Dry Cleaning is Overrated

Dry cleaning is a pain.  Aside from the cost and environmental concerns, you have to drive there to drop off and pick up, and the driving is more time consuming than just taking care of washing something at home.  I've been dabbling in hand washing for many years, but an article in the Star Tribune encouraged me to wash an even wider array of clothing.  Here are the specific tips on caring for clothes at home and avoiding dry cleaning from the Star Tribune:

• Dress shirts: Pre-treat collars, cuffs and underarms with vinegar or diluted oxygen bleach before each wash.  I use an old toothbrush to scrub stain treatment along the collar band

• Denim: Turn inside out and wash with a gentle detergent

• Sweaters (including cashmere): Hand-wash in sudsy ammonia or toss them into a mesh laundry bag and into the machine with a gentle detergent or shampoo. Wash on the delicate cycle. This works for blanket throws, too

• Suits, sport coats, wool pants: Place in a mesh laundry bag and wash with Woolite on the delicate cycle. Warning: It will be a big wrinkly blob when it comes out. Hang up until almost dry, then steam it (while hanging) and iron the lapels

• Winter coats and comforters: Treat stains, then wash with a gentle detergent. Hang until almost dry, then finish in the dryer with tennis balls

• Silk ties: Put them in mesh laundry bag, and wash with a gentle detergent or shampoo on the delicate cycle. Hang to dry

• Rugs: Hang on a clothesline and beat the dust out. Scrub with soap and a brush, then rinse with a water hose. You’ll want the rug to dry quickly so pick a hot, windy day for this task

I rack-dry all of my delicate items, and this gives great results, as well as avoiding the shrinking risk of heat for fibers like wool. The real trick with washing it home is with the pressing.  You need a good steam iron and decent ironing technique.  I have a gravity feed iron that can really deliver steam.

Gravity Feed Steam Iron

Heavy wool coat- Called for dry clean, I hand washed

Lined jacket.  The dry cleaners could have washed it with other items, making the white dingy.  I washed it by itself- white preserved!