Vanity Dry Cleaning?

A recent Fashionista post about vanity sizing, made me think about another fashion industry fib: the “Dry Clean Only” tag. I started to question this command awhile back when I began seeing it on stuff that didn’t seem dry clean only, like 100% cotton pieces, for instance. However, scared as I was of losing my clothes forever, I did as I was told.

That is until the J.Crew 10% cashmere boat neck sweater came into my life. I wore it a bunch and felt like it got less attractive every time I took it to the cleaners. It was blue and white striped, but it started to take on this grayish hue that I wasn’t feeling. That’s when my mom said, “put it in a delicate wash.” She says that a lot as she is a staunch devotee of the delicate cycle, but I thought, “well, what do I have to lose?” It’s not like I was going to continue wearing something the same color as dishwater. So, I tried it, and it worked better than dry cleaning–a wine stain came out of that sucker. And I’ve been doing it ever since.

I mean, I wouldn’t risk silk or anything like that, but if it’s mostly cotton or synthetic, I do it. I think, like, 90% of the things I own that say that magic sentence are bologna. Maybe I’m crazy, but I think it’s just a way to make us think that we’re buying something precious that only a professional can properly handle. Seriously. That tag is probably just there to distract us from the fact that the quality of most clothes just isn’t what it used to be.

Here are the rebellious, anti-”Dry Clean Only”rules I live by:

1. Use a cold water, delicate cycle and hang dry–the dryer is not as friendly as the washing machine and can cause major shrinkage.
2. Since the “incident of the Lacoste sweater,” I don’t machine wash silk. That’s just me–others say it’s safe. A hand-wash has worked safely for me.
3. Wool can totally be hand-washed and laid flat to dry. Just make sure you turn it over, so it dries thoroughly on both sides. Do not ring the item out–roll it in a towel and squeeze the water out (trying kneeling on the towel.
4. Anything with structure, like a jacket or a suit goes to the dry cleaners because I don’t need the headache.

Oh, and here’s my disclaimer: all this washing is done at your own risk. I’ve been doing it for awhile now with few mishaps to speak of, but I can’t promise things will turn out well for you. Go with your heart.