A “secret” button on your washing machine lets you clean “dry-clean only” clothes at home. If you’ve ever stained your favourite jumper and seen the dreaded “dry-clean only” label, you’ll know the frustration.
Clothes often say “dry-clean only” because they might shrink if washed too hot or spun too fast at home. But there’s a setting on your washing machine that can stop this from happening.
Hazel Mckinnie, from Wee Scotty Cleaners, says she has the perfect setting to tackle these problems. Even a three-piece suit “washes up amazingly” with her trick.
In a TikTok video where she shows what she does, she said: “I am just going to show you one of these settings on this machine. It’s a Beko. I have had lots of expensive washing machines and I love Beko.”
“Even our service engineer who services our machines says Beko is the best. So anyway, I am using the delicate [cycle]. Who knew that you could put your suit trousers in? I’ve got a suit jacket and I’ve got a men’s three-piece suit. This says dry clean only but I’m going to show you a wee trick.”
A mum has shared her clever hack for washing dry-clean only clothes in the washing machine. The mum-of-two, who runs her own laundrette, popped a Fairy pod into her washing machine, which had a delicate setting.
She selected a 40-degree wash and an 800-spin setting and said the clothes washed up “amazingly”. She added: “That’s all I want”.
Sharing the end results, she added: “The wash is finished and the clothes have washed up amazingly. Now all I have to do is hang them in a warm room and they will come up amazingly. All you have to do is maybe just a little steam.”
Although Hazel has a Beko washing machine, which can be purchased from Currys for £239, a lot of other appliances have a delicate washing setting. Many were impressed by the results, and the video has now had more than 91,000 views.
“Been doing this for years I never use dry cleaning,” said one cleaning fan. Another agreed, adding: “I always use delicate on all my clothes.”
Someone else wrote: “I have the same machine and you the delicate too,” however, another warned: “Works for a lot of suits but be careful you don’t wash virgin wool! Suits can separate from the wool lining after being washed too many times.”
Of course, not all fabric is created equal, so it’s important to be careful when washing dry-clean only fabrics at home, as there will always be a risk. According to Whirlpool, leather, suede, beaded or sequinned items, silk, velvet, wool and taffeta should be dry cleaned.
