Top Tips for Cleaning and Caring for Your Suits

For men and an increasing number of women, a well made suit is an investment in their career. So you will want to keep it looking as good as the day you bought it for as long as possible. Did you know that suits that aren’t hung correctly with lose their shape and too much dry cleaning can cause colour fading?

Whether you purchase your suits off the rack or have them custom made to measure by a popular tailor made suit specialist such as Institchu Tailored Suits in Australia, your suits will require a little TLC to get the maximum wear out of them.

Hanging It Up

How you hang your suit up at home and at the office, matters. To retain your suit’s original shape, never hang your jacket over the back of a chair, fold it shoulder to shoulder and drape it over the chair. At the end of the work day, hang your suit jacket on a wooden hanger. Never use wire hangers as the weight of your suit jacket can bend the wire out of shape.

Hang your suit trousers full length (not folded) upside down from a strong bar hanger.

Skirts should be hung using a skirt hanger which has clips to hold it in place. To avoid marking your suit skirt, ensure the clips are kept clean and don’t hang too many skirts on the same hanger.

To avoid crushing your suit, don’t hang your suit pieces too close to other clothing in your closet. Providing a little bit of space between each suit also allows air to circulate.

Keeping It Clean

Brush your suit lightly with a lint brush after wearing it so it is ready to wear the next time you need it. Always brush from top to the bottom (never side to side).

To retain it’s original shape avoid dry cleaning your suit more than twice a year. The chemicals used can also cause colour fading so always dry clean your suit jacket, pants, vest or skirt at the same time, so all the pieces of your suit remain the same colour.

When using a garment bag to store a suit, ensure the bag is ventilated, otherwise the suit can become musty smelling or mouldy over time.

General Care Tips

To restore creases in your suit pants, use a gentle warm iron over a damp cloth. You can also restore creases by getting it pressed by professional dry cleaner. Some tailors also offer this service.

Last but certainly not least, the most important tip I can give you is to follow any care instructions printed on the label. If you had your suit custom made or made to measure by a tailor, it’s best to refer any questions about caring for your suit to them.

When you consider a quality, well made suit can cost you hundreds of dollars, it’s worth taking just a few minutes a day to look after your suits properly.

Do you have any other care tips you would like to share? Please tell us your suit care tip in the comment section below.