Dry Cleaning (or Lack Thereof)
I have a confession to make. I don’t take a single thing to the dry cleaners. I just can’t bring myself to do it! a) It’s expensive. b) I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of chemicals go into the process. c) I barely have time to exercise, yet alone swing by a dry cleaners.
So, in general, I try to avoid those dreaded “dry clean only” labels (yes, it is hard for me to shop for professional clothing).
However, when I do by something that is supposedly “dry clean only” I usually end up putting it through the wash on cold using the gentle cycle (and air drying). That’s what I did with my new favorite professional pants from Banana Republic. These pants seriously feel like yoga pants. I don’t even want to take them off when I come home. The good news is they made it through the washing machine! (Granted, they may get worn out more quickly because I’m bucking the system, but we’ll see…). They shrunk a bit in terms of length and fullness, but I can definitely live with the shrinkage (hopefully it’s a one-time deal…).
7 Comments
Brite Lines
Haha, I have two pairs of these! Love 'em. And one of them is white – yikes. I've taken them to the eco-friendly dry cleaner once, but by and large I just end up trying not to wear them too much. Good to know they made it through the wash, thanks!
Anonymous
Hi Sara,
I'm the same — anti-dry cleaners for time/$ reasons. But if you're worried about the environment, there are fortunately more and more eco-friendly/green cleaners showing up. Not cheap, I'm sure, but an option if necessary.
Anonymous
OMG!! $79 for one pair of pants is insane.
Ms Bear Cub
those pants look so comfy!
For the record, I'd pay $79 for pants if they felt good enough – yoga comfort at work sounds rad!
saracotner
@ Anonymous: I had a special 40% off coupon which helped a lot. Also, I wear my clothes for a long, long time. I usually only have five or six pairs at a time (so I can wear one pair a day–I'm a teacher, so I'm always sitting on the floor). When one of those pairs need to be replaced, I'm fine spending money on them. For example, I just had to add a pair to my fabric scrap box because I was wearing them at a school and my colleague said, "Hey, Sara, you have a big hole in your pants and your butt is shining through." I had been wearing that pair for 6-7 years!
Elisabeth
Oh, I'm tickled! I just recently wrote a whole post about how I wash everything in the washer. Except vintage dresses. I wash them in the tub. Glad I'm not the only one!
Vee
Have you tried Dryel? I don't know how it would fit with your attempt to avoid chemicals, as I just haven't looked at it closely, but I buy them so I don't have to take things to the dry cleaner. They will not make your clothes CLEAN, but they will freshen them up so you can wash them less frequently and maybe get some extra wear out of them! (I go to the dry cleaner maybe once every 4 or 5 months, tops!)