 I'm Brian Sacawa. You're watching He Spoke Style and today we're going over how to properly clean and care for your suits. So whether your suits are off the rack made to measure or bespoke, you definitely want to make sure that you're taking care of them properly because doing so will prolong their life, which in turn will ensure that you are getting the most out of the money that you've spent on them. Suit should be dry cleaned, but dry cleaning a suit is something you shouldn't do that often. And honestly, I would consider it to be a last resort. Dry cleaning is tough on fabric because it actually uses a liquid solvent to remove dirt and oil. It's effective, but it also strips the fabric of the natural oils that it has, which over time breaks down the fabric, makes it brittle and significantly decreases the lifespan of your suit, especially if you do it too frequently. I am going to cover when you should bring your suit to the dry cleaner. But first, we're going to go over five things you can do between trips to the dry cleaner to really stretch out the life of your suits. First thing you're going to want to do is to rotate your suits. Do not wear the same suit every day. The more you wear any given suit, the faster it's going to wear out. Obviously, this assumes you wear suits regularly. And if you do fall into that category, that's why it's very important to have multiple suits. I would say at least three. Full video answering the question on how many suits do you actually need coming soon. Second, at the end of the day, when you're done wearing the suit, hang it up. This lets the fabric rest, gives it time to breathe, and allows some of the wrinkles to naturally fall out of the fabric. The best option for this, which I recommend, is a nice wooden suit hanger. Invest in a few if you don't have them already. A plastic suit hanger is okay as a second choice, but do not hang your suit on a plastic or wire hanger that you would typically use for a shirt. Those types of hangers will eventually create indentations in the shoulders of your suit jacket that will become permanent. That's why you always want to have a hanger that fits the contour of the jacket shoulders. Along those lines, make sure to take things out of your pockets before hanging your suit. This can also cause your suit to become misshapen. Third, obviously, when you go to put on your suit, you want it to look sharp and neatly pressed, but do not iron your suit. Use a steamer. It works quickly, and it's much gentler on the fabric. Also, depending on the fabric, if you iron it, you run the risk of it kind of getting a little shine to it, which does not look good. Now, I understand when you use a steamer, you're not going to be able to get that nice, sharp crease in the trousers. Some fabrics will hold a crease very well, and for a very long time, and others like linen, for example, need to be touched up more often. For this, you want to use an iron, but always try to avoid putting the iron directly on the fabric. You can get a pressing cloth to have a layer between the iron and the fabric, or you can get a Teflon cover to go over the iron. And if you really want to get a great crease, you'll want to invest in a tailor's clapper. Fourth, use a suit brush or a clothes brush. Brush your suit before you put it on, and then brush it again after you've worn it. It takes 15 to 30 seconds, and it is time really well spent. You're getting any dust or dirt out of the fabric, which again prolongs the life of the garment. It's also kind of a nice ritual. For me, the process of brushing my suit like that and giving it that kind of maintenance kind of gets me in touch with the craftsmanship aspect of many of my favorite suits. Fifth, cover up your out-of-season suits. Doing this keeps them from accumulating more dust, which we know is bad for fabric over time. And be sure to use a cloth cover so the fabric can still breathe. Now, in the event that you do get a stain on your suit, you should always try to clean it yourself first. Admittedly, I am not an expert on this topic, and there are many different types of stains, some more difficult to clean than others, but there are a few best practices to consider. Number one is to act fast. You don't want to give the stain any time whatsoever to set in. Number two, use cold water. Wool, especially, is not very tolerant to heat, and hot water can really damage the fabric. Number three, lightly blot at the stain and try to pull it up. If you scrub at it, you run the risk of the stain setting even more. I've also heard that vinegar and lemon juice is a good combination because of its acidic properties. I haven't actually tried that myself before. Which brings us to the question, when should you dry clean your suits? As I mentioned in the beginning of this video, dry cleaning should be a last resort. So when all else fails, that is when you should dry clean your suits. If there's a stain you absolutely can't get out, if there is a smell you can't get rid of, if there's dirt that is visible, that is when a suit needs to be dry cleaned. It's not an exact science, unfortunately, but doing those things like rotating, hanging between wares, steaming, brushing, and covering will increase the time between dry cleanings. Leave your comments down below. Thumbs up, subscribe, and hit the bell. Until next time, thanks for watching and stay tailored.