Why can't you...
 

Why can't you wash an item that is labelled polyester? I just bought a designer label skirt to take on a trip. It is made out of a really nice, silky polyester. Label says skirt and lining are 100% polyester, but it says to dry clean only. Polyester is washable. The only thing I could figure is that the waist band has a litle ribbon trim on the inside and maybe that is not washable. Anyone out there have a clue?

I think you can't wash things with liners because they'll get all messed up. That's my guess, anyway. And it's a good thing that you mentioned that this skirt is for a "trip," otherwise it would not be appropriate to ask this question here.

figure out how to put a decent title on your post?

Gloria, thanks for the tips - maybe that's the reason. And, yes, I knew I needed to mention a trip in there or I guess I would have been blasted to outer space by some here.<BR><BR>Why can't you, I'll consider better titles for future posts when you can think of a better, more original name.<BR>Thanks.

It seems more and more clothing items come with dry clean only labels. I think a lot of these can be hand-washed in cold water and the dry clean label is just to avoid customer complaints. I have only had one bad experience washing a rayon skirt which ended up a size too small but I took a chance because it was bought on sale. So I think you have to decide if you want to risk it or not.

and did you know ......?<BR><BR>that if you wash rayon and it shrinks just iron it wet with a warm steam iron and you can stretch it back out?<BR><BR>(for those travelers that wish to hand wash their rayon clothing on their trip...heeheheheh)<BR>

Finally one of my pet peeves: dry clean only. All over China you see people wearing silk (I fit in a travel plug for the purists) and I'm very sure they are not visiting a dry cleaner.

Sandy, have tried the damp fabric method myself, it doesn't work all the time.

Clothing manufacturers are required to put a cleaning method on the label. However, they are only required to state one method. "Dry clean only" is fewer words. I found this information out in a retail store from a clerk a few years ago, when I was purchasing a cotton sweater that said "Dry clean only".

Annie all of your clothes have special labels in them to inconvenience you. Those of us who know how to write intelligent and proper message headers get easier care labels!

What an amazingly interesting question for a travel board!<BR>Does anyone have any questions about which jelly to put on their toast tomorrow morning? <BR>How about which shoe to put on first,left or right?<BR>You know, this really is not ,Fodors Laundry Trivia forum.

x and xxx, take a deep breath and count to ten. <BR><BR>This IS a travel question. Obviously she wants to take the skirt on vacation with her and may need to wash it not dry clean it. She's right, that fabric is usually washable. I just bought a Chaus skirt made of the same material and it says dry clean only, too. Annie just wants some information - that's it. Why be so mean? <BR><BR>Fodors is not the Pick on People forum either. Pass the post if you don't like it.

It really isn't a travel question. she isn't going to wash while traveling, is she? How much does this skirt weigh? Is the goal to wear it three times, get it dirty and wear it again? Is this europe on five a week? Pounds of luggage, that is.<BR><BR>Or is it a travel question to ask which jelly to put on my toast, the morning before departing to Europe?<BR>

Leslie is right--in the US at least, manufacturers are only required to put<BR>one legitimate method of cleaning on their labels. It's not so much that "dry clean only" is shorter (though that's absolutely true) but that it absolves them from liability if you wash it and the item is ruined. They could, label an item explicitly saying something like "machine wash, cold water, gentle cycle only,no bleach, line dry only" and then someone washes it and claims it's ruined. There's no real way to determine if the water that was used was cold vs. warm, or if the regular wash cycle was used instead of gentle cycle. It is easy to tell if something was dry cleaned vs. washed, so the manufacturer is somewhat protected in case the consumer is negligent and tries to pass it off to the manufacturer.<BR>By the way, keep in mind that just because a fiber e.g. polyester is washable, doesn't mean the fabric is.<BR>If a fabric has been permanently pleated,even if it's polyester, washing will be a disaster. As others have mentioned, rayon may or may not wash well. Other fabrics tend to wrinkle beyond belief and either can't be ironed out well or the ironing would hurt the item.<BR>Personally, if an item isn't expensive and/or it's old enough that I just don't care as much, I often take my chances and wash things by hand, in cool water. If it survives that, I might risk machine washing next time.<BR>But I would never then go back to the manufacturer and tell them that they have a defective product;)<BR>

Thanks, garmento, for your very informative response. It was a fairly expensive iten so I guess the best thing to do is follow instructions for now. As time passes, I'm sure I will not care about it as much and will take a chance and wash it, but for now cleaning it is! Thanks again.

Saying that asking a question about laundry care is OK here because the person stated she is taking the blouse with her on a trip, is just like asking hair styling advice or suggestions of colors to paint my nails. After all I'm taking my hair and my fingernails with me to Europe too!