A Laundry Primer

Ask your cleaner to launder your work shirts (don't dry clean). And request that they're pressed by hand. It costs a little more but it looks better and the shirts stay smoother. One exception: Dark dress shirts should be dry cleaned. Laundering will fade them.

Wash your everyday button-downs, sport shirts and flannels with your regular laundry on a cold cycle. Put them in a warm dryer cycle for approximately 15 minutes, then take them out and while still damp, lay them down, smooth out any wrinkles and let them dry.

Dry cleaning can stiffen and damage wool fibers. Hand washing with Woolite or shampoo is the best way to preserve a sweater's softness and sheen. To dry, lay it flat on a bath towel.

Machine-wash on the delicate cycle with cold water. (If your girl has one of those mesh bags for her underthings, use it.) To dry, lay it flat on a bath towel, smoothing it back into shape.

To decide whether your dress pants should be washed or dry cleaned, consult the care label. Most wool pants require dry cleaning while most cottons trousers can be washed, but some manufacturers suggest dry cleaning to avoid problems with fading and shrinking.

Machine wash your chinos, cargos and other casual cotton pants in a cold or warm wash cycle with your regular laundry. Then tumble dry completely or (to prevent shrinkage and wrinkles) take them out after 15 minutes and hang them to finish drying.

A hot button issue in the style world, denim nerds say to never wash your jeans. And it's true that the less launderings you do, the longer your denim is likely to last, and the more individual character it will take on. But you'll know it's time to wash 'em when they get baggy in the knee and butt or start to smell a bit ripe. Soak your raw selvedge in the bathtub with some Woolite Dark or machine wash your standard jeans in the cold cycle. Then hang to dry.

A suit or sport coat needs to be dry cleaned, but probably not as often as you'd think. Once a season will likely do. But they will require some maintenance, such as removing lint with a roller, airing them out after a wearing and steaming out any wrinkles. You can even have your dry cleaner "steam press" the suit, if the fabric could use some reviving but doesn't need a full cleaning.

The bias cut and delicate fabrics make ties nearly impossible to clean. Dry cleaning often dulls the fabric so if you have a small stain, simply blot it with a damp cloth. For something larger, take it to a professional like Tiecrafters. To release wrinkles, gently steam it.

Pocket squares and handkerchiefs made from linen or cotton can be tossed into the washing machine with your normal laundry, dried and ironed. Silk pocket squares should be dry cleaned and pressed by hand as to not damage the hand-rolled edges.