Alternatives to Dry Cleaning?

[Quiver]

Couple of quick questions...

1.) Are there any alternatives to dry cleaning wool (and wool blend) suits (I don't like the idea of having it come back extra shiny)?

2.) Does steaming it with one of the steamer things do the job of getting rid of bacteria and smells

3.) Any other ideas as how to prolong the suits life?

[Gabriel]

You can wash anything in water, if you're careful, and if you know exactly what you're doing. This goes for really delicate wool and silk etc. I guess you need a professional iron too.

[UFO]

1. look into organic dry cleaning, i.e. they clean with CO2 which is also non toxic. there is also wet cleaning...

2. no

3. keep it out of sunlight

[premier]

2) I have one of the steamer things and can definitely say no it does not remove smells/bacteria

[macuser3of5]

You can wash a wool suit in cold water with Woolite (hand wash with as little agitation as possible). You will need to be extremely sure to dry it quickly: Stuff the arms/body with towels, roll it up in another towel, and let it dry. You might need to change the towels out to ensure rapid drying, but it does work.

The wool will feel a bit crinkly, so you will want to press with a pressing cloth to soften it back up. Once that is done, iron in the creases etc.