How often do you clean "dry clean only" clothes? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

How often do you clean "dry clean only" clothes?

Makrame

Veteran

I used to avoid "dry clean only" items entirely and only recently started buying them. I realized that I can find better quality jackets and skirts (lined, etc.) if I am willing to buy not only washable clothes. I only have a few things that require dry cleaning (2 jackets, 2 Halogen skirts, some pants).

What are your "mental guidelines" for dry cleaning? I am used to throwing shirts and t-shirts and dresses into the laundry basket after one wearing. I am now cleaning skirts after about 6 uses and do more or less the same with jackets but it sounds like many people don't clean clothes that often.

I am especially curious about what do people do after wearing jackets with sleeveless tops since it seems that collars and underarms would require cleaning after just a few uses.

General

16 replies

Latest reply was from renae

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

Well i use Dryell so it's not really a biggie for me. It depends on what i did that day, the item, the fabric etc but probably like twice in the winter/colder months?

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I also tend not to buy dry clean only items. I bought a silk shift dress this year and cleaned it after one wear. Of course, summer in FL will tend to make you need to clean anything after just one wear. But the bill of $13 makes me think I will try gentle hand washing next time! 6 uses sounds about right to me for outerwear type items. I would clean next-to-skin pieces about every other wear or when noticeably needed.

Jonesy

Veteran

Yay for starting to buy dry clean only items! You are so right about the quality: I find that good-quality silk and wool actually repel odors, believe it or not, so once I hang something up to "air out" I can usually just put it back in the closet for a few more wears :). I am with Nicole in using Dryel. It is very easy, inexpensive, and convenient, and now I don't think twice about buying dry clean only items. How often depends on the item. Some things get arm-pitty (TMI?) after a few wears; some jackets can go many, many wears without needing to be cleaned.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

A lot depends on the situation, but typically I can wear an item 3-5 times before dry cleaning it -- and that's something like a sweater or a silk blouse. Summer items get cleaned more often due to sweat. :-/ I can usually wear jackets many times before dry cleaning them.

Quite a few of my dry clean only items do just fine with a spin through the dryer with some Dryel.

I think clothes last longer when they are not laundered more often than necessary.

Makrame

Veteran

Mo, I think I was influenced by some of your recent posts about cost-per-wear and also by Kate's spreadsheet for calculating cost-per-wear, so I started calculating my CPW, including dry cleaning. What I realized is that a nice jacket that cost me $90 and will probably be worn every other week or sometimes every week, will have CPW of $6 by the end of the season. If I dry-clean it after 6 wearings, this adds about a dollar or two to CPW. So $6 vs. $8 - not as much of a difference as I have always envisioned. Now, when you live in Florida, that's a different story - it's hard to imagine not having to clean clothes often in your climate. And, of course, if that jacket lasts for 3 years and CPW drops to $2, then the dry cleaning bill will make more of a difference.

Anyway, not that the CPW is the all-important consideration but the cost of dry cleaning always made me stop and think twice before buying something. That, and the fact that I always forget to pick up my dry cleaning.

Isis

Veteran

I wear jackets FOREVER before I wash them. They have layers underneath, so don't get dirty from sweat and body odors. Eventually they get food spills, and need to be cleaned.

Skirts also go along time before washing.

Depending on the day, I can get 1-3 wears out of a shirt. Jeans and pants, 3-4 times.

It depends on your lifestyle (how messy your day is) and your body chemistry! If it looks clean and passes the sniff test, wear it another time!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Not until I drop coffee all down it, usually.

It really depends on the garment. For coats, very rarely (pretty much only if it gets a stain); for dresses, after one wear. I own almost no day-to-day clothing that touches my skin that is dry-clean-only, but cocktail dresses tend to be dry-clean-only and I usually wear them only to events where I might get a little sweaty, because dancing is involved.

None of my jeans and skirts are dry-clean-only, but it would be fine if they were, because I wear them many times before having to clean them. Like, at least five times.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Only if visibly dirty or stinky.

Makrame

Veteran

Well, my problem was that generally I planned on not having jackets cleaned very often but then I realized that I like the look of jackets over sleeveless tops. That's where things get sketchy - if it is a hot day or I am traveling, the jacket will get slightly sweaty fairly quick. I noticed that I am now doing a bit of advanced planning by wearing long-sleeved shirts under the jackets first, and then switching to sleeveless tops when it is almost time for dry-cleaning the jacket.

Although I agree with Jonesy that sometimes "airing out" on a hanger is enough to make a jacket wearable again.

ironkurtin

Veteran

If it has any sort of odor, even perfume, it gets cleaned. Or if it starts to get that shiny-greasy feeling or stain on any surface.

Jonesy

Veteran

Okay, since we are talking frankly about body odors and armpits, I feel like I can make a pitch for heavy duty anti-perspirant. Someone here at YLF (Rae, maybe?) mentioned Certain Dri a while back and was raving it. You put it on at night before bed, and it keeps you from sweating for a few days. I tried it and it did work like a charm, but it dried out my skin near my armpits so much that I had insane itching--insane!! For many days! So then I switched to Dove Clinical Protection ("prescription strength wetness protection with moisturizers") and that seems to work as well in terms of eliminating the sweating, but it isn't as drying.

I wear lots of jackets with sleeveless tops too, so I hear you about the pit situation with jackets. Now that I'm a night-before anti-perspirant convert, it's not an issue.

Hopefully no one was too grossed out by this brief tangent.....

ironkurtin

Veteran

I use Certain Dri as well, but I've found you can have a bit of pit aroma even without sweating. Just to put the cherry on the sweat-gross-out sundae...

sarah

Veteran

As long as we're going the TMI route, I need to get some armpit protectors for my jackets. I remember Already Pretty's Sal recommending something. I can't wear antiperspirant because I'm allergic. (Well, I can wear it once in a great while, which I save for the occasions when I'm giving a talk at a conference and get very nervous - but if I overdo it, I start to develop a rash). But I sweat when I lecture, too, and it means I should be dry cleaning my jackets more often than I do.

Here's the link:

http://www.alreadypretty.com/2.....undry.html

Makrame

Veteran

Interesting ideas, I like the armpit protectors and the deodorant info. I don't have a problem with deodorants (mine seems to do its job for the most part) but I still feel like it would be nice to have an extra layer in the underarm area. Must read the Already Pretty post!

I read today that men's suits are supposed to be dry-cleaned twice per season. I guess that's because they wear long-sleeved collared shirts, and not sleeveless tops.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

The guys wear collared shirts on the wards - their "white doctor coats" stay whiter far longer than mine.

My body chemistry naturally turns white --> yellow really fast; hence I hate wearing whites and wearing that dratted doctor coat... so I don't Don't have a problem with smell or any other colours though!

renae

Interesting! I am anti-sleeveless tops for this very reason. I am one of those who is always cold, so I need sleeves year 'round, usually in the form of a jacket or sweater over a top. I depend on the sleeves of the washable top to absorb some of the pit problem. Thanks for the Dove Clinical Protection recommendation, Jonesy. I'm going to try it.