Caring for wool coats and suits between cleans

01Why less cleaning, more care

A good wool coat or suit is an investment. It can look sharp for many years, or tired within a couple of seasons, and the difference is mostly in what happens between cleans. Many people send suits and coats to the dry cleaner far more often than needed, believing that frequent cleaning keeps them fresh. In fact, every clean exposes the cloth to solvent, heat and pressing, which over time flattens the fibres, wears the finish and can make wool look shiny and limp.

Wool is remarkable. Its fibres are naturally springy, resist creasing and recover their shape when rested. Its surface sheds dirt more easily than many fibres, and it resists odours better than synthetics. With brushing, airing, resting and the right hanger, a wool suit or coat can go much longer between professional cleans, and look better for it.

This guide covers the everyday habits that keep wool tailoring in good condition: brushing, hanging, resting, airing, dealing with rain and spills, steaming out creases, protecting against moths and storing garments over summer. It also explains when it really is time for a professional clean.

02Why wool behaves the way it does

Wool fibres are made of keratin, the same protein as hair. Under a microscope, each fibre has a surface of tiny overlapping scales and a natural crimp, or wave, along its length. These two features explain most of how wool behaves.

The crimp makes wool springy. When a wool garment is creased, the fibres are bent, but given time, moisture and rest, they spring back to their natural shape. That is why a wool suit hung overnight often looks better in the morning, and why a little steam works so well: moisture helps the fibres relax and recover.

The scales are why wool shrinks and felts. When wool is wet, warm and rubbed, the scales catch on each other and lock together, pulling the fabric tighter. That is what happens when a wool jumper goes through a hot wash. Dry cleaning, gentle wet cleaning and careful hand washing avoid that combination of heat, moisture and agitation.

Wool also has a natural outer layer that sheds water to some degree and resists stains a little, which is why spills can often be blotted off before they sink in. And wool absorbs moisture vapour and odours, then releases them when aired, which is why airing is so effective at freshening wool garments.

Understanding these properties makes the care routine intuitive: rest and moisture for creases, no heat and agitation together, blot rather than rub, and air rather than clean.

03Brushing: the most important habit

A clothes brush is the single best tool for wool. Dust, skin cells, hair and grit settle on wool every day. Left there, they dull the colour, work into the fibres and wear them. A quick brush after each wear removes them before they settle.

04The right hanger

A suit or coat hung on the wrong hanger slowly loses its shape.

Thin wire hangers and narrow plastic hangers let shoulders droop and leave dents in the shoulder line. A wide, shaped wooden hanger supports the shoulders as a body would, so the jacket or coat keeps its line. The hanger should be the right width for the garment: too narrow and the shoulders sag, too wide and they stretch.

For trousers, a hanger with a clamp bar that holds them by the hem, upside down, lets creases drop out under the weight of the fabric. Folding trousers over a bar works too, but can leave a line at the knee.

05Resting between wears

Wool fibres need time to recover after a day's wear. Body heat, moisture and movement stretch and crease the fibres; resting on a good hanger lets them spring back.

Many tailors suggest not wearing the same suit two days in a row. Rotating two or three suits, or wearing a coat on alternate days when possible, extends their life considerably. A day of rest also gives moisture from rain or the body time to evaporate before the garment goes back into a crowded wardrobe.

06Airing

After wearing a coat or suit, hang it somewhere airy for a few hours, or overnight, before putting it in the wardrobe. A hook on the back of a door, near an open window but out of direct sunlight, is ideal. Airing lets odours from cooking, smoke, public transport and the day fade naturally. Wool is very good at releasing odours when given air.

Avoid hanging coats and suits straight into a packed wardrobe while still warm or damp. Moisture trapped in a crowded space can leave garments musty and invite moths.

07Dealing with rain

London rain is a fact of life, and wool coats spend much of the winter getting damp.

08Spills and marks

Act quickly but gently.

• Blot fresh spills with a clean, white, dry cloth to lift as much as possible.
• For water-based spills on sturdy wool, dab gently with a cloth dampened with cool water.
• Do not rub; rubbing pushes the stain in and roughens the wool.
• Do not use household stain removers, which can leave rings or bleach colour.
• Do not apply heat, which sets stains.
• If the mark remains, take the garment to a cleaner and say what it was.

09Removing creases

Wool tailoring rarely needs ironing between cleans. Most creases drop out when the garment rests on a good hanger, especially in a slightly humid room.

10Pockets and shape

Overfilled pockets are one of the main reasons suits and coats lose their shape. Phones, keys, wallets and heavy items pull pockets down and stretch the fabric around them. Empty pockets every evening and carry heavy items in a bag where possible. Some people keep jacket pockets lightly stitched closed, as they come from the maker, to discourage overfilling.

11When to clean professionally

• When the garment is visibly dirty or stained.
• When it smells even after airing.
• At the end of the season, before storage.
• When the nap looks flat and dull and brushing does not restore it.

For a suit worn regularly, that might mean a few cleans a year. For a coat, often once or twice a season. Clean suit jackets and trousers together, so they age at the same rate.

12Suit trousers

Trousers get dirtier faster than jackets. They pick up dust and marks from the floor, from sitting and from the street.

• Brush trousers after every wear, especially the hems and seat.
• Hang them by the hems with a clamp hanger so creases drop out.
• Steam out creases at the knees.
• Press the front crease occasionally through a damp cloth.
• Rotate trousers if you have more than one pair with a suit.

13Suit jackets

• Empty pockets every evening.
• Brush shoulders, collar and lapels.
• Fasten the top button on the hanger.
• Steam out creases at the elbows and back.
• Do not press lapels flat; a gentle roll looks better.

14Coats in more detail

Winter coats face weather, bags, seatbelts and crowded trains. A few habits keep them in shape.

15Cashmere and fine wool coats

Cashmere and cashmere-blend coats are softer and more delicate than ordinary wool. Brush them with a softer brush, gently and only with the grain, to avoid pilling. Avoid rubbing from bag straps. Pilling, small balls of fibre on the surface, can be removed carefully with a cashmere comb or fabric shaver once in a while, but rough handling makes it worse. Have cashmere coats cleaned by a cleaner experienced with fine fabrics.

16Tweed and heavy wool

Tweed and heavy wool coats and jackets are robust and forgiving. They can take firmer brushing and benefit from it, since their textured surface traps more dirt. They are also more water-resistant than fine wools. Let them dry naturally after rain and brush them well once dry.

17Commuting in wool

Daily commuting is hard on wool suits and coats. Crowded trains rub shoulders and sleeves, bags pull on fabric, seats wear the seat of trousers and rain soaks coats on the walk from the station.

• Wear a coat over a suit jacket on wet or crowded days to take the wear.
• Hang the jacket when you arrive at work rather than leaving it on a chair back.
• Use a coat hook or hanger at work rather than draping a coat over a chair.
• Avoid stuffing pockets with phones and keys during the commute.
• Brush the garment when you get home.

18Pilling on coats

Small balls of fibre, called pills, form where wool rubs against itself or other surfaces, often under the arms, on cuffs and where bag straps sit. Softer, looser wools and cashmere pill more than tightly woven worsteds.

Remove pills carefully with a fabric shaver or a cashmere comb, working gently on a flat surface. Do not pull pills off by hand, which can tear fibres. Reduce pilling by brushing with the grain, changing bag habits and resting garments between wears.

19Shine on wool

Shine appears where wool fibres have been flattened by friction or pressing: the seat and knees of trousers, elbows of jackets and areas pressed with a hot iron. Light shine can sometimes be reduced by steaming the area and brushing it against the grain to lift the fibres. A professional cleaner may be able to improve it further. Prevention is best: rotate garments, avoid sitting on hard surfaces in the same trousers every day and never press wool directly with a hot iron.

20Protecting wool from moths

Clothes moths are a growing problem in many London homes, and wool is their favourite food. Strictly, it is the larvae that do the damage, eating small holes in wool, cashmere, silk, fur and feathers, usually in hidden places such as under collars, inside cuffs and along seams.

21Storing coats and suits for summer

When the weather warms up, winter coats and heavy suits go into storage. How you store them decides how they come out in autumn.

• Have them cleaned first, so no stains or body oils remain.
• Remove plastic dry-cleaning covers, which trap moisture.
• Hang them on shaped hangers in breathable cotton covers.
• Store in a cool, dry, dark wardrobe or cupboard with space around each garment.
• Keep them away from outside walls, boilers and damp areas.
• Check them every few weeks for moths or damp.

22Organising the wardrobe

A crowded wardrobe is hard on tailoring. Garments pressed tightly together crease, rub and cannot air.

• Leave a little space between each garment so air can circulate.
• Hang coats and suits away from items that shed fluff.
• Keep heavy coats on sturdy hangers and a strong rail.
• Store seasonal items elsewhere so the wardrobe is not overfilled.
• Do not hang garments against a damp outside wall.

23Small repairs that save garments

Wool tailoring lasts much longer when small problems are fixed early.

24Signs a garment is ageing

Even with good care, wool tailoring ages. Signs include shine on the seat, elbows and knees; thin or worn areas at the cuffs and hems; a flattened, dull nap that brushing no longer lifts; and a lining that has torn in several places. Some of these can be repaired or reduced; others mean the garment is reaching the end of its smart life. Many people move older suits into more casual use, wearing the jacket alone with jeans, before retiring them.