Dry cleaning: avoidable?

[Dinoco]

Well, my very first skirt arrived in the mail, complete with an unexpected little tag specifying "dry clean." [Edited: I originally wrote that it said "dry clean only," but actually the word only is omitted. I'm given to understand that that's somewhat significant.] I'm opposed to dry cleaning for environmental, financial, and convenience-related reasons, so I'd much prefer to hand-wash it if that would be feasible. The skirt is cotton/nylon with a polyester lining. It has some simple pleats which are pronounced at the top but at the bottom are much softer and not very pleat-like at all. I'm guessing that the dry cleaning is supposed to maintain the integrity of the pleats or something, but they're (mostly) not very prominent to begin with so I'm not sure. So, do you think I should be able to clean it by hand without destroying it, or is it back to eBay with this one?

[skirted_in_SF]

This article published last year in my local paper may give you some ideas on how to care for your new skirt.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 1JMUCS.DTL

[couyalair]

I think these "dry clean" labels are stuck in many garments simply so that you can't complain if you wet clean (aka "wash", as done for hundreds of years) and something goes wrong.
I wash my kilts with suitable soap and am always happy with the result, just as I used to machine wash trousers, whatever the label said. The less nasty chemicals used the better.

Martin

[skirtyscot]

I am of the more cynical view that the clothes manufacturers are in league with the dry cleaning companies, possibly being paid to sew in "dry clean only" labels!

As for your skirt, cotton nylon and polyester are all washable, so dry cleaning seems unnecessary. I suppose there's a chance that the skirt will shrink but the lining won't, leaving your lining showing. A cool wash, maybe?

[Dinoco]

I guess I'll try washing it by hand first and see what happens. If that goes well then I may put it in the washer next time. Thanks all.

[renesm1]

I have to agree with the comments above. Usually when I see the words "dry clean only" I see a manufacturer looking for a legal way of avoiding customer complaint. I wash a lot of dry clean stuff myself and for the most part I still have the garments in a good state!