Help with dry clean only jacket

Help I have a white cotton pique jacket from Reiss (so was expensive!) that has gone a bit grey at the dry cleaners. Not enough so I could take it back and complain, you could argue it just looks a bit grubby, but I can tell it's not the same colour that it should be.

What can I do to brighten it? If I somehow hang it on the line to sun bleach does it need to be wet for that to work? Could I surface wash it and then hang out? The fabric would survive washing but I'm not sure the interlining/ shoulder pads etc would

Sun bleaching works better on damp materials IMO, but I find it does still work on dry.

If you can dampen or surface wash it and then hang out (on a clothes hanger) you might get results.

I suppose you also have to ask what you would lose. If it's grey enough that you would choose not to wear it, then trying to whiten it is no problem if you go for the least risky action first. Have you asked the dry cleaners for any advice?

Sun bleaching works better on damp materials IMO, but I find it does still work on dry.

If you can dampen or surface wash it and then hang out (on a clothes hanger) you might get results.

I suppose you also have to ask what you would lose. If it's grey enough that you would choose not to wear it, then trying to whiten it is no problem if you go for the least risky action first. Have you asked the dry cleaners for any advice?

No - I don't really want to get into an argument about the colour of it with them to be honest. But I think I@ll try the surface washing approach - guess I should have had a go this weekend while the sun was out!

You could use a spray bottle to dampen the surface for sun bleaching. My mum always swore by foam carpet cleaner too. I had a ball gown that was a bit grubby round the hem it got that clean and didn't wreck it.

You could use a spray bottle to dampen the surface for sun bleaching. My mum always swore by foam carpet cleaner too. I had a ball gown that was a bit grubby round the hem it got that clean and didn't wreck it.

Oh I may have some foam carpet cleaner. It's got a coffee stain on the lapel that wasn't there when I took it in (I know dr cleaning can bring some stains out so I'm not complaining about that) so I'll see if I can work some magic on that. I need the sun to come back out!

Good luck x

[clothmama]

How did you go @northernruth did you get it white in the end?

I washed it (gingerly!) last night. Put it to soak in a shallow bath with some stain remover and biological washing liquid. Rinsed it gently using the shower attachment and left it to drip dry over the bath all night. Was still wet this morning so pegged out from the underarms on the line in the hope the sun will bleach it a bit. It already looks a bit better. Mentioned it to my cleaner this morning (who is a real clotheshorse) and she said she'd have flung it in the washing machine!!!!

[clothmama]

@northernruth I was so skint in France that I couldn't afford to use the drycleaners so I've always gently machine washed my coats etc. The important thing is to put big safety pins through the shoulder pads so that they don't get all crunched up! I've so far not killed anything yet