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

[CeilidhDoc]

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.

Although I agree about the importance of basting IF you decide to dry clean, if your are in the USA my recommendation is a strong DON'T DO IT!

The reason is that my first and only experience dry cleaning the kilt will be my last, and because of what is alluded to in the quote above. Although they shockingly did not entirely botch the job of pressing the pleats, they removed the entire finish off the straps the very first time it was cleaned. That was my first and only kilt at the time, and back before I had such a wonderful resource as XMTS back in 1997. I don't think my straps were cheap, either.

When I hear of people dry cleaning Kilts outside of the borders of Scotland the words from an old TV show called Lost in Space echo through my brain:

"Danger Will Robinson! Warning! Warning!"

Just MHO and experiences obviously differ.

Slainte!

[Angela Kaye Bodine]

CeilidhDoc, I have heard so many opinions etc, they are all great... unless something terrible happens to one of my kilts, I will probably just stick with airing it out, and spot cleaning it.. will probably use the dipping process of baby shampoo.. I thank u :-)... Angie... O the "DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON " was funny :-)

[RGRatSea]

This year, 2014, I had my casual kilt pressed at a cleaners in Carlisle, UK after being assured they did many kilts. My pleats were starting to suffer the frequent wearing and whe returned they looked great! Now, back in the US, I appreciate all the information shared. It seems risky to to over-clean the kilt and as for pressing, well for now I may just do it myself. "If yer man enough to wear a kilt yer man enough to press yer own pleats." As the for the pricey formal kilt . . . Hmmm. I think I'll keep reading. Thanks for the info.
Ryc

[Pleater]

Having had kilts for some time now I notice how long lasting they are.

Hand washing, careful draining on a rack and then hanging to dry, followed by ironing and pressing as needed seems to put very little age onto the fabric. Tumble drying does seem to be best avoided as the very edges of creases can become worn by the process.

So far, out of all the kilts I have made from all sorts of fabrics, only one has been thrown away and that was due to it being ripped across the apron by the edge of a metal shelf.

Some leather straps have lost their surfaces and become suede ones, but other than that there has been very little alteration over what is now years of use. I think the surface was some form of plastic or rubber put onto split skin and it cracked and fell off with use. I use black silk button thread to attach the leather, and cut through each stitch to remove it before washing. This doesn't seem to do any damage to either the kilt or the leather - I go through the same holes in the leather each time.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: