If you have items that you have been dry cleaning (say, a silk blouse), a way to rejuvenate them is to wash them by hand. That will freshen them up by removing cleaning fluid buildup and make the whites white.
Source: My Mother
By pam munro from L.A., CA
Uderarm Odor On Dry Clean Only Clothes. I have a very expensive, dry clean only suit that has underarm odor. I took it to the cleaners but the odor is still there.
What if the care label says dry clean only? Can I safely soak in milk and then wash them?
What is the item? I have had good success hand washing in a bucket wool "dry clean only" skirts and sweaters. A drop of Tide or Woolite and cold water, swish. Sit for a few minutes, rinse in cold water. Lay flat to dry. Silks and rayons I have had almost no luck with as they wrinkle too much and I have no patience to iron.
Milk can stain and cause terrible smells in most fabrics (in my experience being a clumsy person) so soaking it in milk would be a total NO to me. I spilled milk once on a sweater and it took multiple washings to get that sour, disgusting smell out of it.
If you want to save money and clean your clothes at home they have special dry cleaning kits that you can buy to wash your own clothes. They also have a special dryer sheet that is possible to use to steam the clothes in your dryer. You can try this to save money.
Can I carefully hand wash a dress made of 60% linen, 30% viscose, and 16% elastane?
Thank you.
What is methyl chloroform and can it be used for spots and stains?
I did a search for Trichloroethane or methyl chloroform. The most important information is that it is a nervous system depressant, among many other problems, and causes ozone depletion. Use as a solvent has been almost phased out all over the Earth. You can try further research and this very helpful site:
en.wikipedia.org/
I have an ivory white pant suit that has yellowed badly, how do I clean it? The long sleeve jacket is 100% linen, with a white silk lining, and the pants are 60% linen and 40% rayon.
I have put them in the cleaners, and nothing. It says dry clean only but, that is not helping at all. Please help me.You can't bleach rayon or silk.....and rayon is a synthetic... I have never been able to get yellowing out of a fabric without using bleach, and this you can't bleach. Rayon also doesn't take dye well, so I doubt it would work to use a dye remover.
I just purchased a white 100% cotton sweater that has a red heart in the middle with dry clean only instructions. Do you think it is possible to wash the sweater by itself? I am trying to decide whether I should return item.
You would have to wash it in cold water all by itself so that the red heart doesn't bleed. Dry cleaning is expensive, but if the sweater is expensive, you may not want to ruin it.
My closet is filled with lovely garments many of which (allegedly) require dry cleaning. I once watched a documentary about how damaging that process can be and since then (these past 30 years) have assiduously avoided doing so.
Your sweater? The first time? Wash it in cool water in your kitchen sink using just a few drops of dish soap. Dunk the sweater up and down in the soapy water a couple of times, rinse it thoroughly with cold water and squeeze dry (do not twist / wring it out).
After the first time you'll know it's colour fast and you can probably safely wash it with other delicates in your laundry, using cold water and gentle settings. Air dry it for a few minutes in the dryer before laying flat on a towel.
Oh, Honey!! I would test the red heart first before putting it in the water. I'll bet it WILL BLEED ONTO THE WHITE !!!! --- been there.
Good luck,
I think you are right. I do like the sweater but it seems like a lot of trouble to keep it. Does anyone know anything about Dryly (sp) that you can use in your own dryer
I would for sure handwash it in cold water with Woolite or gentle dish soap. I would try to hold the red heart up out of the water so it didnt get wet. After you wring it out, roll it up in a dry bath towel... or two... Do it a couple of times to get out all the water. Try to keep the red heart from being in contact with the white. You might even consider covering the red with plastic wrap (inside and out...both sides of the heart). Best of luck.
I have a dress that's made of viscose rayon nylon lining and the instruction on the garment states dry clean. Can my garment be hand washed? It's a more than $200 dollar maxi dress by Ranna Gill.
I love the dress, but it's just a hassle to dry clean one garment for me! I guess if I have to I can dry clean it, but I wonder if there's any suggestion to clean this dress easier? Thanks!I have a vest that looks like it is suede, but the shell says 100% polyester. The inside looks like sheep skin, but tag says 60% polyester, 40% acrylic. I brought the vest to a place that is the middle person. The dry cleaner did not want to clean it. Do you think I can wash the vest in Woolite only and hang dry it without damaging it?
By Kelly S
Will machine washing a pair of slacks labeled "dry clean only"made of 65%polyester/35%rayon ruin them?
By A.Clay
I have a lovely and expensive wool peacoat. Unfortunately my niece threw up all over it. I checked for a washing label, but can't seem to find one, so I'm assuming it needs to be dry cleaned. Unfortunately the one closest to me has closed. Does anyone have any ideas on how to clean it? I've heard of washing on a gentle cycle with Woolite, but I'd like some other opinions before I give it a try.
By Katie
If the tag recommends dry cleaning, you're taking a risk by washing it yourself. However, some wool coats may be safely washed by hand or machine. If your coat just needs a touch-up, you can safely spot clean even dry-clean-only coats.
To hand wash:
1) Swish the coat back and forth in the soapy water for several seconds. Let the coat soak for up to 5 minutes.
2) Smooth out wrinkles with your hands, and gently shape the coat.
3) Lay the coat on a large bath towel. Roll the coat in the towel. Leave it for a few minutes to absorb water, then *dry.
*Allow the coat to dry thoroughly before hanging or wearing
