Ripples / Bubbles in my suit jacket

Once in a while, we have this question asked and usually we are able to deal with it: “What are the ripples or bubbles in my suit jacket after dry cleaning?”

A jacket is made of 3 layers (usually). These are the outer cloth—usually a wool of some kind—the satin or silk lining and an interlining. On a traditionally made suit this is of horsehair, and is stitched into place. The stitches allow the lining to move a little, and combined with the natural pliability of horsehair will allow it to mold to your body shape over time.

In a modern jacket this expensive stitching is replaced with glue and synthetics. The lining is fused to the outer cloth. Done well this is no longer the problem it once was. It looks and acts as a passable imitation of the real thing. However doing it well is really hard, especially without making the suit very expensive.

It is this glue, used to fuse the interlining of your jacket, which has bubbled, stretched and shrunk when being dry cleaned.

Dry cleaning is a pretty harsh process and with some suits with fused lining, the chemicals are not kind to any garment. When it then comes to pressing, which is almost always done based on the fabric, using very hot pressing garments with lots of steam, this may also have an effect on the lining.

Some DombaServ Tips: It is best to dry clean your suits when they are due for cleaning after a few wears (not too often). If you have invested in a suit made from wool, that is awesome because wool does shed off dirt naturally over time and does not need dry cleaning too often. When it is time to dry clean, trust Tip Top Dry Cleaners and Flash Dry Cleaners as we understand the problems of fused suits. Coming to us first could save a ruined suit…