So I tried being a good little internet enabled girly and looked for the answer to my question and found http://www.geektimes.com/michael/culture/clothing/kilts/utilikilts/care.html
But now I want to ask you, the Utilikilt enabled members of my friendslist a question. How do you launder your Utilikilt? What has worked the best for maintaining the hot look that so many pulled off on Sunday?
Traditionally I have washed it in cold water and then had it lay flat to dry. That worked well with Tom’s so now I am doing it with Noah’s as well. Any other thoughts?
Exactly that works well for me. Drying on a hanger tends to get the pleats rolled up funny.
Ultimately, however, I’ve found that sitting on them (i.e. driving) tends to mash the pleats all to hell.
Alternately, a great way to press them flatflatflat for that super-crisp look is to lay them between the box spring and the matress. Because there aren’t any funny sleeves or legs and such to get in the way, they lay flat very well, and are great candidates for matress pressing.
Oh, yeah, also helps to stretch the pleats while it’s still wet. Just grab itup near the waist band and the point of the pleat and give it a pull. That helps stretch out the thread and helps stop it from turning up and out.
Just one note of caution: DO NOT use the dryer. The thread that they’ve been using is not a solid polyester, so the stitching will shrink and leave the kilt icky and puckered. So you end up with pleats, but ugly ones.
Mark washes his in the machine and then hangs it to dry using a couple of skirt hanging hangers (with the slideable clippies). As he hangs it, he smooths the pleats (that stretch/flatten maneuver) and then just leaves it. It dries faster that way than the alternative second preference of laying it out flat to dry using an ironing board or table or something.
Pretty much the same here except that I’ve taken to just draping mine across the shower bar after shaking out the pleats. This works quite well with the twill kilts but leaves noticeable wrinkles in the heavier workman’s model.
Still, quite suitable for the everyday.
I wash mine in the washer. Then hang dry on a line so it does not fold over (aka it takes up 3 feet of the line). I use about 7 cloths pins.
I wash mine cold, then hand snap out the pleats and hang it to dry. Once in a blue moon I will iron and starch the pleats.
Starch? On a utilikilt?
Oh, the shame! Next you’ll be telling us that you starch & iron your blue jeans and aprons….
Nah… at least, not since I was in the military. :p
No, I just found that over time they want to curl out a little and this seemed to do the trick.
Wash in cold water…smooth out pleats and allow to dry flat…fixing pleats as you go.
How I Do It
Machine wash cold
Hang dry with a skirt hanger (the ones with the clips). Gently pull the hemline down to get the extra wrinkles out after snapping it a few times before placing it on the hanger. Arrange the pleats so they look right.
I’m saving this discussion…