A great way to clean your Stillwater

[DireStraitsFan]

Do you have those little balls of fabric rolling up the front of your Stillwater kilt where the sporran rubs? Thinking of throwing the old Stillwater in the washing machine?

I've taken my SWK's to the cleaners before. Even though they are economical kilts, I still don't want to prematurely wear them out by tossing them into the washing machine (though the label says you can). So, my wife and I were to head over to some friend's house for our 2nd annual Christmas meatball dinner, and I decided at the last minute to wear my SWK Royal Stewart (it is a festive tartan!). Well, the thing was in need of a cleaning. I had worn it to the Texas Renaissance Festival the weekend before, and I just hadn't had a chance to get it cleaned. Well, lo and behold, I spied a carton labeled Dryel on the laundry room shelf. The package had never been cracked open. So, I took it apart, scanned the directions, and about 45 minutes later I was pulling my kilt out of the dryer and staring in amazement at the condition of it.

It was clean and crisp! All of the little fuzz balls were gone! There was actually very little in the way of any loose fibers standing up from the garment. Even the pleats were nearly perfect. I had to barely touch the pleats up with the iron, and truth be told, could have gotten away with not bothering with the iron. It looked and smelled fresh.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass along the info to you SWK owners. If you're in a pinch, give it a try. It literally takes just 30 minutes in the dryer and presto! You're ready to hit the streets!

Happy kilting.

[CDNSushi]

Sorry... Never heard of Dryel. What is it?

On another note, I was able to de-pill one of my kilts with a disposable straight razor... Worked a treat!

[chasem]

if I recall correctly, Dryel is a "dry cleaning" solution for the home.

[Jerry]

I had to check it out on Google. Here's the link:

http://dryel.com/how-it-works/

[auld argonian]

I seem to remember a fella who was on the forum a couple of years ago, Glassman, who was very keen on that Dryel stuff. Haven't tried it but it sounds like a good alternative.

Best

AA

[GreenDragon]

Do you have those little balls of fabric rolling up the front of your Stillwater kilt where the sporran rubs? Thinking of throwing the old Stillwater in the washing machine?

I've taken my SWK's to the cleaners before. Even though they are economical kilts, I still don't want to prematurely wear them out by tossing them into the washing machine (though the label says you can). So, my wife and I were to head over to some friend's house for our 2nd annual Christmas meatball dinner, and I decided at the last minute to wear my SWK Royal Stewart (it is a festive tartan!). Well, the thing was in need of a cleaning. I had worn it to the Texas Renaissance Festival the weekend before, and I just hadn't had a chance to get it cleaned. Well, lo and behold, I spied a carton labeled Dryel on the laundry room shelf. The package had never been cracked open. So, I took it apart, scanned the directions, and about 45 minutes later I was pulling my kilt out of the dryer and staring in amazement at the condition of it.

It was clean and crisp! All of the little fuzz balls were gone! There was actually very little in the way of any loose fibers standing up from the garment. Even the pleats were nearly perfect. I had to barely touch the pleats up with the iron, and truth be told, could have gotten away with not bothering with the iron. It looked and smelled fresh.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass along the info to you SWK owners. If you're in a pinch, give it a try. It literally takes just 30 minutes in the dryer and presto! You're ready to hit the streets!

Happy kilting.

Awesome tip!

I noticed on their website, there's a saying "Freedom to wear what you want, whenever you want ...." That could not be more appropriate.

[jkane]

Since they are not wool, they can be wet cleaned! I toss mine in the washer (usually by itself) and then let it spin in the dryer for about 10-15 minutes to get the water out of it, but not totally dried yet.

Then I set a blanket over the couch and lay it out on top setting the pleats right. Let it sit there overnight and pick it up the next morning dry and ready to wear again.

[denmcdough]

I have a SWK, Irish National. It's new, but when it comes time for its first cleaning, I'll use everyone's advice. Thanks for the tips!!

[DireStraitsFan]

Since they are not wool, they can be wet cleaned! I toss mine in the washer (usually by itself) and then let it spin in the dryer for about 10-15 minutes to get the water out of it, but not totally dried yet.

Then I set a blanket over the couch and lay it out on top setting the pleats right. Let it sit there overnight and pick it up the next morning dry and ready to wear again.

I hear ya. As I said, though, even though it's a washable product I'd rather treat them with a little more care. The washing machine is just a bit too rough for my liking.

Anyway, it worked for me, so I thought you guys might like the heads up! Take care and Happy Holidays!

[seanachie]

Woolite has a product called Dry Cleaners Secret. Unlike Dryel it does not require a bag. If you go to the website http://www.drycleanerssecret.com/ they have an offer of a free sample, you just pay shipping.

I have NOT used this product yet but I ordered the free sample after Googling and reading the reviews of both products.

Joe