How to look after a wool suit

Wool is remarkably good at looking after itself if you let it. Most of what shortens a suit's life is impatience.

Rest it for a day

Wool fibres are naturally springy, and creases fall out of them on their own — but it takes about twenty-four hours. Wear a suit two days running and the creases set in instead. If you wear suits daily, own two and alternate. They will each last more than twice as long as one worn every day.

Brush it

A soft clothes brush, twenty seconds, downward strokes, after each wearing. This lifts out the dust and grit that works its way into the weave and abrades the fibres from the inside. It is the single most effective thing you can do, and a decent brush costs less than one dry clean.

Hang it on the right hanger

A wide, shaped wooden hanger that supports the whole shoulder. A thin wire hanger concentrates the weight of the jacket onto two points and, within a few months, leaves permanent dents in the shoulder line — the one part of the jacket that can't be repaired.

Hang the trousers by the hem, upside down, in a clip hanger. Gravity pulls the creases out of the legs overnight.

Give it a day off, brush it down, hang it properly. That's it — those three things do most of the work.

Spills and rain

Blot, never rub. Rubbing pushes the stain into the weave and can felt the surface of the wool permanently. Cold water on a clean cloth, press, lift, repeat.

If you get caught in rain, hang the suit somewhere airy at room temperature and leave it. Do not put it near a radiator or use a hairdryer — sudden heat shrinks and hardens wool. It will be fine by morning.

Storage

Breathable cotton garment bags, not plastic. Plastic traps moisture and yellows cloth over time. Cedar blocks deter moths and don't smell of chemicals; moths eat wool, and they prefer a suit that has been put away dirty, which is another reason to brush it.