# Spot cleaning a suit on your own

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-cleaning-a-suit-on-your-own/575634>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 22, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-cleaning-a-suit-on-your-own/575634 "2011-03-22T18:34:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-cleaning-a-suit-on-your-own/575634/1 "2011-03-22T18:34:07Z")

</div>

My suit is 100% wool. It got some mud spots on the lower legs. How do I clean that without messing up the suit?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-cleaning-a-suit-on-your-own/575634/2 "2011-03-22T18:42:11Z")

</div>

This is only a description of my experience, I am not a dry cleaner, I am not your dry cleaner, dry cleaning laws may vary in your state, etc.

I have done this by hand washing in cold water (with a little Woolite if necessary), blotting dry in a towel, then press with an iron on the “wool” setting. The lower legs don’t have much structure and so shouldn’t be much of a problem. (I wouldn’t try that with a wool suit coat because I don’t know if you’d ever get the shape back.) I even put a pair of 100% wool slacks in the washer once (by accident) then ironed them and they turned out OK.

For the cost, though, consider just sending the pants to the cleaners. You don’t have to send the whole suit.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-cleaning-a-suit-on-your-own/575634/3 "2011-03-22T20:02:06Z")

</div>

Mud spots are about the easiest thing to clean from wool. You may be able to blot/wipe gently with a wet cloth. But I agree, just send the pants to the cleaners. You’ll get a nice, professional pressing along with the cleaning.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-cleaning-a-suit-on-your-own/575634/4 "2011-03-22T20:38:16Z")

</div>

FWIW, my drycleaner’s opinion on stains when I’ve asked is that they are able to remove most of them; it’s people’s half-assed attempts to DIY that causes most of the difficulties for them later trying to get the stain out. Of course, you can see their bias, etc… Me, I’d take the suit into them.