dry clean ? dip in woolite and drip dry or lay it out flat/ air out

[The Wizard of BC]

There is really no danger to dry cleaning a kilt. Some less expensive straps will get dried out after 30 or 40 dry cleanings but I've never had a problem

One thing you must do when taking your kilts to a dry cleaner is tell them to write on your slip, in big red letters, DO NOT PRESS! Just have them clean the kilt, and hang it up.

If they press the kilt without basting the pleats first what you will get back will look like a shower curtain in the back.


The other method I use is hand washing. I too use baby shampoo and not Woolite.

I put my kilt in the bathtub and put in about 3 or 4 inches of cold water. I then get in a walk on the kilt. Don't agitate or wring the kilt in any way. Just gently work the suds into the pleats.

Then drain and re-fill with clean, cold water. Walk again.

Repeat as necessary till all the shampoo is gone.

I then roll the kilt up in a bath towel and walk on it again. When the towel is soaked I replace it with a dry one. Repeat with new towels till you have most of the water out.

I then pick up the kilt while still rolled in the towel. This is to prevent the fabric from distorting while wet.

I simply hang my kilts up to dry. If you walked on your towels real well the kilt should be dry enough to finish drying overnight.



What kills wool is heat and agitation. Use cold water and don't get over jealous with your washing. Just a gentle swishing of the water through the fabric is enough.

Detergent based cleaners are also death on Wool. They strip the lanolin right out of the fibers. I suggest simple soap or baby shampoo.