September in the northern hemisphere is the time to begin the semi-annual chore of having the spring/summer clothing cleaned and pressed before it is bagged and put away for the season, because even invisible dirt can attract moths. You see, 18 months ago I stopped sending my tailored clothing out as the best cleaning service I have been able to find in the San Francisco area was pressing my jacket lapels incorrectly. Collars would no longer lie down properly and lapel rolls came back looking like nothing the tailor who made them had ever imagined. So I stopped.
Of course, one thing led to another and I did not begin sending my stuff out again until this summer. After all, my clothing is bagged for half the year and I would spot clean, steam, and do a little pressing of my own so things looked all right while they were in the active rotation. But after testing RAVE Fabricare on a few items I resolved to rotate my wardrobe through there at the rate of a couple garments a week.
So last week I sent in the first of the fall/winter things, a chalk striped navy flannel that is an old favorite, and I will bet that some readers have already guessed the punch line. I promptly had email from Stu, the CEO of RAVE, letting me know that there was evidence of moth larvae in no fewer than five places (larvae don't necessarily create holes but they do weaken the cloth and create the possibility that holes will appear during cleaning or wear). Lesson learned. I hope the damage is limited to one or two suits but I am not optimistic.
In conclusion, the voice of experience says that every item in the seasonal wardrobe should be first repaired and then cleaned and pressed before it is put away from the season. Deviate at your own risk.
Image: Austin Neon
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19 comments:
I've never taken any clothing to dry cleaners for forty years (basically since I could afford good clothes). They destroy tailored clothing. Period. Steam, spot cleaning and a brush are the ONLY things that should be used either by yourself or some small alteration shops will do it for you. Moths! I've lost a couple of suits to them (including a great brown flannel chalkstripe) but I'm not sure there's a fail safe solution. All you can do use all the well known remedies like cedar closets, chemical moth repellants, etc., and maybe give your suits a periodic airing out of season.
Posts like this worry me, Will. I use cedar hangers and moth repellants, but, as BJ says above, it's risky taking one's suits to a dry cleaner.
Although I have used the dry cleaner on occasion, I have never had many of the best tweeds and flannels I own
d.c.o.'d. Again I find myself in complete agreement with Brummagem Joe, whose brown chalkstripe I somehow also mourn, and second only that a soft brush and air are the best things there are for good woolens.
I read this post and cringed. I won't sleep well tonight...
It seems the author and readers of this blog hate dry cleaning. Moths, moreover moth larve are attracted to the keratin in animal hair and silk, also human odors created form our perspiration. Dry cleaning eliminates this odor and will prevent moth destruction. As far as moths not making holes, I have had a sweater eaten to shreads by moths and woolen scarves and silk ties perforated my moths. These items would never go to the cleaner but definately had the sure sign of moth damage. Cedar does not work, only moth balls in a sealed bag preferably after cleaning once a year
Mein Gott! This produces the same feeling of when you hear about a home that has termites—you begin to think you can hear them at night eating away.
So, how does Stu go about identifying evidence of moth larvae?
It would be so helpful to have a robust procedure for properly scrutinizing garments, instead of the ubiquitous throwing up of hands at the mention of moths.
There's a video in there somewhere, Will.
"Cedar does not work, only moth balls in a sealed bag preferably after cleaning once a year"
I agree about the limited efficacy of cedar but with dry cleaning the cure is as bad as the disease. I've lost the odd tie and scarf too but have come to conclusion I'll take my chances with the regime I suggested. The issue of bags is an interesting one, I use them but don't close them on the basis that air is good. because it allows odors to disperse. One should never leave clothes shut up for months. Bob is right, clothes need air.
Anyone have experience getting shirts ironed with their wheat starch?
Hey Will, I'm a bit confused by your post. Is the suit with moth larvae now ruined, or can they be removed before damage is done?
"It seems the author and readers of this blog hate dry cleaning."
I think it's more a cse of the difficulty of finding a good local one.
Anyone in the Cupertino area should try Nature's Best Cleaners - they do an amazing job (lapel rolls are pressed properly, with no shine) and are very reasonable. I had almost lost hope before finding them.
Will is right. Bespoke garments ought to be cleaned before storage at the end of a season. In this regard, let me make 3 points...
First, the adult female moth can lay up to 200 eggs in a cycle, up to 5 cycles a year. When the female adult moth is searching for the "ideal" egg laying location, she's looking for a source of nutrition for the larvae to feast on when they hatch.
Unfortunately, garments stored WITHOUT first being cleaned contain all the nutrients necessary to sustain life for those larvae. These nutrients include proteins, mineral salts, vitamin B complex and cholesterol that accumulate on garments from perspiration, body oil, food or beverage simply by virtue of the fact that the garment has been worn.
The problem is that the larvae will often feast on the inside of a garment, on the surface of a garment, or on certain threads in a garment. This reduces the thickness or strength of the fibers in those places. So when the garment is either worn, hand cleaned or dry cleaned, the possibility exists that holes could open up.
In other words, no source of nutrition, no possible moth damage. And the only way to "guarantee" that you won't have a moth problem is to dry clean before storage.
Second, as to visually identifying moth damage, look for areas where the cloth has been eaten through (the fabric will show a hole with the fibers around the edge of the hole partially eaten away). And look for areas where the cloth has been eaten on the surface (the fabric will appear to be "cratered" with the cloth partially eaten away). Lighter colors are easier to detect; darker colors more difficult to detect. But you should be able to see moth damage with the naked eye.
Third, I know that many readers of ASW are distrustful of ordinary dry cleaners. And I fully understand why. But there are a handful of dry cleaners in the USA that specialize in bespoke garments. For those of you who wish to explore this notion in more detail, Ask Andy About Clothes has an "excellent" tutorial entitled "Caring For Bespoke Garments". (Full disclosure: I know it's excellent because I wrote it!).
"Third, I know that many readers of ASW are distrustful of ordinary dry cleaners."
Stu, each to his own I guess and I'm going to stick with the prejudices of a lifetime. At the moment the score is even. I've lost two suits to moths and had two good suits ruined, admittedly long ago, by dry cleaners (including one who was supposed to know what he was about). All I can say is I've practised my regime rigorously now for about ten years and not lost one since although several of my suits are over 20 years old. Of course the moths could be lurking (cue: Jaws music)
I find the aversion to dry cleaning a bit curious.
Dry cleaning is very necessary for summer garments because one tends to sweat a great deal more. Some of my summer garments get cleaned a couple of times during the season.
Also, even after the summer cleaning is necessary because even the most careful dresser gets exposed to splashes of food and drink. (E.g., I picked up some ketchup stains on my blazer sleeve from who knows where.) Spot removal only removes the stain superficially. Often the stain goes through canvas and lining. The spot may be gone, but the nutrients may remain for a moth.
Dry cleaning at the end of the season is a good idea.
How are clothes stored for the season?
Michael, tailored clothing goes into cloth (breathable) bags until its turn comes round again.
Would cold storage (like ladies use for furs) work?
I always wonder why someone out there isn;t operating a high end off-season wardrobe cold storage business.
Given the costs of many of these things it's hardly worth the risk.
Also Will, re: your podcast
It might sound simple but what about a pronunciation guide?
Blutcher, Balmoral, Barbour, Saville, Madras etc.
I'm sure I'm not alone in reading these words more online and in books than using them, and often salespeople are too polite to correct.
Any tips for good cleaners in Montreal?
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