’t damage the fibres. Avoid using a regular iron to press your suits as the high temperature may cause damage. Also avoid steaming the chest area, which may disrupt the shape of the internal canvas.

#3 Learn To Brush & Roll

Wool has a tendency to accumulate dust, dirt and lint from the environment with wear. Brush your suit after each outing, beginning at the shoulders and working your way down. Always brush gently and slowly, and never perpendicular to the fibres. Use a lint roller as needed to keep everything looking spiffy.

#4 Hang IT Correctly

Hang your suit when you’re not wearing it. As we’ve already noted, you should never use flimsy metal hangers and should take care to hang your suit in a space where it isn’t cramped up against other clothes. The right hanger will have a contoured shape that matches the shape and drape of your jacket, will be wide enough to touch each edge of the shoulders and will be made of a natural wood that helps absorb moisture from the fabric.

With unparalleled experience, outstanding customer service and the highest-quality time-saving services, laundrymann should be your go-to choice for dry cleaning services in lagos.