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Career Clothes
Dress for Success Without Breaking the Bank
By Debra Weaver
A career wardrobe is an investment, and you need to take care of it. While most career clothing specifies dry cleaning, a lot can be safely laundered at home by hand washing or using the gentle cycle in your machine. Unless the tag specifies "dry clean only," the garment can probably be laundered at home. To keep clothes looking new, wash in cold water and hang to dry. Machine drying wears down the fabric quicker, thus making this extra step worth the trouble.
There are some at-home dry cleaning systems available as well. Dryel, for one, from Proctor and Gamble, sells for about $15 for the basic starter system. It contains stain removal liquid and pads, the Dryel cloth (the item that does the cleaning) and the fabric bag. While this home system works with some fabrics, it isn't effective on all. It does freshen the garment and will remove some stains, but your better clothing will need to be cleaned by a professional.
"Many people have their garments cleaned several times a season when once or twice would suffice, especially things like jackets and skirts where regular wearing doesn't really get them dirty," Harvey says.
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