All clothing, from jeans to silk dresses, needs more than just regular washing to care for it, and this includes the traditional wool blazer. You can care for a wool blazer by following a few easy steps. Never hand wash or machine wash a wool blazer and make sure that it is properly stored at all times. Finally, always make sure that the blazer is kept in an area that is moth free, as wool is a favorite of moths.
A wool blazer should always be dry cleaned. This will help avoid shrinkage and will also ensure that the blazer maintains its original shape. Wool is a fabric that must be treated with the utmost care, as it easily shrinks. For this reason a blazer should not be washed in water in a washing machine.
For at-home spot removal on a blazer, first try the stain removal product in a small, inconspicuous place on the blazer. This way, if the cleaning agent is too harsh and damages the fabric, the blazer will not be entirely ruined. Using a spot on the inside of the jacket toward the back is generally a good idea.
When storing a wool blazer, hang it on a hanger. Make sure that the collar and the lapels are straight, because storing them with a bend or a crease can cause permanent damage to the material. If the blazer has been dry cleaned, keep it in the bag from the dry cleaner and tie a knot at the bottom of the bag, as this will prevent moths and other fabric-eating bugs from attacking the fabric. Never fold a blazer, as this will cause unnecessary wrinkling. Even with careful storing techniques, blazers can easily become wrinkled, and wool must be very carefully pressed or steamed when attempting to remove wrinkles. Wool fabric is easily scorched, so using lower temperatures when ironing is highly recommended.
One important way to determine the best way to care for a specific wool blazer is to read the fabric care symbols found on the tag attached to the garment. For example, an iron on the label will indicate that caring for the wool blazer will necessitate ironing. The dots under the symbol of the iron, ranging from one dot to three, tell what temperature the iron should be set at, with one dot suggesting the lowest temperature and three the highest. A line through the symbol of the iron clearly indicates that ironing will damage the garment. The letter X through a darkened triangle warns that bleach cannot be applied to the garment. Bleach will dissolve wool, as wool fibers are a protein. Careful care of a wool blazer will ensure it a long life.