Do you have clothing with “dry clean-only” tags, and you aren’t sure how to properly care for the items? You know that you need to use a dry cleaning delivery service to clean the clothes, but how often? Also, what should you do between dry cleaning appointments? Get the scoop so you’ll know how to protect your garments. Then, your dry clean-only items will look fresh and new, even if after years of wear.

Stick to a Dry Cleaning Delivery Schedule

Sticking to a dry cleaning schedule will help your clothing last longer. Dry cleaning is gentle on fabric and removes odors and stains. Following a dry cleaning schedule will help you keep your clothing for years.

Let’s look at how often you should dry clean your garments.

You need to dry clean your dresses after wearing them once or twice. Send blouses to a dry cleaning delivery company after wearing them three or four times. Sweaters should be dry cleaned after wearing them two or three times, while you can wear pants and skirts five times before dry cleaning them. You also need to dry clean outerwear one time each season.

If you are unsure how often you need to dry clean your clothing, talk to your local dry cleaner. Your dry cleaner wants your clothing to last, so he or she will assess the items and go over a schedule that will preserve your garments.

Always Dry Clean Garments Before Storing Them

Do you put dry clean-only garments in storage? If so, always dry clean them first. This is important, even if you’ve only worn the item once. Body oils and other materials can damage the fabric. These materials are often invisible to the naked eye, so you might not notice an issue until you take the garment out of storage. Avoid this problem by sending the clothing to a dry cleaning delivery service before putting garments in storage.

Change Clothes When You Get Home

Because you don’t dry clean clothing after every wear, it’s a good idea to take it off when you get home. This will keep your dry clean-only garments fresh and clean between trips to the dry cleaner. Plus, you’re less likely to get stains if you change clothes when you get home.

When you take off your dry cleaned clothing, hang it back up, so it doesn’t get wrinkled. That way, it will be ready to wear the next time you need to put on a suit or blouse.

Prepare Your Clothing Before Sending It to the Dry Cleaning Company

You also need to prepare your clothing for dry cleaning. This is a simple process. Begin by gathering all the garments you want to send to the dry cleaning delivery company. Then, check for stains. If you find any stains, use masking tape or pins to mark them. Be sure to include information about how and when the garment was stained, so the dry cleaner can use the best techniques to remove it.

You should also see if your garments have missing buttons or need alternations. Your dry cleaner can handle this for you, so evaluate your clothing and make a note of any issues that need to be addressed.

If you have time, unbutton your shirts and remove pet hair from the garments before sending them to the dry cleaning company. While this isn’t necessary, it does speed up the process, so you can get your items back faster.

Finally, meet the valet and place your garments in the bag. Then, the dry cleaning company will handle the rest.

Don’t Treat Stains Yourself

If you have a stain on a dry clean-only garment, don’t treat it yourself. You could end up stretching or shrinking the garment. Plus, you could rip the fabric, and the stain might bleed, affecting more material. Instead, take it to a professional who specializes in dry cleaning stains. A professional dry cleaner can use solvents to remove the stain without harming the garment.

Take Garments Out of the Plastic

If your garments come back in plastic, remove them from the bags. Over time, plastic can break down and harm your clothing’s fabric. Also, plastic bags are a breeding ground for moisture. As the moisture builds up, you can end up with mildew on your clothing. You don’t’ want that to happen, so take your items out of the plastic bags as soon as you get them back from the local dry cleaning company.

Be Careful When Hanging Items

You want your dry cleaned clothing to look its best at all times. That’s why you need to take your clothes off the wire hangers when you get them back from the dry cleaning company. Wire hangers are only meant to be used for a short period of time.

Once you get your clothing back from the dry cleaner, transfer your garments to a solid, strong hanger. Strong hangers, such as wooden hangers, provide more support than wire hangers do. Because of this, these hangers maintain the shape of the clothing.

While wire hangers aren’t good for long-term use for your clothing, you can repurpose them. Wire hangers make fantastic marshmallow roasters, scarf organizers, and more. Get creative, so you can reuse your wire hangers instead of discarding them.

Sign up for Dry Cleaning Delivery Today

Now that you know how to protect your clothing, it’s time to take the next step. Sign up for a dry cleaning delivery service to handle your cleaning needs. You can schedule the service online, so you don’t even have to spend the time making a phone call. Once scheduled, a valet will pick up your garments and transport them to the dry cleaning facility. They’ll be professionally cleaned, and then the valet will take them to your home or office.

This service is a breeze to use, so don’t delay. Schedule your service today, and you can have professionally cleaned clothing without having to travel to the facility yourself.

Sources:

https://styleblueprint.com/everyday/dry-cleaning-tips/

https://www.stitchfix.com/women/blog/ask-a-stylist/when-to-dry-clean/

https://www.shafferdrycleaning.com/cleaning-tips/keeping-clothes-like-new/