Do you like fine fabrics but hate dry cleaning bills? One reader at The Dollar Stretcher explained that she loves to buy “dry clean only” clothes at discounts, but hates paying for the dry cleaning.
Readers responded with several tips for alternatives, some you have probably thought of and some you may not have! While this will be separate from your normal house cleaning and laundry, if these tricks work, you will be able to clean all of your clothes at home!
1. Dry cleaning dryer kits—and make your own! You can buy kits at most grocery stores that turn your dryer into a dry cleaner, but if you aren’t looking for that extra expense, one reader explained how she makes her own:
Put your clothes to be dry cleaned in the dryer with a dryer sheet and a damp towel. The steam from the wet towel steam cleans your clothes while the dryer sheet reduces static (and leaves your clothes smelling great, too!).
2. Wear shirts underneath your clothes. Love cashmere sweaters and silk button downs but not the perspiration that inevitably gets into the fabric? Try this tip: wear a t-shirt under your sweater or shirt. You can stretch the wear of your clothes by doing this, and then you only have to wash the t-shirt the next day.
3. Hand wash or delicate wash. Unless you’re working with wool or silk, you can actually hand wash most of those dry clean only clothes. If you have a modern washing machine with a super delicate setting, you can also use that.
One reader shared a tip from her dry cleaner: once a garment has gone through the dry cleaning process once, it is safe to wash on delicate at home. Might want to test this one on something you don’t love, though!
