can you wash a suit jacket?
When it comes to men’s fashion, it’s not as simple as you might think. Lapels, cuffs, socks, and more are all details that need to be taken into account when dressing for success. Men can find themselves in trouble if they don’t know how to properly launder their formal and business wear.
A good suit jacket is expensive, and you don’t want to ruin one any time soon. Learn how to care for your suit jacket and keep it in tip-top shape.
We all love our jackets, but they get pretty dirty over time. So what do you do when you want to give them a good clean? Can you just put it in a washing machine? we will answer all your questions in this article.
can you put a suit jacket in the washing machine?
No, you should never put your suit jacket in the washing machine or dryer. Suit jackets are all about proportions and structure, if you put them in a washing machine, it will mess up the structure of the suit, which will make it look bad on you.
The biggest damage that a washing machine can cause to your suit jacket is that it will ruin your shoulder pads and crisp shoulder pads are an essential part of any good suit.
Shoulder pads can be a differentiator between a good suit and a bad one. If you have an expensive suit, then putting it in a washing machine will just ruin it completely.
The other thing washing a suit jacket in a washing machine could do is it can damage the fabric and can also cause permanent wrinkles on your suit jacket.
So it is best if you take your suit to a dry cleaner if it needs any cleaning and even if you want to clean your suit at home there are ways in which you can do it but putting it in a washing machine is definitely a no go.
what will happen if you put a suit jacket in the washing machine?
Putting your suit jacket in the washing machine can cause a lot of damage to it.
Expensive suits use high-quality fabrics, and putting such suits in a washing machine will cause a lot of damage to the fabric. It can also cause permanent wrinkling to the fabric, which would ruin the suit jacket.
Another thing that would be caused by putting your suit jacket in the washing machine is that it would mess up the shoulder pads of your jacket. Good shoulder pads give shape to your suit, and if you put them in the washing machine, your shoulder pads would be completely ruined, which would make your suit look cheap and old.
The same kind of damage could also be caused by dryers, and dryers can cause even more damage because of the heat that it uses on the clothes.
That is why it is recommended that you don’t put your suit jacket in the washing machine or dryer.
If you have a cheaper suit, then it would probably be made of polyester, which is usually safe for machine wash, but even then, I would suggest you avoid washing it in a washing machine.
how do you wash a suit jacket at home?
There are a few methods in which you can wash or clean your suit at home without getting it dry cleaned.
The first method is to use a brush to remove lint and dirt from the fabric, so if your suit is not very dirty, you can just use a brush and clean it in this way.
If your suit has got a stain, then you should try spot cleaning; you can use a gentle cleanser or baby shampoo, apply it directly on the stain and then gently blotch it and then let it dry.
If you think your suit has gotten really dirty and needs to be washed and, for some reason, you don’t want to take it to a dry cleaner, then you can hand wash it.
Don’t use detergent for this, use baby shampoo or you can buy wool shampoo and use that to gently cleanse your jacket. After washing, hang the jacket on a hanger and let it dry, don’t put it in a dryer.
why are suits dry clean only?
A lot of clothes have the dry clean only tag on them, but that is just a recommendation most of the time. But it is best that you follow this.
Suits should not be washed, especially in a washing machine, and there are many reasons for that. Washing can damage the shoulder pads and the fabric of your suit.
Another reason for avoiding washing suits is that a suit jacket is made of multiple fabrics and materials, so if you wash it, the fabrics would shrink at different rates, and that would damage the shape of your suit.
Thus it is best that you always get your suit dry cleaned instead of washing it.
the bottom line:
Suits are dry clean only clothing, and washing them, especially in a machine, can damage them massively, and it should be avoided. You can, though, do spot cleaning if your suit has got some stain. If you still want to wash your suit, then you can hand wash it using a gentle cleanser.