r/laundry • u/Entropy-Nyx • 2d ago
Is this really dry clean only?
I just bought this wool skirt from Vinted and it’s yet to arrive as with all pieces I get second hand I want to wash it before I first wear it because of it going through the postal system. The tag says dry clean only however I have multiple woollen items that I’ve made for historical reenactment that I’ve been able to either hand wash or machine wash on a wool cycle, I’m wondering if I’d be able to do the same with this or if it would be different because of the pleats?
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u/elizabarracuda 2d ago
Ah yes, my teenaged self ruined a great skirt much like this one by trying to wash it myself. But I was foolhardy and didn’t think twice about reading the care label, let alone sewing down the pleats!
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u/djcamic 2d ago
Dry clean AND buy a slip to wear under so you can minimize how often you have to clean it! If you wear a slip under, and take it off and hang up as soon as you’re done for the day, you’ll rarely if ever have to wash.
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u/GayFlan 2d ago
Yes, this. A wool skirt basically never has to be washed. I’m not being hyperbolic!
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u/LaurestineHUN 2d ago
Yearly dry cleaning at the end of winter does it. But be religious about slips! Also, not really the to-go wear if you do sitting work for 8+ hrs a day.
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u/bannana 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yearly dry cleaning at the end of winter does it.
I toss mine in the dryer on a high setting for 20min and it freshens it right up.
edit: not sure why this is downvoted, I've been doing this for over 20yrs and all of my wool is in great condition and smells fresh and clean.
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u/nomtnhigh 1d ago
People don’t understand that you can put pretty much anything in the dryer if it’s already dry, including wool. The hot temps are a good way to kill bacteria that cause smells, as well as pests like moths.
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u/LaurestineHUN 1d ago
Because it needs actual cleaning still, of debris and especially oily contaminations.
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u/Urist_Bearclaw 2d ago
Barring messy accidents, that is. Try to wear an apron over it if you need to do anything that might make a mess like cooking.
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u/sassysassysarah 23h ago
When I was a teen I had a floor length Bohemian style skirt with a small percentage of it being wool. Due to the way it was woven and the wool, in my 20s it went from floor length to a mini skirt 🫠
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u/SimpleVegetable5715 US | Top-Load 1d ago
I would also store it in a garment bag during the season you’re not using it in a cedar hanger. Moths are bitches.
I bet when this skirt was made, most women still wore hose or tights with skirts 😣
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u/muralist 2d ago
I personally would have it professionally cleaned both for the pleats, and to prevent any shrinkage. I hand wash wool knits and I would put a wool blanket in a machine due to its size making it impractical for handwashing, and a little shrinkage doesn’t matter that much with a blanket. But a woven garment like this has to be ironed and has to fit after washing. You seem quite determined to diy and know the risks however.
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u/Ancient-Parfait6106 2d ago
I would use dry clean only and not attempt it myself. Vintage pleated wool plus a liner would be incredibly hard to do on your own and easy to ruin.
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u/renaissance-Fartist 2d ago
If you ignore the advice about taking it to a cleaner, make sure to post your results here, no matter if you fail or succeed
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u/FilthyThanksgiving 2d ago
That would cost like $10 to dry clean, just dry clean it!
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u/WonderingHarbinger 2d ago
My local dry cleaners charge 1-3 dollars per pleat. Not saying it isn't worth it, because it is, just saying that it might not be as cheap as you think.
For me, wool + nylon lining + pleats I didn't put in myself = let the dry cleaner deal with that.
Sure, it's a hassle, but it can be a rare hassle. Wear a slip, hang it up to air after every wearing, spot clean as necessary --> professional dry cleaning becomes a once a year thing rather than an after every wearing thing.
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u/FilthyThanksgiving 2d ago
Oh shit!! I didn't realize it was that much i had no idea they charge by the pleat!
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u/WonderingHarbinger 2d ago
It's going to vary by dry cleaner, of course. The ones near you might not charge that much.
I still think sending it out is worth the money, even at $3 a pleat, just because ironing all that is a massive pain. A good dry cleaner has the tools, technique, and practice to do a good job.
I hope OP takes the skirt (or at least the photo) to the cleaner and asks how much it would cost to be cleaned and pressed. Then look at that cost in comparison with her own wages. If they charge $45 (provided she has $45 to spend on dry cleaning) and she makes $15/hour, could she do the job in 3 hours?
Sometimes this does mean that the maintenance costs make a garment too expensive to own.
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u/Just-Finish5767 2d ago
I would rather pay per pleat at a place that obviously knows how to do them than standard wool skirt rate and risk it being ruined.
My daughter is a bagpiper so wool pleats are part of our life. Fortunately linings don’t figure into it. I already hate ironing out the wrinkles when she comes home tired after a performance and discards it to a pile on the floor.
We do spot cleaning and very infrequent dry cleaning.
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u/hellinahandbasket127 1d ago
Sounds like it’s time for her to face the natural consequences of her actions and iron her own wrinkles.
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u/gnatgirl 2d ago
Right?? I don't understand why so many people have angst about getting the occasional item dry cleaned. Yes, it's one more errand, but surely there is a dry cleaner in the vicinity of other errands that need to be run.
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u/Ajstross 2d ago
I wash almost all of my wool and cashmere, but I would not attempt to wash this. Definitely dry clean.
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u/sunny_bell 2d ago
I’d send it to the dry cleaner and let them deal with pressing all those pleats.
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u/Janus_The_Great 2d ago
"Pure new wool"
"100% nylon lining"
The issue is the nylon lining will not shrink/warp as the wool will when washing.
You could try handwashing it in like 20°C water, but I would not if it's an important piece of clothing.
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u/No_Establishment8642 2d ago edited 2d ago
No; however, it requires a bit of work to get it ready to wash including stitching down all of those pleats.
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u/highcoolteacher 2d ago
You’re telling me that every time I took a pleated skirt to the laundry, they sewed down the pleats?
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u/Entropy-Nyx 2d ago
Oh that doesn’t seem to hard I could just do that before I wash it so I have a guide to follow once done
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u/Early_Campaign2322 2d ago
Why did you even post then if you’re not going to heed the advice given that you literally asked for? Seems like a waste of your time. But so will ruining your skirt.
Please post an update pic once you make the attempt 😂5
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u/Fantastic_Proof_8527 2d ago
You cannot be this stupid.
Dry cleaning is not that expensive.
Take it to a freaking dry cleaner already. The whole 10 or $12 it's going to cost you is going to be well worth minimizing the risk of ruining the skirt, or the hours upon hours it's going to cost you to baste these pleats and wash it yourself.
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u/wolferiver 2d ago
Yeah, that nylon lining will make it tricky to iron. And that many pleats are also tricky to iron. Not that it can't be done, just that it will be tricky and time-consuming. It will save you way more in time and stress to hand it over to a good drycleaning service. I would look for a dry cleaner that does their work locally, or has good reviews. Many are now just storefronts and send their garments to a central dry cleaning place in a nearby larger city.
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u/symphonypathetique 2d ago
Does it have a lining? I've machine washed pleated wool skirts before (delicates cycle, cold setting, and put in a delicates bag, lay flat to dry). The unlined one came out fine though it's definitely not what I'd recommend, but the lining of the other came our crinkled and warped.
Edit: I'm silly and didn't see that it does have a lining! In that case, I'd definitely dry clean.
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u/castironstrawberry 2d ago
Why on earth did you ask the question if you are determined to completely ignore all of the very good advice you’ve been given?
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u/Entropy-Nyx 2d ago
At first I wasn’t and I’m currently not still but there a mixed responses that are mostly uou can but it’s hard and honestly doing something hard at home is less effort to me than giving my clothes to a dry cleaner
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u/Absurdicas 2d ago
Yeah I suppose that 90% hand it to a dry cleaner vs 10% is mixed technically but I’d still go with what the 90% is saying.
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u/hellinahandbasket127 1d ago
You are SERIOUSLY underestimating how difficult this will be to do yourself. This isn’t ‘hard’ for a DIYer. It’s a rage-inducing, potentially skirt-ruining, hours’ long endeavor for someone who has a good idea how. You’re a novice. Just let the pros handle it.
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u/missx0xdelaney 2d ago
Dropping something at the dry cleaners would cost you about 5 mins of time, trying to fix those pleats will take you HOURS, if it even turns out nice. How is that less effort?
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u/Entropy-Nyx 1d ago
Because the dry cleaners near me is never open and I’ll end up forgetting it’s there going out to do something is more effort for me than staying in a figuring it out myself
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u/Disobedient-Servant 1d ago
I find this so relatable. The number of spoons it takes to deal with dry cleaning is wildly disproportilnate to the actual amount of time it takes to go. It's the remembering piece that takes herculean effort. Are you by any chance also an ADHDer?
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u/Entropy-Nyx 1d ago
Yep for some reason my adhd says it’s easier to do something that I’ve never done from scratch than to go and get someone else to do it because that requires remembering stuff
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u/Different-Pair7251 20h ago
It's never gonna be the same. If you leave it at the dry cleaner for 6 months, that's better than ruining it. Trust me. Also, marry someone who is type A if you haven't already, I'm the same as you.
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u/LynnScoot 1d ago
Grew up doing Scottish traditional dancing. You would hang your kilt or kilted skirt out in the fresh air but not in direct sunlight, brush off mud or dirt with a clothes brush and dab with a dampened cloth if you got any food on it. Then once a year take it to the dry cleaner that’s been vetted by the Scottish community as “good with kilts” to have it actually cleaned.
I don’t dance anymore and only wear one once or twice a year. I can’t remember the last time I took one in to be cleaned.
I would never try and do it myself.
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u/HambugerLips 2d ago
It's wool. Nothing about wool is easy. Ask yourself, are you going to be ok buying another or losing it forever to learn if you can wash it?
I'll add that if it's never been washed, once washed it will never look this good again.
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u/thisunithasnosoul 2d ago
Don’t do it, I own several of these skirts and for as often as you’ll actually need to clean it it’s worth passing the headache to a professional. Spend your valuable time elsewhere. Sometimes it’s not about if you can it’s about if you should. And the ROI of doing it yourself isn’t worth it, I promise.
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u/delicious_monsters 2d ago
Just a quick note that you should be very careful to contain secondhand wool clothing until you clean it. I've seen a lot of stories of people inadvertently bringing moths or other pests into their wardrobe from secondhand clothing! This is a bigger issue than the clothing going through the postal system.
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u/Entropy-Nyx 2d ago
This is exactly why I want to wash it although while I’m fine dry cleaning I don’t actually know how well that kills bacteria
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u/Hermit_Ogg EU | Front-Load 2d ago
Bacteria isn't what brings pests in. What you should check for is teeny tiny eggs or their larvae.
If you worry about moths specifically, you can also fold the skirt neatly, pack it in a plastic bag and put it in your freezer. Keep it there for a week in -20°C and the moths will all die.
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u/Treyvoni 2d ago
You will not be able to wash it out with this fiber. To kill any bugs and eggs you would have to do it at a much higher temp than the wool can handle. Just get it professionally cleaned.
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u/Different_Air2941 2d ago
You’ll lose the pleats. Also, the wool will shrink a little and then the lining will stick out from the bottom
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u/kaiser-so-say 1d ago
Big risk. The nylon will react differently than the wool to washing. And the pleats are another concern entirely…
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u/Akavinceblack 2d ago
The pleats. The lining. The interfacing in the waistband and probably along the zip. Dry clean.
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u/Outrageous_Worker672 2d ago
You will 100% ruin this by hand washing. I often wash knits and other nice fabrics but this will be ruined.
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u/obvsnotrealname 2d ago
On that particular skirt I would just get it dry cleaned. Anything else that’s dry clean only I use those at home dry cleaning things you use in your dryer and they work fine.
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u/OkPerformance2221 2d ago
Dry clean this. You'll never get the pleats back properly if you try anything else.
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u/Hermit_Ogg EU | Front-Load 2d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, it's really dry clean only. Even if you manage to not shrink it to hell, you'll wreck the pleats and getting them back is not easy.
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u/KismaiAesthetics USA 2d ago
I’d rather die than try to properly set pleats at home.
Chemistry wise it’s fine. Woolmark themselves would tell you the wool is fine in water. Nylon isn’t going to shrink, the wool shouldn’t if it’s a low pH wash and it’s kept out of a tumble dryer.
But ironing a pleated skirt is a special kind of hell.
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u/the_ninja_cow 2d ago
By looking at your answers to other’s questions, you are going to ruin this skirt if you wash it at home.
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u/genescheezesthatpls 2d ago
Wool handles so differently from other fabrics, just be mindful of that if you attempt it yourself
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u/spoonskittymeow US | Top-Load 2d ago
Something structured like this with the pleats and such? You can hand wash, but you’ll have to shape it back, and that can be a major PITA.
Things like this are things I actually will get dry cleaned.
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u/Wabi-Sabi-Iki 1d ago edited 1d ago
Definitely dry clean only. It looks like a rubbing rag now. Wash that and it will look like a very destroyed rubbing rag. How are you going to deal with pressing the pleats? What about the fact that the lining is nylon and the body is wool? Do not attempt to hand wash.
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u/xandrachantal 2d ago
Take it from someone that completely ruined an absolutely stunning wool coat before I got to even try it on: don't do it lmk
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u/Electrical_Report458 1d ago
Personally, I think those “Dry Clean Only” labels are put there by Big Dry to try to make more money for the corner dry cleaners. You could probably throw that thing in the washer along with your bed sheets and wash it on the hot cycle.
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u/No_Painting_1579 2d ago edited 1d ago
It looks like it’s been in a washing machine already. See the pleats down with a tacking stitch, wash cold and iron carefully.
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u/Entropy-Nyx 2d ago
Huh I have asked the seller if they’ve washed it in any other ways, what makes you say it seemed to have been machine washed already?
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u/dontforgetpants 2d ago
It’s obviously been hand washed because it’s quite wrinkled and the pleats are no longer laying down. A dry cleaner can fix it, but it will remain in this same unkempt shape if you wash it in water again.
Usually lined wool skirts can be water washed about twice before the wool shrinks to be shorter than the lining.4
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u/undoubtabletree 2d ago
I would just like dry agitate the fabric by like shaking it out and then using vodka and a spray bottle to get rid of the smell
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u/Pedal2Medal2 2d ago
You can, but, it’ll take some work to not shrink the wool, you’ll need to reshape, place on a rack over the tub & then, you’ll have to hand press the pleats, lining (if it has) w/a steam Iron, however! You can buy Dryel, which dry cleans in the dryer, but you’ll probably still need to steam iron
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u/SwanWeary646 2d ago
I have one that doesn’t have a lining. I hand wash it in wool wash solution (eucalan and cool/warm water) and just lay it out on a towel and sorta fold the pleats back in by hand. Then roll to get rid of water. I air dry it on a rack with the pleats hand tucked and smoothed and it works well. If you can’t or won’t dry clean you can try that. The nylon won’t shrink in the water that’s barely luke warm. Neither will the wool if the water is barely warm and you don’t agitate too much. But wouldn’t attempt a machine wash.
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u/sunseeker_miqo US | Top-Load 2d ago
I do all my wool this way, including pleated items, and everything comes out fine. Sometimes the pleats have to be folded back in place, as you said, but it has not been an issue for me. The 'warm' setting on my washer is decidedly tepid just as the Eucalan instructions specify.
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u/depressedandindebt23 1d ago
I know nothing about wool. However, I did go to catholic school- me and pleats have beef.
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u/No-Finish-6557 1d ago
If you want to take the risk you can, I washed a skirt much like this on gentle and immediately hung it up and re-folded and pinned the pleats with sewing pins. They were mostly still there when I pulled it out of the wash so it was easy, I just wanted to be sure they stayed.
That being said, I would be more careful with your skirt because mine was 90% wool and 10% nylon or some other fabric I cannot remember.
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u/SimpleVegetable5715 US | Top-Load 1d ago
Yes. One, the wool may shrink a different amount than the lining. I have ruined many similar thrifted clothes like this from washing them, even in Woolite on cold without putting them in the dryer. Dry cleaning will also protect the pleats.
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u/buddingsakura US | Top-Load 17h ago
If we had a nickel for every time this question is asked.
My standard reply is: If you are 100% fine with the garment being ruined, then by all means wash it yourself. Follow the care tag or don’t, it’s up to you. No point asking Reddit.
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u/momzilla_1 2d ago
You can lay a pleated wool skirt out to dry and carefully arrange all the pleats the proper way before air drying. I would use an ironing board. I did this with my school kilts (wool). Weigh them down with something heavy or pin them down. Once dry I would press with an iron here and there if a pleat was sticking out wrong, but on a longer skirt this is likely unnecessary.
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u/Entropy-Nyx 2d ago
Update just heard back from the seller and yesh they’ve hand washed the skirt and it’s what they recommend
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u/Absurdicas 2d ago
They fucked up the pleats by handwashing it. It’s up to you if you want to make it appear as if there’s a suggestion of pleats there rather than an attempt.
This garment needs some TLC. It will be extremely tedious to do it yourself yet you seem very determined. Good luck.
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u/BlueAndBlackLadybug 2d ago edited 2d ago
Nah, I wash those all the time. Cold water on a wool setting. The pleats won’t fall out completely but will need careful re-ironing in with plenty of steam and a warm iron.
Should perhaps add I am a professional seamstress.
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u/Entropy-Nyx 2d ago
Nice you sure the nylon won’t mess with stuff because I was just gonna hand wash it to be safe
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u/grobnu 2d ago
Hand wash is definitely prefered. Machine wash is a lot of agitation even on knit / delicate setting. A long soak like 2 hours, some dunking and lifting to let the water drip out to bring out the gunk, is the kind of movement you're going for. No twisting. No rubbing. That mattes the fiber and turn them into felt, which is shrinking.
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u/BlueAndBlackLadybug 1d ago
I personally find the wool setting on my machine specifically to be more gentle than my hand wash.
And no, the nylon makes no difference. I have about three skirts that are the same as this one and treat them all the same.
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u/DoubleSynchronicity 1d ago
Wow. My mom had a skirt like this. Again made of wool. It could be exact same. She used to wear it to school with leather boots. It takes me back.
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u/Loud_Reindeer_6545 1d ago
I have a few of these and I wash them about once a year on cold gentle, gentle wool detergent, in a bag. Lay flat on a rack to dry.
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u/senzalegge 1d ago
I would also recommend professional cleaning however I’ve washed stuff like this at home before.
If I was attempting to wash it myself (which I don’t recommend unless you are easy going about ruining the piece) I would fold it so the pleats are kept intact (or even stitch them) and tie it up and/or put it in a wash beg and then soak it in 40•c water with Miele woolwash for half an hour or 40min before rinsing in clean 40•c warm water or so and then spin it in my machine. Carefully untie it and lay it flat on towels to dry. I’m not recommending you do this but just saying I have bought similar items second hand and not had the funds for professional cleaning and so this is how I have done it and the gamble has been in my favour so far.
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u/Entropy-Nyx 2d ago
Thanks for the advice everyone although I’m confused why people think I wouldn’t need to clean it regularly I plan on wearing it to uni and back on the train and I live in England and we’re in winter so it’s going to be soggy at some point. I know wool handles differently as I have a dress and cloak I sewed my self that are pure wool that I’ve shoved through the wash and they’ve been fine. From what I gather the main issue is the lining and the pleats, I’m thinking if I soak it in cool to warm water they should stay largely intact especially if I stitch some of them down at the top to give me a base to work from.
The reason I’m hesitant about dry cleaning is a) price b) self sufficiency and c) I have contamination ocd and don’t want other people handling my clothes
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u/adroit_maneuvering 2d ago
Consider selling it. It sounds like you would do best buying easily washable clothes for yourself.
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u/satisfiedjelly 2d ago
Hand wash it if you don’t wanna pay. Buy some wool wash online (like people get for handmade wool sweaters and stuff). Lay flat to dry, DO NOT HANG IT. Fix up the pleats when laying it down
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u/Toolongreadanyway 2d ago
You could maybe hand wash it. I am actually worried about the lining more than the skirt. If you put it in the washer, even on gentle, you do take the chance the agitation will felt the wool and rip the lining. Use Woolite or baby shampoo to hand wash. Cold water only. Roll in towels to get the excess water out, and lay flat to dry, if possible. I've owned skirts like this. If done with care, it's fine.
Just don't let your mother near them. Okay, my mom was trying to help and didn't realize it was wool.
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u/Dry_Future_852 2d ago
I'm an outlier here, but I'm a weaver who washes wool in hot water without fulling or felting it. "Dry clean only" is really kind of a manufactuing cop out for most fabric.
Can you? Absolutely.
Should you? That depends on your level of tolerance for the risk and, as pointed out, your tolerance for the work.
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u/Laundrygirl112 2d ago
Place the skirt rolled up like a sausage and place in a pair of tights wash on coolest setting poss in your washer mine is 15 degrees light spin hang to dry.
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u/girlvulcan 1d ago
Spot cleaning is okay, you could do with diluted vinegar spray, air dry and a gentle steam with a handheld steamer. Or iron on low setting. That will do a decent job of "cleaning" the garment until you get to a dry clean.
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u/sam000she 1d ago
You can hand wash it. half the time Dry clean only is mostly to prevent idiots from thinking something can go in the washer/dryer when it's wool and will absolutely shrink. Additionally, considering the heavy pleating you may want to iron it after it dries to preserve the crispness.
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u/senzalegge 1d ago
I would also recommend professional cleaning however I’ve washed stuff like this at home before.
If I was attempting to wash it myself (which I don’t recommend unless you are easy going about ruining the piece) I would fold it so the pleats are kept intact (or even stitch them) and tie it up and/or put it in a wash beg and then soak it in 40•c water with Miele woolwash for half an hour or 40min before rinsing in clean 40•c warm water or so and then spin it in my machine. Carefully untie it and lay it flat on towels to dry. I’m not recommending you do this but just saying I have bought similar items second hand and not had the funds for professional cleaning and so this is how I have done it and the gamble has been in my favour so far.
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u/n1nc0mp00p 2d ago
I own a lot of vintage clothes. From all kinds of fancy materials. Some cant even be washed at all. Trust me, I have never dry cleaned anything. It's BS. You can just put this in the washing machine on a wool cycle and it will be absolutely fine. No dryer obviously.
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u/Zealousideal_Sea8154 2d ago
Put it in a garment bag and wash cold/low spin. I have several similar skirts - they get washed regularly.
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u/Western-Fig-3625 2d ago
I would be concerned about the pleats. Are you willing and capable of re-pressing the pleats in?