There are ways to keep your suit looking as good as possible for as long as possible. Ironing your suit is a colossal no-no and you need to leave it to the professionals at a dry cleaner if you insist.
We go into more details as to why an at home ironing is not a great idea.
#1 Fabric Damage and Shine Marks
Direct heat from the iron does not match wool, wool blends, or materials used to make suits. When hit by heat and pressure, a shine mark will appear and is difficult to remove from the fabric.
#2 Altered Structure and Shape
Many people are under the impression that suits are straight and elegant. However, the glue used to construct some suits can be melted by direct heat, separating and shifting layers of fabric.
Ironing a suit makes it look puckered and gives it bubbles with a bumpy appearance. Once a suit is ironed, it can be impossible for it to go back to its shape.
#3 Loss of Fabric Resilience
Putting your suit in a hot dryer or ironing it can break down the fabric's fibers and make them less elastic, causing them to become worn and shorten their life span. Over time, this can cause your suit to lose its signature fit and feel, giving it a worn or ragged look, and also cause pilling.
#4 Heat Can Cause Color Fading
The high heat of the iron will strip the colors in your suit to different extents, leaving blotchy spots or a generally lifeless appearance.
This becomes a significant concern for dark suits. Though some treatments are professional for restoring the colors of shoes, it's better to avoid these things by prevention rather than cure.
#5 Better Alternatives Exist
Steaming is a far safer alternative to removing wrinkles in your suit. Garment steamers produce gentle steam that relaxes and loosens fibers without pressure or high temperatures.
Hanging your suit in the bathroom while you take a nice hot shower will also work to de-wrinkle it. In some instances, you'll need to take your suit to a dry cleaner.
#6 Retention and Quality over Time
Focus on caring for the suit properly — getting it light steam when necessary, hanging your suits up appropriately, not on flimsy speed coat hangers, and dry cleaning it only when required.
Final Thoughts
Though permanent pressing may be particularly alluring, the precise long-term risks of pushing your suit are much larger. Heat can destroy the material, change its structure, or dull its colors forever, which means you will have to replace your suit much quicker than normal.
As far as your suit is concerned, do nothing more than steam it and let the professionals do what seems best for it: break the drape while allowing you to keep its elegant silhouette for years afterward. A suit is an investment; you should treat it as a long-term one.
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