How to clean a suit?
It’s important to know the difference between cleaning a suit and pressing a suit. Cleaning means bringing it to a dry cleaner to remove dirt and stains and let the chemical process kill bacteria causing odors. Pressing a suit means removing wrinkles so it looks sharp. You can do this yourself at home using an iron on the appropriate setting and a cloth on top of the fabric so you aren’t pressing directly onto the suit itself. If you’re in a rush or don’t prefer the hassle, use a steamer or hang it up in your shower for 10 minutes and let the hot water steam ease out the creases.
Dry clean how often?
Dry cleaning a suit can often shorten the life of a suit if you do it too often. However, it is necessary from time to time to get your suit properly cleaned. Our general rule of thumb is if the suit has been stained or it smells bad, then take it in for a dry cleaning. Otherwise, we suggest perhaps cleaning a suit quarterly if you wear it often. Or clean it at the end of the season if you only wore it occasionally. If it’s been stained, take it in immediately and ask for a spot clean, which will be less harsh on the suit.
How to store a suit?
If your suit is made from wool, silk, cashmere, alpaca or mohair, then you’ll want to take extra care to store your suit properly to prevent moth damage. If you see a moth in your closet, then it’s already too late! Moth eggs hatch larvae that look to immediately eat your clothing, which is where moth holes come from. To prevent this, use a suit brush after wearing your suit. Then keep it zipped up in a garment bag. Consider investing in cedar products as well. Finally, have your garments dry cleaned before putting them away in storage for the end of a season, too.
How to take care of your Hall Madden shirt?
To help a shirt last as long as possible, it’s important to maintain good care of the garment. Here are some tips:
Wear deodorant, not antiperspirant. Antiperspirants are aluminum-based and can leave yellow stains in the armpit area, which are hard to remove.
Take the ‘collar stays’ out of your collar when washing.
Tumble dry low or don’t tumble dry your shirts – the rotation in the machine will damage the fabric.
Hang your shirts while drying to avoid creasing.
Launder your shirts in cold water with detergent and OxiClean. For tough, sweaty oil stains and food stains, soak overnight in Oxiclean solution with cold water. Then launder as usual
Origin of our Mother of Pearl buttons
Luxurious natural shine of the pearl for dress shirts
How to take care of your Hall Madden Knit?
Hand wash inside out with Woolite, gently in a sink. Do not wring! Carefully squeeze water and soap out after rinsing.
Lay flat on a towel to dry. Do not put in a dryer or hang! This will shrink the knit!
Store knits folded and ideally keep them in a container — plastic or cedar. Do not hang them as it’ll stretch them irregularly.
When stained from food, blot with cold water. Take to a dry cleaner ASAP and ask for a spot clean
Don’t wear your knit more than 2 days in a row. Let it rest on a flat surface after wearing.
Wool & cashmere are naturally resistant to odors, so you don’t need to wash often.
Knits should NOT be stored on a hanger. Fold and store in a closet or cedar chest. Keep a good moth repellant nearby.
To remove wrinkling, drape knitwear in a steamy bathroom.
In early stages of the use of the garment, pilling can occur, however, this will settle after 2-3 washes. You can remove it with a sweater stone or de-pilling device.
How to take care of your Hall Madden shoes?
Quality footwear can last a long time — with the proper care techniques. Here are some tips on how to polish and care for your Italian shoes:
Use shoe trees. This will keep the toe from creasing and the interior fresh.
Calfskin leather shoes require leather conditioner at a minimum. This keeps the leather from drying out, especially in arid climates.
If you wish to polish your shoes, here’s the correct process: Remove laces and brush the shoes clean with a stiff boar-bristle shoe brush. Then use leather conditioner. Then apply a light coat of polish and wait 15-30 minutes for it to dry. Buff with a brush. For a shine, apply a shoe wax in the desired color with a light coat. Wait an hour or more before giving a final brushing.
Avoid layering too much polish or wax. This can keep the leather from breathing and ruin it over time. Also, avoid cheap shoe care products. We prefer the Saphir line of shoe care products.
For suede: nano protector is available, but spray it outside. The fumes are horrid. You can also buy suede cleaner solution or suede eraser brush if you wish to clean it. It’s not as delicate. Traditionally, suede is a more casual material meant to be beat up and worn — it was worn by British troops in Africa during WWII!
When the heel has worn down, the shoe can be re-heeled. Goodyear-welted shoes can also be resoled professionally. Blake construction shoes are harder to find a place to resole.
Sneakers can be easily cleaned. We recommend products from Jason Markk.
With the right techniques and products, your custom dress shoes and sneakers can last for decades.