Before Wear- To Dryclean or Not

[Fedgunner]

I have a 9 yard tank on order with Kathy Lare. Sstated that dry cleaning is worse than last resort.
She told me that dry cleaning removes all the natural oils from the wool and is a terror on leather. Spot cleaning should suffice.

This is untried by me, but makes perfect sense.

My opinion is worth exactly what you just paid for it.

[Barb T]

I agree with Kathy. I have also heard that dry cleaning leaves a subtle residue on the fabric that makes dirt and soil stick more easily to a dry cleaned garment.

And, in fact, if you take good care of your kilt, it shouldn't need dry cleaning for a _very_ long time. What does taking good care of it mean?

First and foremost, don't ever pack up a sweaty kilt. Let it air dry thoroughly before putting it away. When I'm done with a piping gig, I take my kilt off for the car ride home, and I lay it out flat and inside up in the back of the car to dry and air on the way home. This keeps the kilt from getting smelly.

Second, if you go commando, consider wearing a shirt with really long tails to keep the inside of your kilt cleaner.

Third, take care of spots quickly. I put a dish towel uner the offending area, blot the tartan with water, dip a Q tip in Era or some other enzyme detergent, and blot (not rub) the stain. I let it sit a bit and blot again. Rinse by blotting. I've gotten everything from grass stains to mustard to red clown makeup (don't ask) out of the white part of my daughter's Antarctica tartan kilt that way. The crucial thing is not to rub or scrub the tartan, or you'll create at best a fuzzy spot or at worst a felted spot.

I know pipers who use their kilts regularly and haven't dry cleaned them in years. The kilts look fine and smell fine, because they take good care of their kilts. I have never dry cleaned mine, and I made it six years ago and wear it nearly every weekend for a piping gig or competition from May through September.

Cheers,

Barb