How Often Should You Dry Clean a Suit?

Two or three times a year for a suit in regular rotation, and only when it actually needs it. Put another way, a suit gets somewhere between 15 and 20 wears between cleans if it is aired and brushed in between. Most men either never dry clean a suit or send it in every month, and both shorten its life.

Dry cleaning is harder on wool than it looks. The solvent strips the natural oils from the fibre, the pressing flattens the weave, and every cycle takes a little life out of the cloth. The aim is to clean as rarely as you can while the suit stays fresh. Here is how to judge it.

How many wears between dry cleans?

Roughly 15 to 20 for a jacket, and fewer for trousers, which take more wear at the seat and thigh and pick up more from chairs and car seats. A suit worn once a week is cleaned two or three times a year. A suit worn twice a week, four times. A suit worn for one wedding and hung up clean may not need cleaning until the next one.

The trigger is not the calendar. It is a smell that airing does not lift, a mark that spot-cleaning does not shift, or cloth that has gone limp and dull. Clean it then, and not before.

What to do between cleans

Air it. Hang the jacket and trousers on wide hangers somewhere with moving air for a day after each wear and most odours lift on their own, because wool releases moisture and smell as it dries.

Brush it. A soft clothes brush after each wear lifts dust, skin and lint before they work into the weave, which is most of what a dry cleaner is removing anyway.

Rest it. A day or two between wears lets the wool recover its shape, and a suit that rests needs cleaning less often than one worn back to back. These three habits keep a well-built suit fresh for months, and our guide to how to store a suit covers the hanger and the closet.

Spot-treat marks. For a small mark, blot with a cloth and cool water rather than sending the whole suit in. Anything with colour or fat in it goes to the cleaner, but tell them what it was. What to do about a stain before dry cleaning covers which marks are safe to treat at home.

When it does need cleaning

Use a cleaner who does suits regularly, and send the jacket and trousers together so they fade evenly. Ask for a light press or none at all; a cleaner who presses the lapels flat has done more damage than the dirt did. When it comes back, take it out of the plastic the same day, let it air for a few hours, and hang it properly.

Between cleans, a hand steamer held off the cloth freshens a suit and drops creases, and our post on how to press a suit at home shows how to do it without shining the wool.

FAQ

How often should you dry clean a suit?

Two or three times a year for a suit worn about once a week, which is every 15 to 20 wears. Clean it when it smells, is marked or has lost its shape, not on a schedule. Cleaning more often wears the wool out faster than wearing it does.

How many times can you wear a suit before dry cleaning?

About 15 to 20 wears for a jacket that is aired and brushed between wears, and a little fewer for trousers. A suit worn for a single event and hung up clean may not need cleaning at all until its next outing.

Does dry cleaning damage a suit?

Over time, yes. The solvent strips oils from the wool and the pressing flattens the weave, so every cycle takes a little from the cloth. Done a few times a year on a genuinely soiled suit, it is fine. Done monthly, it ages the suit years early.

What can I do instead of dry cleaning a suit?

Air it on a wide hanger for a day after wearing, brush it with a soft clothes brush, rest it a day or two between wears, and spot-clean small marks with a cloth and cool water. A hand steamer freshens the cloth and drops creases between cleans.