With a Garment Steamer, You Only Need Dry Cleaning Once Every Five Years

Hello, my name is Mr. Linen.

This time, I’d like to talk about suit care.

How do you take care of your suits?

It may be common knowledge that you can’t simply throw them into a washing machine.

But the solution is not as simple as “just take them to the cleaners.”

Dry cleaning, which most cleaners rely on, actually damages suits—and worse, it barely removes water-soluble stains such as sweat or urine.

On top of that, dry cleaning is costly.

I’d like to introduce an affordable and hygienic way to care for suits.

The Pitfalls of Dry Cleaning

Many people probably take their suits to the dry cleaners after wearing them several times.

I have never worked at a dry cleaner, so if I get anything wrong, I apologize in advance and would appreciate corrections.

Dry cleaning is an innovative method that uses petroleum-based solvents instead of water.

It is extremely effective for stubborn stains like food spills that water cannot remove.

For example, nail polish won’t come off with water, but it dissolves easily with oil-based remover.

However, dry cleaning has serious drawbacks.

The biggest one is that it puts stress on the fabric.

Chemical solvents damage natural fibers. Even if one or two cleanings don’t show visible effects, microscopic damage accumulates over time.

Unlike human nails, suit fabrics never grow back. Regularly applying nail polish remover to a nail that will never regenerate would eventually ruin it—fabric is no different.

The second major drawback is that dry cleaning does not remove water-soluble stains.

Sweat, urine, wine—these simply do not come out.

And most stains that end up on suits are water-based.

Taking a suit to the cleaners just because you sweated in it during summer is, in reality, largely pointless.

And if you are a man, urine splashback on your trousers is unavoidable.

Water Cleaning Does Exist

This is why suits should be cleaned with water, not solvents.

There is a common belief that water ruins fabrics, but natural fibers are actually quite water-resistant.

Most suits are made of wool—sheep don’t mind the rain. Other animal and plant fibers used for suits are also meant to coexist with water.

Silk is probably the main exception, as it truly does not get along well with water.

That said, washing a suit in a home washing machine is out of the question.

Hand washing is technically possible, but it requires significant skill and effort. Drying and pressing are especially difficult without specialized equipment.

Trousers are manageable, but jackets are extremely difficult.

I once tried washing a wool jacket at home—it ended up so wrinkled that it was beyond saving.

Fortunately, there is an excellent service that solves this problem.

They wash suits entirely with water and handle the difficult drying and pressing using professional equipment and skilled craftsmen.

Natural Clean (Water Cleaning Specialists)

This is probably the most well-known company in Japan. Their website videos clearly show how advanced their techniques are.

However, the cost is very high.

A two-piece suit starts at around $100 or more.

Only the very wealthy—or the extremely obsessive—can afford to clean every suit this way every season.

Is Cleaning Once Every Three Years Enough?

Do suits really need professional cleaning at all?

Even water cleaning places some stress on fabric.

Sturdy fabrics like linen or tweed can handle it, but delicate wool or cashmere will last longer if exposed to water as little as possible.

In my opinion, even once every three years is sufficient.

If a suit falls into a gutter, gets soaked with sweat, or is seriously soiled—then yes, clean it immediately. Otherwise, once per season is excessive.

If you are careful on a daily basis, suits don’t get that dirty.

Always wear a collared, long-sleeved shirt to protect the jacket from sweat and skin oils.

Wear under-shorts and knee-high socks under your trousers to prevent direct skin contact.

If you follow these rules, suits stay surprisingly clean.

I Can’t Shake the Feeling of Sweat

That said, I am a germaphobe.

After wearing a suit all day, spraying it lightly and putting it straight back into the closet feels deeply unpleasant to me.

Trousers always suffer from urine splashback—especially around the hems.

Armpits, the crotch, behind the knees—sweat and urine absorbed by shirts and under-shorts inevitably make their way onto the inside of jackets and trousers. I’m sure of it.

I would love to water-clean my suits after every wear, but the cost and fabric damage make this unrealistic.

Garment Steamer

This is where the garment steamer becomes a savior.

It looks like this.

It emits high-temperature steam that relaxes wrinkles through heat and moisture.

Beyond wrinkle removal, it also offers heat sterilization.

I choose to believe that bacteria from sweat and urine are killed by the hot steam.

It doesn’t clean as thoroughly as water washing, but it is far more effective than fabric sprays.

How to Use a Steamer on a Suit

How should you steam a suit?

Steam both jackets and trousers thoroughly from both the outside and the inside. That’s it.

More specifically, hang the jacket and trousers on hangers.

Set up the steamer and carefully apply steam everywhere, including hard-to-reach areas like underarms and the crotch.

This process also removes wrinkles. Jackets, in particular, can usually go straight back into the closet without further pressing.

Next, turn both the jacket and trousers inside out.

Steam them again exactly the same way.

Pay extra attention to areas that sweat easily.

Finally, turn them back right-side out and let them air-dry in the shade for about half a day.

Conclusion

I trust the power of the garment steamer and use this method for regular suit care.

The brown linen suit in the photo is three years old, and the gray flannel suit is two years old—neither has ever been dry-cleaned or water-cleaned.

Both have endured heavy sweating at weddings where removing a jacket wasn’t an option, yet there is no odor or staining. I believe they can easily go another two years without professional cleaning.

A decent garment steamer can be bought for under $70. If you’re struggling with suit cleaning, I highly recommend giving it a try.