How Often Should You Dry Clean Your Clothes?

It's one of the most common questions we hear at Bordon Dry Cleaners: how often do I actually need to dry clean this? The honest answer is that it depends on the garment, how often you wear it, and what you do in it. But there are some useful guidelines that apply to most people.

The key thing to understand is that dry cleaning — while excellent for the right garments — isn't something you should do more often than necessary. Repeated cleaning of any kind causes some wear on fabric over time. The goal is to clean garments when they need it, not on a rigid schedule.

Suits and Jackets

Suits are probably the garment people ask about most. A good rule of thumb:

• If you wear it occasionally (a few times a year): dry clean once a year, or when visibly soiled or smelling stale
• If you wear it weekly: every three to four months
• If you wear it daily: every six to eight weeks

Between cleans, brush your suit after each wear and allow it to air on a proper hanger. This significantly extends the time between professional cleans. See our guide on how to care for your suit between dry cleans for more detail.

Coats and Overcoats

Winter coats and overcoats typically need dry cleaning once or twice a season — at the start of winter and again at the end, before you store them away. If you wear your coat every day in cold weather, you might want to clean it more frequently.

Our winter jacket and coat cleaning service covers everything from everyday wool coats to premium outerwear like Canada Goose and Moose Knuckles.

Dresses and Formal Wear

Evening wear and formal dresses should be dry cleaned after each wear — particularly if you've been dancing, sweating or eating in them. Perspiration and body oils can cause invisible staining that becomes permanent if left untreated.

Casual dresses worn for a few hours can usually be worn two or three times before cleaning, depending on the fabric and conditions.

Shirts and Blouses

Most shirts and blouses can be washed at home or through a laundry service rather than dry cleaned. However, silk blouses, heavily embellished tops, and anything with a "dry clean only" label should always be professionally cleaned.

Wedding Dresses

Your wedding dress should be cleaned as soon as possible after the wedding — ideally within a few weeks. Many stains (particularly champagne, wine and perspiration) are invisible immediately after the event but will oxidise and turn yellow over time, becoming extremely difficult to remove.

Read our full guide on wedding dress cleaning for everything you need to know.

Curtains and Household Textiles

Curtains should be professionally cleaned once or twice a year, depending on the room. Kitchen and bathroom curtains may need more frequent cleaning due to cooking odours and moisture. Bedroom curtains can usually go longer between cleans.

Our curtain cleaning service handles all types, from voile sheers to heavy interlined curtains.

The Golden Rule

When in doubt, bring your garment in and ask us. We're always happy to advise on the best cleaning method and frequency for any item — and we'll never recommend a service you don't need.