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Dry cleaning fabric at home Dry cleaning kits for home use to pretreat fabrics before sewing
Timmithea   Advanced CA USA Member since 5/4/08 Posts: 15	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/24/12 10:17 AM Has anyone had success using the home dry cleaning kits to pretreat your fabric - like silk, rayon or wool? -- Edited on 8/24/12 10:19 AM -- ------ Timi
stirwatersblue Intermediate KS USA Member since 12/13/08 Posts: 2468	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/24/12 11:51 AM I have used them on finished garments, but not the yardage. I don't love the chemical smell/fragrance, and wonder if anything is actually happening in there! I've found I prefer a good steaming with a hot wet towel. YMMV. Honestly, I would see what happens when you wash a test swatch. I haven't tested *everything,* but of the fabrics I have experimented with washing--everything from upholstery fabric to wool suiting--it has ALL done absolutely fine in the wash. Sometimes there will be shrinkage, and sometimes the hand of the fabric changes slightly (usually softer), but so far I haven't rendered anything unusable! ------ ~Gem in the prairie
solveg   Beginner MN USA Member since 2/16/12 Posts: 366	Login to reply to this post In reply to stirwatersblue << Like this post Date: 8/24/12 12:40 PM Me too! I just spent 2 days washing 30 yards of "mystery fabric" from fabric mart. I'm almost done, but I haven't seen anything bad happen to any of it so far. I haven't even seen much bleeding, but I have separated things into color groups to wash them. Not gonna try the stuff that is obviously wool, or this burlap piece. But I was surprised that they all did fine in washer (cold) and dryer (delicate)
Elcue   Advanced WA USA Member since 6/13/12 Posts: 193	Login to reply to this post In reply to Timmithea << Like this post Date: 8/24/12 2:36 PM As I understand it, steaming the fabric is enough of a pretreatment for dry clean only fabric.
LauraTS   Advanced Beginner CA USA Member since 7/10/06 Posts: 1952	Login to reply to this post In reply to Elcue << Like this post Date: 8/24/12 3:22 PM Quote: Elcue As I understand it, steaming the fabric is enough of a pretreatment for dry clean only fabric. Ditto. Unless your fabric is literally dirty and you need to get a stain off, shrinking is the issue not cleanliness. Dry cleaners will steampress for you, or you can do it yourself (I think it's called Boston shrinking, one of the at-home techniques for big pieces of yardage). -- Edited on 8/24/12 3:23 PM -- ------ I've moved! Visit my new sewing blog at http://chiralcraft.wordpress.com Do you sew from KnipMode? Join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/knipmode_english/
Member since 12/31/69	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/24/12 4:24 PM I wash everything in the machine but for wool. I've always worn a lot of rayon challis, and other then having to wash on delicate and take out before it gets fully dry and too hot (or just line dry it), that doesn't even change hand.
PattyE   Intermediate MI Member since 9/7/10 Posts: 650	Login to reply to this post In reply to Elcue << Like this post Date: 8/25/12 0:50 AM Quote: Elcue As I understand it, steaming the fabric is enough of a pretreatment for dry clean only fabric. That's all I do too...and I use alot of fabrics that are dry clean only.

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