How to Take Care of a Suit
A suit is one of the most expensive clothing items a man can own. Even if it’s not a custom suit but an off-the-rack one, it would still be more expensive and valuable than most of your other clothing items. Therefore, it’s important to take good care of your suit so it maintains its sheen even after a long time of using it. In this article, we will discuss how to take care of your suit.
Wearing your suit
Give it a rest: You can’t wear a suit daily for month on end. It is not like a pair of old jeans that will stay the same no matter how often you wear it. A suit’s fibers need recovery time after each wear; otherwise you’re taking years out of its life. If your work requires you to wear a suit every day, rotate your suits.
Keep your pockets light: Loading up your pockets with things such as keys and wallets ruins the silhouette of the suit. Moreover, over time this can alter the shape of the suit and stretch out pocket liners. Just carry the essentials like credit card, cash, ID, phone and house keys.
Cleaning your suit
Brush it up: Give your suit a quick brush each time you put it on to remove dust, debris or dandruff that might have gotten on your suit. Start by going against the grain of the cloth and use short, quick strokes. Finish with a second pass that goes with the nap. A quick clean with a brush extends the life of the natural fibers of the suiting material.
Dry clean only when needed: Try to put off dry cleaning as much as possible. Dry cleaning your suit very often will wear away the natural fibers and take some years off of it. If your suit smells ripe, take it to the cleaners. Otherwise, just use a soft towel and water for spot cleaning of your suit.
Use a steamer, not a dry iron: Do not use dry iron on your suits. Instead, get a steamer to remove the wrinkles. Dry irons are too hot for a suit and can burn the fabric's fine fibers. Steaming opens up the fibers to prevent any smells and takes out minor stains and marks. Set the steam to the lowest heat setting and go for it.
Storing/Carrying your suit
Hang them well: We all know that a suit needs to be hung in a wardrobe. But a wooden hanger with rounded shoulders is ideal for a suit. A wire hanger will damage the shoulders.
Packing them for travel: A good way to pack your suit for traveling is to turn the suit inside out, put the shoulders together, and roll it up. Ensure that the seams and lapels are lined up as you fold, then do an easy loose roll from the bottom up.
Store it right: Before you put away your suit for the season, get it dry cleaned once and try to keep it in a cloth garment bag.