In response to a reader who has noticed more and more dry-clean-only labels on clothing, our critic explains why they are increasing and how to properly wash clothes.
I love natural fabrics and happily take special care of wool, silk, leather and other natural fibers or delicate clothes. But I’ve been surprised to see more and more clothes, including synthetics, say “dry-clean only.” It seems as if the clothing business is in cahoots with the dry cleaners. What is going on? — Jessica, Milwaukee
In truth, I think the ubiquity of the dry-cleaning label is less about a conspiracy between fashion and launderers and more about fashion companies watching their backs. How to wash clothes, especially special clothes, is one of those skills that became … well, unfashionable back in the middle of the last century, when home ec classes went the way of the dodo.
Given that many consumers are no longer schooled in the art of hand washing silk versus cashmere versus wool, or may simply feel it is not worth their time, it is likely that companies have decided it is wiser and simpler to advise dry cleaning rather than to include complicated care instructions that may not be followed. If that happens, dissatisfied customers may blame them when garments have shrunk, become discolored or been otherwise wrecked when they were placed in the washing machine by mistake.
It’s possible there are other reasons for the tags. Alexander Fury, the fashion features director of AnOther magazine, told me that he had spent time working for a young British designer before going into publishing and that the company always added “dry-clean-only” tags to garments because they were the only tags the brand had. “I think it was a cost-saving decision,” he said.
That said, it is true that we generally over-clean our clothes and over-dry clean them. Since dry cleaning is done with chemicals, that is not good for the environment or, if you do it too often, the clothes.
It is common wisdom, for example, that jeans rarely need to be washed. Chip Bergh, the former chief executive of Levi Strauss, once told me he never washed his denim, and Daniel Roseberry, the designer of Schiaparelli, told me he almost never washed his suits.
Mr. Roseberry, who worked at Thom Browne for 10 years before joining Schiap, said, “They told you never to dry clean your suits.”
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