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I hope this is the correct room in which to post this... it's a laundry issue. Has anyone used a product such as Dryel At Home Cleaning Kit for dry cleaning their own garments in their own dryer?
I can't tell you how many dry cleaners in several states have plain ruined my garments. I honestly haven't had anything cleaned well for 15-yrs... I call it bad dry cleaning karma & I have it in spades. The last straw for me was a brand new $150 linen suit jacket which was completely burnt & the buttons were melted... I never even got a chance to wear it.
I'm gearing up for interviewing & just bought a few new suits off the rack & would like to dry clean them on my own, but was wondering if anyone has done this with success? If so, which product did you use?
I use Dryel for my dress clothes and really like it. Make sure you pretreat any visable soil or stains with the inclosed pretreating fluid. The only problem I have with it is I have to drive 60 miles round trip to get refills.
I use Dryel for my dress clothes and really like it. Make sure you pretreat any visable soil or stains with the inclosed pretreating fluid. The only problem I have with it is I have to drive 60 miles round trip to get refills.
Thank you, MD. You do know it's available online? Kmart, Amazon, Buy.com... with gas prices these days, it might be cheaper to pay S&H online.
Thank you, Kate. Good tip. I'll order it online tonight. I have about 2 dozen outfits which need dry cleaning. I'm really glad to hear this works by both of you!
I must say that my dry cleaning only needs freshening... no real soil problems. I purchased the starter kit for $20 from drugstore.com, which contains 3 towelette packets, supposed to be enough for up to 4 garments each, 12 total dry cleaned garments. I placed 4 dresses into the zippered bag, dry cleaned it on medium heat dryer for 30-min & not only was it great (fresh, fluffy, smelled great), the towelette was still completely wet afterwards, so I dry cleaned another 4 garments using the same towelette... this time 4 wool suit pieces. Came out great again.
So, it looks like each packet will dry clean 8 pieces for me... 24/box... refills are even less... $10/3 packets, since one doesn't need to purchase the zippered bag again. I also pay $1.25/dryer load, so that's an excellent bargain for me (less than $1/garment, all totaled for this initial purchase... .50-cents/garment afterwards when purchasing the refills), when I've paid upwards of $10 in NYC/Boston for 1 suit jacket alone!
The kit contains a pen with dry cleaning solution to treat spots... I never have any since I mostly dry clean gowns, dressy dresses & wool/silk suits. I've had SOOOOOOOOOO many garments ruined & have not been able to recoup costs... I decided I wouldn't dry clean EVER again... I'd do something on my own.
I LOVE Dryel! Give it a whirl if you want to save $$$ on your cleaning bill. No more dry cleaners for me, ever. BTW, if I had a long wool overcoat, I'd only put 1-2 into the bag (whichever fit easily)... but, since I can get 2 cleaning loads out of each towelette, I'm still impressed.
As KiwiKate said... yes, make sure you take the bag out of the dryer promptly & hang garments up pronto! They feel wet when taken out & do wrinkle quickly... hang up your clothes asap. Good luck & save some $$$!
I have begun washing clothing pieces that I would have taken to the cleaners....not a suit, but:
linen separates...wash in cold water, mild deterg/delicate/handwash cycle and them immediately hang up after, no dryer. Good results.
Same for wool sweaters.....they come out just great, and soft as I use liquid fabric softener....just no dryer.
No chemical smell or high $.................
Quote:
Originally Posted by PatanjaliTwist
I hope this is the correct room in which to post this... it's a laundry issue. Has anyone used a product such as Dryel At Home Cleaning Kit for dry cleaning their own garments in their own dryer?
I can't tell you how many dry cleaners in several states have plain ruined my garments. I honestly haven't had anything cleaned well for 15-yrs... I call it bad dry cleaning karma & I have it in spades. The last straw for me was a brand new $150 linen suit jacket which was completely burnt & the buttons were melted... I never even got a chance to wear it.
I'm gearing up for interviewing & just bought a few new suits off the rack & would like to dry clean them on my own, but was wondering if anyone has done this with success? If so, which product did you use?
I have begun washing clothing pieces that I would have taken to the cleaners....not a suit, but:
linen separates...wash in cold water, mild deterg/delicate/handwash cycle and them immediately hang up after, no dryer. Good results.
Same for wool sweaters.....they come out just great, and soft as I use liquid fabric softener....just no dryer.
No chemical smell or high $.................
Hi GBH... Sorry, I didn't see your post earlier... just revisited the thread to see if I ever updated it. I agree wholeheartedly with your DIY cleaning.
For some pieces, it's luck of the draw. I knew a woman who said she threw everything (& she had only high-priced retail-priced designer clothing) into the washing machine AND gentle dryer! What?!! I haven't always had good luck with the washing machine, but, I'm a big soak-it-in-a-basin-with-shampoo girl... I've shrunk garments in the washer (perhaps it's the agitation... yes, even on delicate cycle with scant, mild soap), but hand washing has worked well in 99% of the pieces I've owned.
I just let many garments (ALL lingerie, wool, silk, spandex workout wear, all T-shirts, any gently-made article... silk, soft materials, "flimsy" fabrics, even gowns... basically anything sans lining) soak in warm or cool water (cool if I want to prevent any possibility of shrinkage) with any shampoo (Sally's gallon jug of store shampoo is great for this... nice gentle scent remains, too & it's $12-ish/gallon, even to non-professionals). Dishwashing liquid works nicely, as well & I like the smell better... but, as it's more $$ I use Sally's shampoo unless it's not available. The great advantage is I've had 20-yr old clothing (fortunately, I like classic lines) which is still in great shape. And, cheap $3 T-shirts last forever when soaked for a few min in a basin... I don't like replacing anything unless an absolute necessity. Most people toss T's after a season as they're so beat up.
I've shrunk linen skirts by handwashing. But, I have several silk skirts which are fine! Go figure. I guess a lot depends on the quality of the garment.
You mentioned washing sweaters, too. To save a few pennies, should you run out of fabric softener, you may use cheap hair conditioner (far less costly & damaging to fibers than softener). Especially when washing a wool sweater/blanket... it's hair, too, so it works great.
For suit jackets/suits/wool coats... I'll still use the Dryel, which I love.
Good tips, thanks.
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