Drycleaning, again

Just picked up my waistlength suede blazer. Cost of drycleaning this was
$50.15. The label did not say washable (as some suedes are) so went the
drycleaning route.
I figured it would be in the 40 dollar range.
Sound about right?? Paging Cofarb!!
I am going to do my best to not get anything on this blazer, maybe I should
make that a New Year's resolution.
Carol

"Carol" <carolc...@aol.combyespam> wrote in message
news:20050110135656.07016.00000...@mb–m29.aol.com...
GACK! Did they at least do a stellar job? (How much did you pay for the
jacket in the first place?!) I hope you invest the time and expense to hit
it with several coats of a water/shmutz–proofing spray.
I bought a shearling coat recently––I got a great deal on it––and I put
about 4 coats of protecting spray on it. Still, I'm sure it's going to get
dirty, and cleaning suede is often damaging––and always expensive. OTOH,
smooth finished leather is easy to keep clean...
cofarb, the not surprised

I think (was two years ago) I paid about $100 for this suede
jacket/blazer. It is a camel color so of course it would show dirty
spots quickly. I think I have learned my lesson about purchasing suede
in a light or medium light color. I will stick with darker colors or
perhaps I should avoid suede altogether.
Carol

<CarolC...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1105390345.873044.236...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
I have to say that I think my green (maybe it's best described as olive or
dark olive?) shearling will not be too horrible in the shmutz–showing
department. It may actually fare better than black in the long run.
Definitely saying no light colored suede finishes though.
BTW, I've been using my sticky lint roller to remove light layers of dirt
from my light colored shearling boots and I'm really pleased with the
results. It makes more sense than rubbing in the dirt. (I probably did 5
coats of spray on the boots before using them.)
cofarb

cofarb wrote:
You might be pleasantly surprised. My mother had a jacket, darker
beige colored with black sheep wooly side, that held up for years.
Shearling is much tougher than suede and cleans up well. It is often
used for rugged countryside wear in Britain.

"Valerie Belcher" <V.Belc...@att.net> wrote in message
news:41E40AFE.D3DD0...@att.net...
I had a "marlboro man" type sheepskin coat a looooong time ago. I recall
spending about $35––an astronomical sum in those days––to have it cleaned.
Afterwards, the suede sort of rubbed off with the lightest touch. It made
me shearling–shy forever. The local furrier uses a nearby drycleaner for
furs like mink, but they send shearlings to someplace in the midwest because
they supposedly do a fabulous job. Did your mother have her coat cleaned
often? Did she send it to a specialist? Do spots and grime really get
removed in the process, but without damaging the sueded finish?
curiousfarb

cofarb wrote:
She had it cleaned and it came out fine. The suede held up well. I
think she just used the local dry cleaners BUT this was in Britain in a
small town surrounded by farming country and sheepskin jackets/coats
were commonplace in the winter. Probably every cleaner knew how to deal
with them. I also suspect the sheepskins were top quality because they
were expensive and people expected them to last for years, which they
did. I never heard of a problem with the sueded finish not holding up.
Her coat was quite heavy, I am not sure how the much thinner Italian and
Spanish fashion coats hold up – perhaps they are more delicate.