How to Take Care of Your Suit at Home

If you are interested in your next bespoke suit or are considering exploring the process for the first time, we guarantee that you will walk out our front door feeling pretty powerful.

You will exude confidence and feel comfortable whether you will walk into the boardroom or stand on the altar on one of the most important days of your life.

But we also have news for you. Even after you have spent time making decisions on how to make the suit your own, you will still have to put in more work. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility.

We are talking about taking care of your suit at home - and these vital skills don’t need to cause you stress. Follow our advice on how to take care of your bespoke suit to lengthen its lifespan, and avoid emergency trips to the cleaners.

Suit Maintenance Basics

First of all, we want to address the role of dry-cleaning in suit care. Suit dry cleaning is an essential part of your maintenance process, but the chemicals used in the process strip natural oils found in suit fabric. Because of this, we recommend dry cleaning your bespoke suit no more than twice per year. 

Even if you are proud of your first bespoke suit, don’t wear it every single day. It is important to give suits time to rest and breathe while being stored between use. Otherwise, the suit is in constant contact with the elements, plus perspiration and oils from your skin (which also degrades the fabric over time).

How to Clean a Suit

Cleaning a suit can be a scary process best left to the professionals. But sometimes an unsightly stain appears at the worst time, and you need to think on your feet to get dressed in time for an upcoming event.

For minor stains, try blotting with water and light pressure. If this doesn’t work, try stain-specific solutions with caution. The idea here is to focus on the affected area, and avoid spreading the stain to other areas. If this starts to happen, let professional cleaners take care of the job.

Some suit wearers ask “How to wash a suit at home?” as a method of convenience. Although some polyester suits can be washed in a conventional machine, this is an exception to the rule. 

Suits that are considered high quality are dry clean only. Washing with too much liquid can cause a range of irreversible changes to material and fit - the kind that would throw a good tailor into a fit of rage.

Storing a Suit Properly

Unfortunately, even some of the most stain-adverse suit wearers skip steps in another important part of suit care - suit storage. Every closet has its own unique factors to contend with, from humid climates to pesky moths.

First, quality suits must be hung on quality hangers, preferably cedar. This repels moths and absorbs moisture, which is worth the higher price point for each individual hanger. Also, try to find the correct hangars for your size, which will keep the structure in your jacket’s shoulders.

Provide ample space between each suit in your closet, giving them room to breathe. Store out -of-season suits in garment bags to protect from dust and sunlight, and check in on them at least once a season to ensure that they aren’t developing problems that will compromise their quality.

The Finishing Touches

Once these core suiting care tips are taken care of, you will want to ensure that your suit looks as crisp as possible whether you are wearing it to a wedding, work, or dinner at the hottest restaurant in town.

A portable steamer is a great investment for this. Steaming not only takes care of small wrinkles in your suit, it also opens up suit fabric fibres to promote air circulation and deal with minor stains. Never steamed a garment before? We promise it isn’t too hard - just follow the steps in this video to learn how.

Beyond steaming, many men will ask “Can you iron a suit at home?” Unless you have spent a lot of time ironing, the safe answer is no. Dry irons vary greatly in the amount of heat produced, which can cause permanent burns on your suit’s fabric.

Leave pressing to the professionals. Even if you only get your suit dry cleaned twice a year, you can still get it pressed more frequently.

Finally, a suit brush is another essential investment. A soft horsehair brush can be used after a few wears to remove dust and other debris, extending the life of the suit fabric. Applying a lint roller after your brush results in a like-new look to your suit that will turn heads, and have your friends asking you how you keep yourself looking so sharp.

Suit Care: An Essential Investment

Just like your vintage muscle car or golf clubs, your suits require cleaning and care to ensure that they perform at the highest level.

We want your suits to last  as long as possible. Especially in an era of fast fashion and quickly consumed trends, our bespoke suits are meant to be designed in a timeless style that you can depend on.

Feel free to get in touch with our team to learn some useful suit care tips for your bespoke Modello suit.