dry cleaner shrunk wool jacket?

So I’m pretty sure my dry cleaner washed/laundered a wool track jacket I got from Todd Snyder…..they insisted that dry cleaned it. But when I bought it I weighed 250 and it fit fine, still a bit roomy. Now I weigh 220 and when I got it back it feels like a slim fit around the torso, sleeve cuffs barely come to my wrists and the waist doesn’t even cross my belt line Surely dry cleaning wouldn’t shrink something THAT much? I know there’s heat involved in the process, but this seems overboard.
10 Replies
bishopcorrigan
bishopcorrigan6mo ago
What does the card tag say on it Dry cleaning means not water, it doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t cause shrinking There’s also a difference between “Dry Cleaning” and “Professional Dry Cleaning”
Guatemalean Toupee
Damn what’s the difference?
SouvlakiPlaystation
yeah I’m wondering too, this is a dry cleaning business, so I would assume that’s pro this happened about a month ago, and I took it back and they steamed and stretched for me and it was still small so I think I just gave up on it. I do believe the cleaners tag did say it was dry cleaned. It’s just crazy though bc this mf shrunk like damn near 2 whole sizes. I was definitely expecting some shrinkage; but it went from “fits perfectly” on me at 250 to “way small” at 220 So idk yeah maybe they did dry clean and just did a shitty job or something
bishopcorrigan
bishopcorrigan6mo ago
I believe the difference is that “dry cleaning” just means no water, but largely the same process of putting the clothes in a drum machine with chemicals to wash then drying and pressing if necessary Vs “Professional Dry Cleaning” Which uses chemicals manually applied to clean instead of bathed At least that’s how I’ve heard it So it’s a difference of whether the garment was put in a chemical bath or hand washed with chemicals essentially So it could be that the tag said “professional dry clean only” not “dry clean only” and soaking it in a hot bath was too much
Küther
Küther6mo ago
Honestly sounds like they are lying. Dry cleaning should not cause shrinkage. Don't think this is true tbh.
bishopcorrigan
bishopcorrigan6mo ago
The distinction may be not that clean, but that’s my understanding of how museums and couture houses clean garments and what you pay more for when you pay for a better dry cleaner Look for a place that will do wedding gowns and they will be able to explain the difference between how they treat a standard garment vs a gown
Küther
Küther6mo ago
Well yes, there is a difference between dry cleaning services or course. Looking at Rave fabricares blog gives some insight. But the difference is not calling it professional Vs regular dry cleaning. Any dry cleaner can call their service professional dry cleaning if you get what I'm saying.
gimp
gimp6mo ago
Yeah that distinction doesn't make sense to me either. I don't see any dry cleaner to whom you pay money shrinking a jacket by two sizes unless they done fucked up. You don't need to pay $80 to ship your stuff to Rave to have them clean a wool track jacket without damaging it. Usually when you go to a dry cleaner, if the fabric requires special care they will tell you. And then, either charge you more, or possibly refuse to do it if they're not sure they can. Telling you whether their standard process might damage the fabric or fit and whether they have a more involved, more expensive process available is their job, they're professionals at ...... dry cleaning ... among other things But some suck. Not every shop does a good job. I don't know how to help you OP but I do not blame you for a shop that you paid doing a bad job. You should talk to their manager and file a loss claim.
bishopcorrigan
bishopcorrigan6mo ago
Yeah either way it’s certainly not your fault, the distinction was something I had heard but wasn’t sure about which is why I qualified my explanation. More so I just wanted to say that there are different ways to dry clean things so it may be that they dry cleaned them one way when they should have taken the care to do it differently
Küther
Küther6mo ago
Sure, but the thing is dry cleaning whether in a machine or not should not shrink your clothes. That's what happens when water and heat are involved. Dry cleaning in a machine can cause other damage of course from the mechanical washing process.