NPR: To dry clean or not?

Richardsmom_817

I'm looking at my girls Xmas dresses & it says dry clean only, which I don't always follow & am fine.  The dresses contain cotton & polyester.  The skirted part is made out of 100% silk...thoughts?  

WBs_Bride

I was saying "just throw it in the wash" all the way up until the 100% silk skirt part--for that I would say definitely dry clean it.

Hooray2005

WBs_Bride:

I was saying "just throw it in the wash" all the way up until the 100% silk skirt part--for that I would say definitely dry clean it.

This.  As a general guide if something says "dry clean" you're usually safe to hand wash/drip dry, but "dry clean only" usually means there's some component of the fabric that won't do well with water (either losing color, shape, size, etc.)

How much do you love the dress and how much did you pay for it?  Would you be crushed if it was ruined?  If the answer is yes, or it's worth $$/resale, I'd fork over the dry cleaning $$.  If it's not dirty, you could always try the Dryel or Woolite Dry Cleaning kits, too... but at if you don't just have them at home already, at that cost you might as well just go to the cleaners.

Hooray2005

WBs_Bride:

I was saying "just throw it in the wash" all the way up until the 100% silk skirt part--for that I would say definitely dry clean it.

This.  As a general guide if something says "dry clean" you're usually safe to hand wash/drip dry, but "dry clean only" usually means there's some component of the fabric that won't do well with water (either losing color, shape, size, etc.)

How much do you love the dress and how much did you pay for it?  Would you be crushed if it was ruined?  If the answer is yes, or it's worth $$/resale, I'd fork over the dry cleaning $$.  If it's not dirty, you could always try the Dryel or Woolite Dry Cleaning kits, too... but at if you don't just have them at home already, at that cost you might as well just go to the cleaners.