1. Hang it up
Do not leave your suit in a crumpled heap on the floor. Put it on a hanger and hang it up properly, somewhere airy and dry. Over time creases can weaken the cloth and cause undue wear and tear.
2. Find a good dry cleaners
Many old fashioned dry cleaners use really tough chemicals which will damage the stitching of your suit, and quite probably the cloth as well. You know that annoying sheen that appears on old suits? That comes from the nasty chemicals used. In particular, find a place which doesn't use PERC.
3. Buy a second pair of trousers
Alternating your trousers will more than double the life span of your suit. Wearing a different pair of trousers each day is infinitely better than wearing one pair for a week, then the other pair for a week.
When you wear clothes, your body heats the cloth, expanding the fibres, this makes them more vulnerable to wear and tear. Giving them a day off allows the fibres to contract again, almost repairing themselves.
4. Air clean
This is as green as it gets! Rather than putting your suit straight back into the cupboard, hanging it on a washing line or near an open window. Airing it out won't damage the fibres so it is much gentler than a wet clean, but it still gets rid of any lingering smells over the day.
5. Steam
And if air cleaning isn't enough, steam clean it. Either hang it up in the bathroom while you have a shower, or set your iron to the strongest steam setting and (without letting the iron touch the suit) just run over it with some steam. It will flush out some of the odours which linger after a stressful day. This is also a good tip for the underarms of shirts which can be tricky to clean.
6. Ask for Underarm Shields
If you know that the underarm of your suit jackets is prone to discolouring and the odd odour, ask us to put in armpit shields. They can be removed and replaced over time leaving you with a clean, fresh underarm every couple of years.
1 comment
V useful tips!