The Key To Washing "Dry Clean Only" Clothes At Home — Like a Delicate Cashmere Sweater

You probably have at least one precious piece of clothing that you don't want to ruin or shrink in the wash. (FYI — hanging your favorite sweater? Here's how to do it without stretching it.) But you probably also don't love making a ton of *expensive* trips to the dry cleaner to make sure that doesn't happen. 

Well, fashion and lifestyle expert Amy E. Goodman, says she's been washing her "dry clean only" garments — like cashmere sweaters — at home for years.

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"I love cashmere sweaters. They are so soft. And yet, they usually say on the label to dry clean only," Amy says. "But I'm here to tell you that I have successfully been hand washing my cashmere sweaters forever, and you can do so without shrinking them."

HOW TO WASH SWEATERS THAT SAY "DRY CLEAN ONLY" ON THE LABEL—LIKE A CASHMERE SWEATER

1. In warm or cold water, add some baby shampoo or really, really mild detergent that is meant for delicates. 

2. Let the garment/sweater soak for about five minutes.

3. Give the garment/sweater a cold water rinse.

4. If you're working with a sweater or any delicate garment with stretch to it, gently stretch it out to its original desired shape on a clean and dry towel and roll it up like a "sweater burrito."

"This is going to enable me to further squeeze out any excess water without stretching the sweater [too much] in any way," Amy says. 

Stretching the garment too much could pull on the yarns when they are vulnerable because they're wet and damage the garment so you have to be gentle. (Think of it like wet hair, which can break if you tug at it too hard.)

5. Unroll your "sweater burrito" after squeezing out excess water and leave it to dry flat on the towel overnight. "It'll be ready in the morning," Amy says.

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