How To Clean Suit Trousers

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A lot of the time, we automatically take suits to the dry-cleaners rather than washing them at home. Whilst this is a safe method of keeping them clean without ruining them, it can get pretty costly, it's time-consuming and isn't always necessary.

How much does it cost to dry clean a suit?

A professional dry-cleaner may charge from £15 up to anywhere near £40 to dry clean a two-piece suit. This can increase depending on the fabric or whether the suit is a two-piece or three-piece. Over time, it can be costly to maintain a suit from dry-cleaners rather than doing it at home. To clear things up, here's everything you need to know about how to dry clean at home and whether you can machine-wash your suit.

Washing a suit jacket at home requires a bit more time and effort. If you've got the go-ahead from the label, wash the jacket carefully and then make sure you hang it to dry in its proper shape.

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How to dry clean a suit at home

You can buy machines that'll clean your suit for you from the comfort of your own home. Often pretty costly, these devices are probably only suited to people who visit the dry-cleaners every week or so with a new stash of clothes.

You can also buy dry cleaning kits to wash your suit yourself. These aren't so good for handling stains and tough dirt, but they can do a pretty good job on lightly-worn suits.

Instead, here are some easy steps showing how you can wash a dry clean only suit at home.

Check the label to machine-wash suit jackets

If you're wondering whether washing a suit at home would ruin it, the first thing you need to do is check the label. We have further information on wash care symbols here. Sometimes, 'Dry clean only' is put on more as a precaution than anything else. If your suit is made out of wool, silk, cotton or linen but is labelled as dry clean only, chances are you can wash it at home – sometimes you can even machine-wash suit jackets.
Test-clean suit at home

Before going ahead and washing your suit, test a small area to see what happens. To do this, apply water to a small area of your suit, and a little detergent and fabric conditioner. Then, swipe a cotton swab over the washed section. If any of the dye comes off onto the cotton swab, you'll need to get the suit dry cleaned. If it doesn't, you're good to go.

Washing suit jacket linings should also be tested just the same, as these are often visible when worn.
Wash suit

Now it's time to wash your suit. Dip your suit in and out of a bowl of cold water with Persil Silk & Wool until it's suitably cleaned and gently rub at any areas where there are marks. Then, rinse it off with cold water and leave it to air dry naturally.

If you'd rather machine wash, put your suit into a mesh bag after turning it inside out. Choose the gentlest option for washing and make sure it's set to cold. Once the wash is done, take out your suit and lay it out flat to dry. Easy!

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It is possible to wash a dry clean only suit at home, as long as you're careful and take all the precautions we've mentioned here. Once you know how to do it, you can save a whole lot of time and money!

Originally published 15 September 2020