What Items Should Always Go To The Dry Cleaners?

You should always trust those personal care tags that come with your clothing… except when it comes to dry cleaning. Sometimes there are instances where any item that you might not normally think to dry clean—and whose tag specifically says not to dry clean—will be just fine, if not better when cared for that way by a professional. Here are just a few items that you should always take to be dry cleaned(regardless of what the care instructions say!).

Silk

As a natural fabric, silk is quite durable. However, drying natural fabrics can cause some problems if done incorrectly (wool is a great example of this). That said, these days dry cleaners can probably handle cleaning your silk better than you can: even though they can withstand the usual washer-dryer treatment, there’s still a risk that something could go awry during the drying process. This is especially true with darker silks, which tend to bleed their dye.

Anything Pleated

It’s not a matter of fabric so much as it is designed. Maintaining those pleats is tricky work if you aren’t equipped for it, and most of us aren’t. Keeping those pleats and folds in proper shape is more complex than ironing out wrinkles. Most dry cleaners have specialized machines that perform this difficult task with perfection.

Wool

Unlike cotton, which is preshrunk, wool will shrink in warm or hot water, potentially ruining the piece. As durable as it is, wool should be handled and cleaned with the utmost care, which may mean dry cleaning. If for some reason you can’t get your wool clothes to a dry cleaner, hand wash in cold water.

Precious items

If there’s something that you’re incredibly attached to—your favorite suit or dress, for example—it’s best practice to have it dry cleaned as a precaution against the myriad of problems that can come up when doing laundry in the home.

Let Oak Neck Cleaners take care of your dry cleaning needs. You can find us at 945-4 Montauk Highway in West Islip, New York, or call us at 631-422-4339.