dry clean ? dip in woolite and drip dry or lay it out flat/ air out

[ctbuchanan]

I found out where the local police and fire pipes and drums had their kilts dry cleaned and went to the same place with excellent results. I've been using them for over 10 years now and the kilt looks as good as the day I bought it. I get the kilt cleaned at least once a year, occasionally two.

[Dale G]

I dropped a kilt off at my local cleaners last week and after I got home, was going to post a thread about the 'funny thing that happened at the cleaners today' but as I was about to I came across this thread and got scared. I picked the kilt up the other day so I will post my experience with it now.

First of all it is not a traditional style kilt, it isn't wool and doesn't have straps and buckles, it is a modern style kilt from Brice Lythgoe made of 100% cotton. It is extremely rugged and relatively inexpensive, the kind that can really take a beating and if it was damaged or stained you would be upset but not heartbroken. I wear it sometimes for the Highland Games and other events where that sort of toughness is warranted. I have never taken any traditional style kilts to a cleaners so take all this for what it's worth.

The funny part was when I told the lady at the counter I wanted it dry cleaned and pressed, she looked at it all around and in broken english told me she didn't know what it was. I told her it was a kilt and she looked at me and went into the back of the business. A couple minutes later a man came out and was looking at it all around. It was obvious he didn't get it either and I told him it was a kilt. He unsnapped the apron and opened it up all the way. His eyes got wide and he said, "Is big! Pleats - heavy. Is a skirt?" I told him it was a Scottish kilt, following which he started mumbling something to himself as he typed on the cash register then printed and handed me a receipt that listed "SKIRT."

I was concerned when I went to pick it up, fearing the worst. I had visions of Steve's "shower curtain" in my mind but fortunately it looked great. It was clean and the pleats were pressed perfectly. I got a good chuckle out of it and suppose I got lucky this time but will remember this thread in the future. Thanks for everyone's input.

[bwat]

Just in case you find yourself in Sweden with a dirty kilt, then half an hour in a tub of 35 degree C water with about 25-30ml of COOPs fintvättmedel works just fine for woolen kilts. This is a liquid for clothes designed especially for wool and silk. It contains no enzymes or bleach. I had to rinse the kilt four or five times. What a difference it made to the colours! The kilt was dried out by just hanging it from the drying rail thingy I have in my bathroom. The pleats were not stitched together before washing and the dried kilt has kept its form very well, i.e., I can see all the pleats very clearly.

[CameronCat]

I may be truly blessed, but here's my story. I live perhaps 20 min or so from Rocky's store in SE Penna. I occasionally bump into him or his staff members at local events. I once asked one of his shop staff about where to dry clean my USA kilt. He recommended a place in our nearby town that I was already patronizing for normal items.

"They know about kilts?" I asked. "Yep, and even how to iron the pleats!" he replied. "When we had the store there, we used them all the time."

I have recently picked up my kilt from that establishment, and it is done to perfection with crisply and correctly ironed pleats, etc. Total cost was, I think $10.95. Yes, it was marked "skirt" on the claim check. The nice lady at the counter complimented "how pretty" the kilt is (Cameron Erracht tartan) and said it was a bit of a chore to do each pleat with the iron.

I also had my Harris tweed jacket cleaned at the same time (recovering from a nasty ice cream incident at a local fund-raiser) and it too is as-new. I couldn't be happier with these folks cleaning any wool product I own.

Even valuing my time at minimum wage, I doubt I could have washed and ironed the kilt at home for $11, and certainly not the jacket.