The Meaning Behind That Dry Clean Only Tag On Your Clothes, And Whether Or Not You Can Get Away With Skipping A Trip To The Dry Cleaners

When hand-washing clothes, use a very gentle detergent and cold water, as warm or hot water can shrink clothes.

Stop hand washing immediately if the clothes begin to warp, fade, stretch, or shrink. To ensure extra protection for your clothes, only hand wash a small section of the garment as a test first.

Expensive suits, jackets, and evening gowns or dresses should always be dry-cleaned. After all, it’s better to spend a few more bucks dry cleaning them than waste your money by ruining them through machine washing.

Materials like velvet and wool should also be dry-cleaned to maintain their shape and quality.

However, if your clothes are made of materials like nylon, polyester, and cotton, you can machine wash them. Keep in mind that using gentle or organic detergents can help your clothes last a bit longer.

So, the takeaway message is that if you have garments that are ‘dry cleaner only,’ stay safe and take them to the dry cleaner, especially if they mean a lot to you.

You can give hand washing a try, but you need to remain gentle and diligent, keeping an eye out for any potential damage.

Finally, if you’re out shopping for clothes and hate going to the dry cleaners, read the clothing labels!