How to wash a suit at home

Taking suits to the dry cleaner frequently is a considerable expense, in addition to the inconvenience of not having all the clothes available in the closet. Luckily, we can easily wash a suit at home and have it impeccable to wear it to the next meeting or sarao.

There are different processes to wash a suit at home, almost all of them are simple and cheap methods that require materials that we find at home. However, we must always be attentive to the fabric that we are about to wash, as there are fibers that are extremely delicate and can be easily damaged. It never hurts to review the garment label and inform us of its characteristics and care.

We selected two procedures recommended by specialists, one with a washing machine and iron and the other without any machine in between. In any case, it is advisable not to abuse this type of cleaning, once a month at the most.

How to wash a suit in a washing machine

If we have to wear a suit every day to work, washing it at home becomes the most sensible option. This is how they explain from Aecetia, a cleaning and home maintenance company, the most common method:

1. Turn the pieces of the garment inside out
2. Insert the suit (inside out) in the washing machine.
3. Add neutral liquid detergent for fine and delicate garments.
4. Program a gentle wash without spinning. Choose a short wash cycle (no more than 30 minutes) and very gentle. It is very important that the water temperature is cold. Do not use fabric softener, as it could damage the fabric, or the spin option of the washing machine to avoid wrinkles.
5. Let the suit dry in the open air. Hang the garment on a hanger, never on a rope with clips, and make sure it is out of direct sunlight. It is recommended to hang it up at night so that, in the morning, the suit has the ideal humidity to carry out the last step.
6. Iron at low temperature. It is the most delicate moment, since a suit requires very careful ironing; in fact, some fibers can be damaged by the slightest excess heat. Lay the garment out on the ironing board and cover it with a cloth to prevent burning. If the iron has a steam function, it is advisable to spray the fabric every few minutes (if it does not have this function, just use a steamer with water) At a low temperature, iron carefully and normally.

HOW TO WASH A SUIT WITHOUT A WASHING MACHINE

If we fear that our garment will be damaged in the washing machine or when ironing, we can try the solution proposed by the experts at Sastrería González for the washing a men's suit, including the tuxedo:

1. Fill a basin with warm water, not hot to avoid damaging the fibers of the suit fabrics.
2. Add soap or detergent with a very low pH.
3. Mix soap and water to make a little foam. Submerge the suit and continue stirring.
4. Let the suit rest in the basin for a minimum of 5 minutes.
5. Once the time has elapsed, remove the suit from the water. Drain well and rinse with cold water.
6. Place two towels on the smooth surface. Hand dry, pressing the towels well to soak them and wick moisture from the garment.
7. When as much moisture as possible has been removed, hang the suit on a hanger and stretch it out well. Let it air dry, avoiding direct sunlight.
8. Once the suit is dry and smells nice, run a clothes brush through all sides of the suit.
9. If you want to iron a wrinkle, don't use an iron for anything in the world. It is preferable to use a steamer, which removes wrinkles without having to subject the suit to the aggressive heat of the iron.