Typically, a man’s dress suit is the most expensive piece in his wardrobe. But far too frequently, men neglect to give their favourite suits the care they need, allowing them to gradually break apart which defeats the purpose of having a timeless piece in the wardrobe. The secret to your suits lasting a long time and being stain-free is knowing when and how often to dry clean them. And follow the basic rule of making sure that your custom-made suit lasts a lifetime.

However, stains are unavoidable in life—from the makeup spots left on your shoulder by your significant other to the drops of red wine that get up on your shirt sleeve or just the sweat accumulating in your custom-made suit which can result in an unpleasant odour that you surely want to get rid of. It may surprise you to learn that most men wind up having their suits dry cleaned way too frequently despite the stains. Cause your suits are undoubtedly high maintenance. And they deserve to be maintained as and when they call out for. It is pertinent to note that, our custom-made suits are made of high-quality Italian made fabric and hence, it demands its due maintenance.

WHAT EXACTLY IS DRYCLEANING?

Strong solvents are used in the chemical cleaning technique known as “dry cleaning” to thoroughly clean your clothing. Only professionals should attempt this process. Strong chemicals used in dry cleaning can be harsh and cause materials to deteriorate over time, losing their colour and strength. Hence, only give your suit to a professional dry cleaner, and do not attempt to try to do it at home at your own disposal. It would otherwise ruin the lustrous fabric of the suit.

Wearing a suit exudes confidence and commands attention. A vital part of suit maintenance is bringing it to the dry cleaners. The method of cleaning textiles without the use of water or detergents is called dry cleaning. The procedure isn’t as dry as the term might imply, though. Hence, it is a deep cleaning procedure, without causing any harm to the custom-made suit fabric and retain its texture and shine.

Usually, a solvent like tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene (perc) is used to soak garments. These substances are non-flammable, work well with most textiles, and have potent cleaning capabilities. This results in an in-depth thorough cleaning that makes your custom-made suit look exactly how it looked when you bought it.

After agitating the clothing to get rid of stains and grime, a new solvent is used to rinse it. The solution must then be drained and extracted using a spin cycle. Lastly, heated steam is used to evaporate the leftover solvent once the clothes has dried. That process strains out all the water and excess product that has been left inside the fabric to give it the perfect dry look.

BENEFITS OF DRYCLEANING YOUR SUIT!

One advantage of dry cleaning a suit is that it can get rid of stains like grease and oil that are difficult to get rid of using a “wet” cleaning method. The wet cleaning method on the other hand, will firstly, not be able to do a deep cleaning of extracting all the dirt and grime from your custom-made suit, secondly, it would reduce the life span of the fabric and make it appear worn out.

Natural and delicate fibres might shrink, change colour, and even lose their original shape when washed in water. As hot water would shrink the fabric and completely transform the texture and appearance of the custom-made suit fabric and make a few sizes smaller than its original size.  However, they dry clean beautifully. Water stretches and swells fibres in delicate fabrics, changing their structure as they are being cleaned. Dry cleaning would never shrink the fabric rather, give it more elasticity and add longevity to your custom-made suit.

Additionally, there is a greater chance of fabric damage when using a water-based detergent and high heat to remove stains. Since dry cleaning shields fabric from heat and moisture damage, it is the best cleaning technique for custom-made suits. Furthermore, by eliminating stains, soils, and ground-in dirt that abrasively damage fabric fibres, dry cleaning helps prolong the life of clothing. Hence, it is highly recommended to get your suits dry cleaned on a regular basis, because that would maintain your custom-made suit, keep it intact for the years to come and makes it evergreen and more wearable. With the use of specialised pressing equipment, dry cleaning restores suits to their original, flawless state while taking care to avoid shrinking, colour fading, and texture changes.

RULES TO KEEP IN MIND

1. Do not dry clean your custom-made suit every week or month, as that would accelerate fabric deterioration which would make your garment look completely worn out and make it less wearable in the future.
2. Make sure whenever you take your clothes out for dry cleaning, never give your garment in bits and pieces. By that we mean, give the whole suit set for drycleaning, as there maybe a slight change in colour of the garment after dry cleaning. Hence, you don’t want your jacket to look completely different from your trousers.