Dry cleaning for tweed jacket?

[NPG]

I recently purchased a previously owned Tweed jacket from ebay. The jacket is lovely, but it does seem to have a slight smell to it, mostly like it has been stored for some time. Given that it is not new, the tags do not say how it should be handled. I would guess that dry cleaning is safe, but I wanted make sure. Is there anything else I should know about trying to get the smell removed?

Thanks,
NPG

[Liam]

I recently purchased a previously owned Tweed jacket from ebay. The jacket is lovely, but it does seem to have a slight smell to it, mostly like it has been stored for some time. Given that it is not new, the tags do not say how it should be handled. I would guess that dry cleaning is safe, but I wanted make sure. Is there anything else I should know about trying to get the smell removed?

Thanks,
NPG

It would depend obviously what caused the smell. I would try dry cleaning. Sometimes smells are so deeply embedded that you might only be able to mask them or reduce them but not remove them.
Good Luck...

[NPG]

It would depend obviously what caused the smell. I would try dry cleaning. Sometimes smells are so deeply embedded that you might only be able to mask them or reduce them but not remove them.
Good Luck...

Appreciated, never having owned a tweed jacket I wasn't fully sure dry cleaning would be ok, thought I figured it should be.

[cck]

I would think that dry cleaning would be the preferable method for a tweed jacket. The buttons might be of concern if they are of a material such a bone, horn or metal and you might point that out to the cleaner.

[Tarheel]

There was a thread on using white vinegar for kilts that had badly stained (odor involved) when cleaning. Could that be used as a prep before dry cleaning the tweed jacket?

I will stress prep as a soak with a diluted solution of vinegar and cold water.

[Spartan Tartan]

Is it a "slight" smell or a strong smell?

If it's slight, you might have better luck. In this case I would imagine dry cleaning would work. I also leave my hanging out in the open (i.e. NOT in my closet) after I wear them so they can breath a bit. I'm not sure it's necessary, but it's what I do.

If the odor is strong enough to really bother you, then you have nothing to loose if you try.

But to the point of your question... is dry cleaning safe for your tweed jacket. I would think yes. I've dry cleaned all of mine without issue.

Best of luck!

[Todd Bradshaw]

Yes, dry cleaning is pretty much the standard practice for tweed garments. Dry cleaners do enough business suits that they are usually used to cleaning jackets. When it comes back, take it out of the wrapper and air it out for a couple days. I would hesitate to saturate it with water. There are things in there that you probably don't want to saturate and which you might have a lot of trouble pressing back like they were. Even the tweed itself may come out with a different texture than it had before getting truly wet.

I was surfing one day and found a local website with customer reviews of the various local drycleaners. Some were quite good, others sounded like places where I wouldn't want to take my stuff, though their ads all claim they're great. It might be worth seeing if any such reviews exist in your area before handing over your jacket.

[Liam]

Another option is to spray it with "Fabreeze" and perhaps hang it outside for a few hours....It does wonders for hockey equipment which I'm sure smells worse than any kilt jacket ever could.😉

[NPG]

Another option is to spray it with "Fabreeze" and perhaps hang it outside for a few hours....It does wonders for hockey equipment which I'm sure smells worse than any kilt jacket ever could.😉

This reminds me of the time I was in Sault Ste. Marie for a tournament. We were playing on both sides of the border and I guess the border guards got a little suspicious and decided to search our car. They ended up searching our hockey bags which were "fresh" from having just played a game. I did not envy them their jobs for sure.

I might just try the leaving in outside for a bit, the sun and fresh air does seem to do wonders, but I think I will have it dry cleaned regardless. It came rolled up in a plastic envelope so I think it could use a dry cleaning.

[NPG]

I wanted to thank everyone the dry cleaning combined with letting it air out outside seems to have removed the smell.