Day 82 | How to wash "dry clean only" clothes at home

I found this interesting comment on how to wash your "dry clean only" clothes at home. There are a couple of warnings, but other than that, I think it's worth a try.

"In general you can successfully hand wash most dry clean only garments. The success will depend on the type of fabric, how the garment is put together, the dyes used, and the printing process used on the fabric. Also your hand laundering success is dependent on the amount of dirt and stains on the fabric. For best results always use cold water and a gentle cleanser - some gentle liquid face soaps work well. Hand wash by dipping the fabric in and out of the sudsy water. Gently scrub with your finger tips areas of heavy soil. Never use bleaches, regular laundry cleansers, fabric softeners, or rinse additives."

"After you have hand washed your dry clean only garment, roll them tightly in an absorbent
towel. Unroll the towel and move the garment to a dry part of the towel and roll again. Continue until garment no longer feels drippy. It may take 2-5 rollings. Never wring or twist your dry clean only garment, even when they are in the towel."

"If the garment is stretchy like a sweater you will want to re-shape and dry flat on top of your
clothes drying rack . If it is made of real silk, wool or other natural animal fibers you should
place your rack out of the direct sun light. Give your dry clean only garments a gentle shake, as this separates the front from the back of the material for faster drying time as well as removing any wrinkles caused by the rolling process. Tops and dresses should be hung by the shoulders. Be sure to straighten the collars into position you want them to dry in."

"Clothing items that are NOT safe to hand wash and are best taken to the dry cleaners: The garment is made from acetate fibres. It is a rayon garment (Rayon often shrinks – however it usually only shrinks once. So if that dress is too big or long you could try hand washing it. Once its shrunk it is unlikely to shrink again). There is a special finish on the garment, such as fabrics that are stiff. These may have a stabilizing finish to maintain the stiffness. The garment is leather or suede. The garment is very special to you - and you would be sad if washing by hand changed the garment in anyway."

Tomorrow I'll try and cover some more on stain removal, as I did on Day 41, where I wrote about trying to remove paint from denim.