How often should a formal suit be dry cleaned?

A rough guide by how it was worn

These are rules of thumb rather than fixed intervals.

• A short indoor evening, no marks: air it and put it away. Clean it later if it is going into long storage.
• A long day, a warm hall or dancing: clean it before the next wear, especially the pieces worn against the skin. Sweat is invisible at first but yellows fabric and weakens silk over time.
• Any visible stain: clean it soon, before the mark darkens or is pressed in, and tell the cleaner what it is.
• Outer layers in cool weather, such as a velvet shawl or a coat worn over the suit: several wears between cleans is usually fine, with airing in between.
• Before long storage: always, even if the suit looks clean.

Why clean before storing

Most problems found when a formal suit is unpacked began the day it was put away. A splash of a sweet drink, a dab of perfume or a little sweat dries invisibly, then turns yellow or brown over the months. Moths and carpet beetle larvae are also drawn to fibres carrying traces of food and sweat. A clean before storage removes all of that while it is still easy to remove.

When the suit comes back, take it out of the cleaner’s thin plastic cover, which traps moisture, and put it away as our guide to storing dupattas and embroidered suits describes.

How often to dry clean silk

Silk is where the balance matters most. Sweat and deodorant weaken it, so a silk kameez worn on a hot day should be cleaned before it is worn again, even if it looks fine. Yet it also loses a little lustre each time it is cleaned and pressed, so a silk outer layer or dupatta that never touched the skin can go several wears. Raw silk and cotton silk need different handling, as our guide to cotton silk and raw silk explains.

Looking after it between cleans

Good habits after each wear stretch the time between cleans without letting dirt build up.

• Hang the suit in an airy room overnight before it goes back in the wardrobe.
• Brush velvet and wool lightly, in the direction of the pile or weave, to lift dust.
• Dab a fresh mark from the back with a clean damp cloth if the fabric allows it; do not rub, and never iron over it.
• Steam out creases from the inside where the fabric allows, rather than pressing flat over embroidery.
• On long days, wear a soft cotton layer underneath so less sweat reaches the outer fabric.

Choosing your next outfit with cleaning in mind

If regular dry cleaning is a cost you would rather avoid, choose the fabric for your next formal outfit with that in mind. With Fabric + Stitching, say in your quote request that you would like something you can wash at home, and we confirm what is possible on your design. Our fabric guides show the main options.