Garment Care
If you’re thinking of dry cleaning your Suzannah London garments, please first ask yourself: does it actually need cleaning? Because it’s not always essential to do this after each wear. So what can you do instead?
Airing
The oldest trick in the book – just hang your garment on a coat hanger from the washing line in the fresh air. That’s often enough and can help preserve it for longer, as well as being a great choice for the environment. But do remember to turn it inside out first, as silk can fade in the bright sunshine.
Steaming
This is a great way of giving your garment a re-fresh prior to wearing, so investing in a quality steamer is a good idea. Steaming has been used in Asia for years: they know how the hot air kills off the bacteria, reduces allergens, eliminates odours, plumps up the fibres and smooths out creases. Just make sure you steam it a minimum of 48 hours before wearing, so it has completely dried. If it’s not fully dry, it will crease more easily.
Dry Cleaning using a specialist:
If your garment needs a full dry-cleaning service, you must try to find a good, reputable dry-cleaning company which specialises in high-level products, such as silks and bridal. All our garments require a specialist service – this is indicated by the 'P (underlined)' symbol which is printed on the care labels within the garments. If you want to remove this label for any reason, please remember to keep it safe, as most dry cleaners will not accept items without the original label.
Because our fabrics are of an incredibly high standard and have specialist finishings, they need the very best care – so choose your cleaner carefully. Also, be careful if choosing an ‘Eco’ company: it might be better for the environment, but the processing involved is sometimes not conducive to cleaning silk.
Our customers have had excellent experience with the following dry cleaners.
Wine and Oil splashes:
If you do get a red wine splash on a dress – at a wedding for example (it happens to all of us) – please dry dab only with a clean soft cloth. Do not add water or white wine to the stain: while this may remove the stain, it can also remove the colour from your garment. If you dry dab, the dry cleaner can often remove your stain later; just ask for a spot cleaning service rather than a full clean. If you have badly damaged part of your dress with wine and it has not responded to spot dry cleaning, please tell us! We can often replace a panel of your dress and rescue it. We keep as many offcuts as possible so are often able to colour match to your dress – it’s part of our commitment to impossibly beautiful clothes that can be loved and worn for years to come.
Storing:
It’s best to store your garments on a suitable hanger in its cloth bag. We always provide suitable hangers when you buy a garment from our boutique and, depending on the style, may pad out the neckline to help it keep its shape. If you prefer to use your own hanger, please choose one that doesn’t distort the shoulders or stretch the sleeves. And we also advise against wire coat hangers, as they can leave a deep-set crease along the shoulder line if left for too long.
If you have any other questions regarding garment care, please do get in touch with us via email or phone and we’ll do our absolute best to help you.