If you've bought a washable suit, then you may have thought that you wouldn't need to have this suit dry-cleaned. After all, the suit is designed to go in a standard washing machine when it needs a clean.

However, there are times when it may help to send these kinds of machine-washable garments to a dry-cleaner. What are the benefits?

Get Rid of Stubborn Stains

Machine-washable suits may have washing temperature limits. You may need to put your suit through a cool or warm cycle rather than a hotter one. While this keeps the suit in good condition and prevents issues like shrinking or misshaping, you may run into problems with stubborn dirt or stains.

If you can't use a hot wash on the suit and you have difficult stains on it like grease marks, then putting it through your washer may not work. The suit may get a general clean, but the stains don't shift because the water isn't hot enough to deal with them effectively.

The easiest way to get rid of staining may be dry-cleaning. Your cleaner can use an appropriate and safe stain remover to get rid of marks more effectively.

Give Your Suit a Break

While machine-washable suits are meant to be washed, you may find that your suit starts to look a little jaded as it gets older. Constant runs through a wash cycle may make the suit a little baggy; its colour may fade, and it may start to look worn.

If you mix things up and have the suit dry-cleaned periodically, then you may extend its life. It may stay looking good for longer. Dry-cleaning could just give the suit a gentler clean and a break from the constant agitation of a wash cycle.

Avoid Pressing Problems

While you can simply hang up some washable suits and let them dry without ironing them, you may find that the suits are pretty crumpled when they come out of the machine. They may need to be pressed.

Unless you're an expert ironer, you may find it hard to get the suit looking crisp and unwrinkled. In an effort to get it looking right, you may end up over-using your iron and making the fabric look shiny.

A periodic dry-clean resets the suit. A dry-cleaner will press the suit after cleaning it so that it looks as good as new. So, to keep your washable suit in good condition for as long as possible, take it to your local dry-cleaners regularly as well.