How do I care for my husband's business suits?

November 19, 2006 10:23 AM

How do I care for my husband's business suits?

For some reason it seems that none of the dry cleaners in town can return a suit to me without it looking like crap. The outside breast-pocket hangs open, the seam where the arm meets the shoulder is puckered, and do they even press the bottom of the sleeves? It's not a crisp fold, so the lining hangs out. These are expensive suits and it seems like they should look fabulous. It just occurred to me that maybe there's something else I should be doing besides sending them to the cleaners. Or do I just need to pack up and move to a town with better cleaners?

posted by angelfish to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

Best answer: Suits don't need much dry cleaning: if you're sending them out more than two or three times a year, you're doing more harm than good. You're better off brushing them clean, then hanging them to air. If/when you do send them out, find somewhere that does spot-cleaning and hand-pressing.

And as with shoes, you'll get more combined wear out of two suits worn on alternate days.
posted by holgate at 10:44 AM on November 19, 2006

I second holgate. Spot cleaning is preferred, if/when you spill somthing on a suit. Brush the suit frequently to remove surface durt. Steam cleaning is better than dry-cleaning (which should be done sparingly). Also, request hand-pressing for a suit -- which will cost more, but is better than machine pressing.

Tips on keeping your suits looking new.

And as with shoes, you'll get more combined wear out of two suits worn on alternate days.

And cedar shoe-trees help to maintain the shape of the shoe, as well as absorb perspiration and odor.
posted by ericb at 11:49 AM on November 19, 2006

Consistent with what Holgate says, this guy says suits should be dry-cleaned only rarely. He also has a lot of other interesting tips on men's clothes.
posted by jayder at 11:51 AM on November 19, 2006

Best answer: Invest in a good tough wire brush to get rid of the daily gunk that builds up.
posted by oxford blue at 7:07 PM on November 19, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks, guys. You're awesome.
posted by angelfish at 6:33 AM on November 22, 2006