Make it last
How to Wash a Blazer (Almost Never in the Machine)
A fused or canvassed jacket is a construction, not a sweater. Brush, spot, steam, air. The machine is how the chest goes bubbly.
Updated 27 Aug 2026 · 6 min read · how to wash a blazer
Why the machine bubbles the chest
Fused interfacing is glue plus cloth. Heat and agitation delaminate it. You get blisters on the lapel you cannot iron out. Canvassed jackets survive water slightly better and still lose shape in a spin. This is the same reason a home dry-clean kit is a scented tumble, not a tailor.
The weekly loop that replaces a ticket
Brush. Hang on a wide hanger ($8–14), not a wire. Air it overnight outside the closet. Steam the wrinkles. A drop of water on a wool mark; a drop of dish soap on a food spot, blotted. That loop is how a jacket lasts a decade of office Fridays.
The exceptions, labelled
Unstructured cotton, seersucker, some linen, and jersey blazers sometimes show a 30°C tub. Mesh bag, short cycle, low spin, hang, steam the lapel. If the label is a circle with a P, believe it. The English “dry clean only” on a $60 poly-viscose office jacket is often a lawyer — still, one test on a hem before you gamble the chest.
Questions, answered
- Can I wash a blazer in the shower?
- You can steam it in the shower. Soaking a structured jacket in a bathtub is a wet-clean you are not trained for. Don’t.
- How do I get body odor out without cleaning?
- Air, vodka or alcohol on the lining, a cedar hang, then wear a shirt as a barrier. If the canvas smells, it is time for a real clean.
- Iron a blazer?
- Steam, or press through a cloth on a low wool setting if you must. Direct iron on the lapel rolls it flat and shines the wool.
