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Member since 2/25/06
Posts: 1950
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Posted on: 5/13/07 10:11 PM ET
A woman gave me a bunch of dresses that needed dry cleaning. They had been in the back of my closet for a long time when I decided to wash them all on gentle except for the expensive silk wrap top and let the chips fall where they may.

Everything came out perfectly. I'm going to refashion them to update them now that I know they are washable. Most of them were made from synthetic fabric. I also washed a dress of mine that I thought was washable until I took it out of the dryer and it said, "Dry clean only." It looks perfect. I'm not going to dry clean a dress I got on a deep discount for twenty dollars.

It's rediculous the things they put dry clean only on.
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"puhPOjhu"--a river that sinks into a mountain with fury and winds around underground for miles before emerging in calm down the road...
  
Member since 12/23/03
Posts: 1276
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Posted on: 5/13/07 11:03 PM ET
I once saw a swimsuit labelled "dry clean only." How ridiculous is that?!
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"All things are difficult before they are easy."
--Thomas Fuller
  
Member since 10/20/05
Posts: 1185
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Posted on: 5/13/07 11:22 PM ET
In reply to Seamingly Simple
Quote: Seamingly Simple
I once saw a swimsuit labelled "dry clean only." How ridiculous is that?!

*snorts*

Bloody brilliant, that.

I do not buy dry-clean only RTW stuff because I do not do the dry-cleaners thing, and I can't afford to risk the clothes losing length in the wash. Any fabric I buy will be subjected to the washer and dryer, so of course the completed garments will as well.
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... but what do I know?
  
Member since 6/3/05
Posts: 177
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Posted on: 5/13/07 11:53 PM ET
I agree--I don't buy into the dry clean routine either. If it can't go through the washer and dryer it won't last long in my house. (Except for tailored wool jackets and formal wear. That's why they invented dress shields, right?)

I wonder if the garment manufacturers label items "dry clean only" to cover substandard dyeing or assembling.

I pretty much ignore the cleaning instructions on the bolts of fabric and just ask for a swatch to test. I've been eyeing a lovely double-sided satin silk charmeuse for lounge wear, and ran a swatch through the washer and dryer with a regular batch of clothes. It came out just fine--which makes sense when you remember silk charmeuse was used for (fancy) underwear in the 1920s. Several rayon challis and chiffon swatches also survived the washer and dryer, though the chiffons were softer once the sizing was washed out.

Good for you, though, taking the great washing machine gamble--and winning!
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We all have a dark side. Looking at my fabric stash, I am forced to admit that my dark side is pink.
  
Member since 12/9/04
Posts: 2015
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Posted on: 5/14/07 7:39 AM ET
Maybe "dry clean only" is a disclaimer, like "may contain peanuts" for a jar of jam??
I think they're only covering themselves, legally...
Rhonda
  
Member since 1/12/04
Posts: 6312
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Posted on: 5/14/07 9:18 AM ET
I've had dry clean only garments that I laundered after I was tired of them and the cleaners really weren't getting them clean enough, and they shrunk. You really are taking a chance if you toss them in the washer.
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Marilyn

January 2009 to January 2010 81 yards out and 71yards in January 2010 to the present 106.7 yards out and 146.5 yards in. January 2011 to the present: 47 yards out and 69 yards in.
  
Member since 5/11/03
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Posted on: 5/14/07 9:30 AM ET
Speaking of washing clothes labelled "dry clean", I recently purchased a silk chiffon tunic that says "dry clean" but I'm planning to handwash with cold water and line dry. Does silk usually handwash well?
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Kim
  
Member since 9/14/05
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Posted on: 5/14/07 11:33 AM ET
You can handwash silk in a gentle detergent like Woolite as long as the color isn't very dark. The dark, bright colors are better off dry cleaned to keep the dye better.
--according to Thai Silks insert

The Fiber content can give you a good idea on what will happen to a dry-clean only garment. Polyester is fair game, but rayon will shrink. Much safer to do any testing on fabric swatches than to try it on a completed garment.
  
Member since 1/12/04
Posts: 6312
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Posted on: 5/14/07 1:49 PM ET
In reply to Speech girl
Sometimes it does, and sometimes it shrinks and the colors run.
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Marilyn

January 2009 to January 2010 81 yards out and 71yards in January 2010 to the present 106.7 yards out and 146.5 yards in. January 2011 to the present: 47 yards out and 69 yards in.
  
Member since 1/12/02
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Posted on: 5/14/07 3:59 PM ET
Face it, a lot of people don't know how to launder properly, and use the hottest temperatures on everything, as well as whatever detergent is handy. Because of this, I think manufacturers protect themselves and the clothes by specifying dry clean only.

Also, the fabrics themselves may be ok to wash, but interfacings, trims, buttons, shoulder pads, etc. may not hold up to washing.
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Now blogging at http://sewwest.blogspot.com
  
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