Clean and Store Your Business Clothes
When it comes to business clothing, nothing is more important than ensuring your clothes are kept clean, tidy, and wrinkle-free.
Understanding how to clean and store your business clothes will help those items last longer and appear newer.
In addition to saving money, you’ll appear tidier and more put together with clothing that is properly cleaned and stored.
Your formal and business clothes are an expression of yourself.
They showcase your personality and your mood for the day.
With most men’s clothing inching higher and higher in price, it has never been more crucial to ensuring the longevity of your wardrobe than ever before.
Learning how to clean and store your business clothes is a crucial life skill.
This skill will help you to appear more professional and put together.
Like they always say, you should dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
And can anyone really name the last time they saw a business executive wearing a wrinkled shirt?
Suit Jackets
Suit jackets require regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure their longevity.
This means that you should be cleaning your suit jacket after every wear.
However, this does not mean you should be dropping off your suit jacket to the dry cleaners each week.
Rather, some usual maintenance can go a long way to help keep it fresh and clean.
These tips can be done in the comfort of your home, without the need of any dry cleaners or outside assistance.
You should follow these tips both before wearing the suit jacket and after to help remove any dirt and debris that may have accumulated during the course of the day.
For most specs of dust, dirt, and smudges, a simple spot treatment will work to clean the suit.
This is done by blotting the affected area with a dampened washcloth.
The washcloth should be dampened with cold water.
This method is effective on surface-level stains.
In addition, you can use a suit brush to remove any dirt and dust from the suit jacket.
Going in a downward motion, use the suit brush to remove any visible dirt and dust from the outer layer of the suit jacket.
This should be done both before and after wearing the suit jacket.
After you have worn the suit jacket, it is best to hang it in a cool, dry area, away from sunlight.
The hanger is an important piece of the equation and you should look to use a widespread, wooden hanger that will contour to the shape of your jacket.
In addition, you should cover the suit jacket with a cloth material to help with breathability.
If you took the suit jacket to the dry cleaners, remove the plastic covering as that will retain moisture.
Dress Shirts
Dress shirts provide a bit of a more difficult cleaning scenario as the material can vary greatly between two different shirts.
It is important to read up on the tag and what the instructions are to clean the shirt.
Regardless, you should be sure to unbutton all buttons and remove the collar stays from the shirt.
Simply follow the instructions on the tag when placing the item in the washing machine.
When it comes to storing your dress shirt, you will want to follow the same general rules as hanging up a suit jacket.
The dress shirt should be hung on a widespread, wooden hanger to ensure it maintains its form.
Also, be sure to hang up the shirt in a cool, dry place.
Dress Pants
Generally, dress pants made from a cotton material can be placed in the washing machine on a cold, gentle cycle.
Non-cotton dress pants will need to be hand-washed.
In order to hand-wash dress pants, you will need to fill a tub with cold water and a drop of mild detergent.
Soak the dress pants in the liquid and move them around the tub.
Use a brush to remove any stains and rinse afterwards.
Once your pants are crisp from the wash, place them flat inside a towel and allow it time to air dry.
You do not want to place your dress pants in the dryer.
Placing your dress pants in the dryer will shrink them and you will need to go out and buy new ones.
Although air drying takes longer, it comes out smelling better and won’t ruin the shape of your pants.
Storing your dress pants is relatively simple.
Hang the pants from a felt hanger to prevent slipping and stretching.
A felt hanger will also help your pants to retain their shape and will ensure that you do not find the pants on the floor when you walk into your closet.
Conclusion
Business clothes are an important and essential component to your professionalism.
Building out a hearty wardrobe takes years of purchases and an understanding of what you do, and don’t, like in your clothing.
Be sure to clean and store your business clothes in a manner that is appropriate for each piece of clothing.
Lastly, as a disclaimer, some of the Amazon links we have included above are affiliate links.
This means we earn a small commission from any purchases you make on Amazon after clicking on one of the links.
These products can all be found on Amazon if you would rather go that route.
