Do you ever refrain from buying a gorgeous item because the tag says 'Dry Clean Only'?

I've always been under the mindset that you shouldn't buy an item if you won't be able to care for it, or the care for it will be too expensive for the items use. What I notice more often than not these days though is that brands are using the 'Dry Clean Only' tag as more of a precaution rather than giving you proper cleaning instructions.

This week I was asked when do you need to dry clean your clothing and I wanted to share with you what can skip the dry cleaners and what should definitely go using a handy little graphic I whipped up (aren't I turning into a computer wiz!).

So, to quickly dispel a myth, most of the time when a garment says 'Dry Clean Only' you really should just be hand washing the item and taking care when doing so. Dry cleaning has become more of a luxury than anything else, business shirts can be washed at home, your work skirts, and your work dresses from places like Cue and Veronika Maine are mostly hand-washable. Nine times out of ten, you don't need to dry clean and you can save yourself some extra money. If you have beaded items that are delicate, it's actually much better to hand wash them than to dry clean them.

Stylist Tip: Dry cleaning your clothing actually damages them over time and causes the fabric to break down and shrink irreparably.

When Do You Need To Dry Clean Your Clothing Continued:

The reasons you should dry clean the above are:

Bridesmaids dresses and weddings dress should always be taken directly to the dry cleaner, the majority of these fabrics watermark and due to the fragile nature of the fabric, need to be handled with care.

Yours and your partner's suits should be dry cleaned if they've got wool lining or if they're fused. Fusing is glue and water will make that separate, so dry cleaning is the only option. Wool suits often have a glue used with their canvas lining and regular washing with water will make them separate. As wool suits are often much more expensive than regular suiting, dry cleaning is a smart option.

If you have anything that's silk velvet at home, avoid wearing it out in wet weather and spot treating the stains. As soon as it gets wet, it's almost impossible to reshape.

So now that you're aware of the fabrics that should and shouldn't be sent to the dry cleaners, hopefully, you've saved yourself a bit of dosh and can use it towards a fabulous pair of new shoes, a holiday or a manicure. Enjoy having your clothing well looked after, and see you next week for more fabulous clothing care tips and fashion advice!