With most of our clothes, working out when to clean them is pretty straightforward. We wear individual items, then wash them after use. Some garments might not need washing every time we wear them—although ‘the sniff test’ is not a reliable indicator! But overall, it’s pretty obvious when our clothes need washing.
When it comes to suits, however, the picture is less clear. We wear suits a little differently than other items of clothing, so caring for them and cleaning them is a little different too. Perhaps surprisingly, we actually clean our suits too frequently and often damage them in the process. This can have an impact on their longevity.
So let’s take a look at how often you should be cleaning your suit. But before we do that, it might be a good idea to explore how best to care for and clean your suit in the first place.
How to Care for Your Suit
More often than not, caring for our suits properly is more important than cleaning them regularly. There are a few things that you can do with your suit short of going for a full cleaning that will help keep them looking their best and prolong their wearable life significantly.
For starters, it’s well worth having more than one suit, particularly if you wear one on a day-to-day basis. Rotating your suits will help reduce wear and tear on each one.
Steam clean your suits before you wear them. With a low heat steam cleaner, you can remove wrinkles and always look sharp while keeping your suit in good condition.
Brush your suit after wearing it. This will get rid of crumbs or dirt particles that can become ingrained in the fabric.
Hang your suit properly on a quality wooden hanger. This will let the fabric recover naturally and allow wrinkles to ‘fall’ out.
How to Clean a Suit
When your suit does need cleaning, the best method is to take it to a dry cleaner. Dry cleaning uses special solvents to remove dirt and oils from materials without water, meaning it is very gentle and does less damage to your fragile garments.
Dry cleaning can take care of tough stains and persistent odors while prolonging the life of your suit.
How to Tell if a Suit Needs Cleaning
Knowing when to clean your suit is a matter of judgement. If airing your suit can no longer deal with smells, dust or dirty patches, it’s probably time for a clean. At this point, you should always go to the dry cleaners. For dress suits and special occasion menswear, this will probably only be once a year, but business attire will require far more frequent cleaning.
For an expert, efficient, and friendly dry cleaning service, look no further than WaveMAX Laundry! We can take care of all your dry cleaning needs and even offer pick-up and delivery service.
