Your suit is more than just an outfit—it’s a statement of sophistication and style. To ensure its longevity and immaculate appearance, proper suit care is essential. In this guide, we dive into garment maintenance, offering valuable tips and tricks to help you keep the excellent condition of your beloved suit. From cleaning techniques to storage solutions, get ready to elevate your suit care game to new heights.
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Why Should You Take Care of Your Suit?
Why would you need to know how to take care of your suit? First of all, suits are expensive – or at least should be. I wrote about it many times and will too. A suit should be an investment for every man.
It is recommended to invest in at least one high-quality suit in your lifetime, which can be worn at any important event. However, it is equally important to consistently take care of your investments, whether it be your home, car, or a stylish three-piece suit.
Best Tips to Take Care of Your Suit
Proper suit care is essential in maintaining its timeless appearance and ensuring its long-lasting durability. It is advisable to avoid excessive dry cleaning and instead, opt for spot cleaning small stains with a gentle fabric cleaner, as this approach not only safeguards the integrity of the fabric but also prolongs the suit’s overall lifespan.
Hang your suit on a sturdy wooden hanger to preserve its shape, and use a fabric brush or lint roller for regular maintenance. Store it in a breathable garment bag, away from sunlight, to protect against dust and moisture. Always try to rotate your suits to allow them to rest between wearings and extend their lifespan.
1. Brush It Down After Each Use
Suits are getting dirty whether you like it or not – even when you are only sitting in the office, they can collect dust and dirt. No matter if it’s a slim fit or a more traditional cut. Brushing your suit off with a high-quality brush made from animal hair can significantly extend the lifespan of your attire.
However, try to avoid any synthetic brush as it can easily damage the natural fabric of your suit. If yours has picked up any hair or fluff, simply go over with a lint roller. You can find many clothes brushes on the market. I recommend the below one, available at Amazon.
2. Spot Clean with a Damp Cloth
Should you wash your suit after every use? In general, I do not recommend washing your outfit after each use. However, no matter how careful you are, stains are unavoidable. When you spill food or wine on your jacket or pants, leap into action with a spot cleaner.
Gently dab the spot with a damp cloth or unscented wet wipes. If you can’t shift the stain after a few tries, hand it over to the professionals. Suits are made using complicated processes that require proper care.
3. Dry Clean Your Suit When Necessary
It should be obvious, but never try to put your suit into a washing machine. The chemicals, high temperature, and the surface of the washing machine can easily damage the fabric and structure. What’s my advice? Take your suit to a dry cleaner.
What is dry cleaning? The certified dry cleaner uses solvents to clean your clothes. After receiving your clothes, the cleaner puts them in a big machine that looks no different than a giant version of your washing machine. The clothes are soaked in the solvent, dried, pressed, ironed, and ready for your business adventures.
What’s the downside of dry cleaning? There are only so many dry cleaning sessions your suit can stand before it falls apart. My advice is to minimize the time of dry cleaning. Only dry clean your garment once or twice a year before you retire it for the season.
4. Use High-quality Wooden Hangers
Have you ever wondered why many people recommend wooden shoe trees instead of plastic? The wood helps absorb any moisture that collects on the canvas and lining of the shoe – or in our case, the suit. Moisture can fray the soft fibers of a suit, which is one reason to ditch the wire hangers you get from the dry cleaners.
Wire hangers can easily damage your suit. Yet, a wooden hanger with a wide, rounded edge supports shoulder pads, smooths out wrinkles, and helps keep your precious attire in shape.
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5. Steam Your suit
Forget about the iron, gentlemen. Although suits look best when pressed, the heat of the iron can scorch the fibers of your garment. That’s why we recommend investing in a steamer.
A handheld steamer works just as well as a traditional iron. It will relax any wrinkles and freshens the odor without burning or damaging the fibers. You can also steam the shoulders and chest of your suit, and it won’t change its shape.
A household tip – until you get your hands on a steamer, embrace the shower. Hanging your suit in the bathroom after a hot bath can help your suit. Drape the jacket and pants over separate hangers, turn on the hot water for 30 minutes, and let the steam do its thing.
6. Pack Your Suit Smartly
Nobody likes a wrinkled suit. If you’re a carry-on guy and a garment bag is out of the question, don’t stress. To protect your suit when traveling, I swear by the following strategy.
Flip the suit jacket inside out, press the shoulders together – making sure the seams and lapels are lined up, then loosely roll from the bottom up. Do the same for suit trousers.
Doing so will minimize wrinkles and prevent any dust that may be in your luggage from sticking to your suit. When you arrive at your destination, hang up the suit and do the shower steam method.
Of course, the best way is to have a garment bag, but we often find ourselves in situations when it is not an option.
7. Rotate Your Suit
Suits are like dress shoes or dress shirts. After each use, you need to hang them and let them rest in between. Suits are the gentleman’s armor, and you should do everything to extend their lifespan and maintain their quality as much as possible.
Also, if you wear the same clothes every day, people will notice that you are wearing the same clothes. Rotating will allow the garment to retain its shape, feel, and freshness and give you a more professional look.
Allow your suit to rest for 24-48 hours before wearing it again – this will reduce your need to visit the dry cleaner. This tip alone will help your suit last longer.
8. Let Your Suit Breathe
Store your suit in a breathable wardrobe – not one that’s so packed you can barely squeeze it in. If you squeeze your clothes next to each other, not leaving space for them to breathe, they can develop unwanted odors – or in the worst case, mold. For extra protection, put it in a lightweight, breathable garment bag.
A garment bag will keep your suit clean and dust-free and stop moths from doing their dirty work. Plastic and canvas trap moisture and gases, while cloth bags promote airflow and allow any creases to fall out naturally.
9. Use Cedar Blocks in Your Wardrobe
Finally, using cedar for your clothes and shoes has many benefits. Cedar acts as a natural moth repellent. It can absorb any residual moisture and imparts a pleasant scent to textiles. Cedar blocks may lose their odor after a while.
Therefore, you can occasionally use a few drops of cedar essential oil to renew them if necessary. Just take care not to sprinkle any on your clothes as the high concentration of oil can damage textile fibers.
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Final Thoughts
Whether it is your first suit, costing $300, or a custom garment that has a price tag over $3,000, you should be looking after your investment. A good suit – and great clothes in general, project a deliberate image to the world.
When taking care of your clothes, it’s vital to pay attention to details such as using a lint roller to remove any stray fibers and hanging it up properly to avoid creases. I recommend you develop a care routine and check up on your garments every once in a while.
Finally, I hope to help you in keeping the timeless fit of your suit, exactly as it was when you first purchased it. By following this guideline, you can highly enhance the longevity of your suit. Furthermore, many of these tips can be applied to other garments, expanding their benefits beyond just suits.
I took a lot of information and inspiration from the Bespoke Unit and Misiu Academy at the writing of this article. So, if you want to learn more about how to take care of your suit – make sure to check out their writings as well.
Keep on reading: How to Buy the Perfect Shoes
