A suit you wear every week doesn’t need a trip to the cleaner every week. When it does go, expect a bill near the average dry cleaning cost for a suit: $18.18 for a two-piece nationally in January 2025, or $20.58 in Western states, according to a survey of 894 dry cleaners. Send it out when it’s stained, when it still smells after airing out, or before it’s stored for the season. The rest of the time, brush it and let it rest between wears.
Key Takeaways:
- A two-piece suit averaged $18.18 to dry clean nationally in January 2025, up 6% from October 2023.
- Suits cost the most to clean in the West and the Northeast, and the least in the South.
- Clean a suit when it’s stained, smells, or is headed for storage, since no fixed schedule fits every suit.
- Blot a spill and get the suit to a cleaner quickly, since stains get harder to remove within days.
- Brushing, padded hangers, and a day of rest between wears stretch the time between cleanings.
How much does suit dry cleaning cost?
The 2025 State of the Dry Cleaning Industry Report from Cleaner’s Supply put the national average for a two-piece suit at $18.18 as of January 2025, which was 6% higher than in October 2023. Where you live moves that number by several dollars.
By region, suits averaged $20.58 in the West, $20.37 in the Northeast, $16.89 in the Midwest, and $15.16 in the South. Urban cleaners charged more than suburban or rural ones, at $19.70, $17.68, and $17.04 respectively. Because Los Angeles is both Western and urban, local prices are likely to sit near the top of those ranges.
Prices also kept moving after the survey. Among cleaners who planned to raise prices in 2025, the average planned increase was 7.5%, so a suit that cost $18 in early 2025 probably costs more today.
What the rest of a suit wardrobe costs to clean
A suit rarely goes to the cleaner alone, so it helps to know the prices of the pieces that travel with it. The same Cleaner’s Supply survey recorded national averages in January 2025 of $4.15 for a laundered shirt, $8.06 for a pair of pants, and $11.58 for a sport coat. In Western states, those averages were $4.93, $8.42, and $13.44. Our guide to average dry cleaning prices by garment covers the full survey.
A sport coat or blazer worn with odd trousers is a separate garment with its own price, so it can go to the cleaner on its own schedule. Shirts cost the least because they’re usually laundered in water and pressed, not dry cleaned.
Can you clean a suit at home?
You can maintain a suit at home, but full cleaning usually belongs with a professional unless the label allows machine washing. Home care covers the everyday work that keeps a suit presentable between visits to the cleaner.
- Brush the suit after wearing it to remove surface soil before it becomes a stain.
- Air it on a shaped hanger to let cooking, smoke, or food odors disperse.
- Use a handheld steamer to relax light wrinkles.
- Blot fresh spills with a clean cloth.
- Rest it for 24 hours between wears so the wool can recover.
DLI’s clothing care tips add two habits that prevent damage before a suit ever reaches the cleaner. Let lotions and antiperspirants dry before you dress, since many personal care products contain ingredients that can affect dyes and fabrics. Keep perspiration off the jacket lining where you can, too, because perspiration and body oils can weaken fabric and change its color over time.
What home care shouldn’t include is a trip through the washing machine for a structured wool suit labeled dry clean. Water and agitation can shrink wool, and the inner layers that give a jacket its shape may pucker in ways pressing can’t fix.
What changes the price of cleaning a suit?
The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute, an industry trade group, says in its list of common drycleaning myths that garments are priced by fabric type, construction, and details that require special handling, and not by who wears them. That explains most of the spread you’ll see between one suit and the next.
A three-piece suit adds a vest to clean and press. A linen suit wrinkles easily and takes longer at the pressing station. A tuxedo with satin lapels or a jacket with a silk lining needs more careful handling than a plain wool two-piece. Stains add time too, since each one gets its own spot treatment before the main clean.
Ask for the price up front on anything beyond a plain wool suit. Ask as well whether the shop offers pressing only, and what that service costs, for the times the suit is clean but creased.
How often should you dry clean a suit?
No single number of wears applies to every suit. Many suits are wool, which naturally resists stains, odors, and creases. The Woolmark Company’s wool care guide says that’s why wool needs less washing. A suit that gets brushed and rested regularly can go many wears between cleanings.
How you wear the suit changes the timing, too. A suit in daily office rotation collects more body oil and friction than one reserved for weddings and interviews, so it will usually show the signs below sooner. If you rotate two or three suits through the workweek, each one gets more rest between wears. That usually means fewer trips to the cleaner and less pressing over the life of each suit.
Watch for these signs.
- You can see a spot, spill, or ring on the collar or cuffs.
- The suit still smells of food, smoke, or sweat after a night on a hanger in fresh air.
- The trousers have lost their crease or the jacket looks limp even after steaming.
- You wore it to a long, hot event and sweated through the lining.
- You’re packing it away for the season.
That last sign matters most. Woolmark notes that food stains and body oils attract moths, so a wool suit should always be clean before you pack it away, and DLI adds that stains left in fabric during storage can cause permanent discoloration. Our guide to mothballs and gentler alternatives covers the storage side.
Waiting too long has its own cost. DLI’s myths page says untreated spots and stains oxidize, set, and become permanent, and that perspiration and body oils weaken fabric and cause odor and discoloration over time. Cleaning when a suit needs it protects the fabric.
When you do send a suit out, send both pieces. DLI’s clothing care tips say suits and other matching pieces should be cleaned at the same time to prevent uneven color changes. A jacket cleaned twice as often as its trousers can end up a slightly different shade.
Pressing vs dry cleaning: Which one does your suit need?
Pressing and cleaning solve different problems. Pressing uses steam and heat to restore the shape of the jacket, the roll of the lapels, and the crease in the trousers. It doesn’t remove soil. Dry cleaning removes body oils, odors, and stains, and a good cleaner presses the suit afterward as part of the finish.
A suit that’s clean but rumpled from a flight or a long day only needs pressing or a steam. A suit with a visible spot, a stale smell, or sweat in the lining needs cleaning. Pressing a dirty suit can make things worse, since DLI warns that heat sets stains and that ironing over a stain can make it permanent.
At home, Woolmark’s guidance is to use steam when pressing wool, set the iron to the wool setting, and avoid ironing the fabric when it’s completely dry. Many wool garments don’t need ironing at all, and a steamy bathroom removes most wrinkles. Lighter wool fabrics can take a little longer to shed their creases.
Suit fabrics and how to care for each
The care label is the starting point for every suit. The Federal Trade Commission’s care labeling rule requires most clothing to carry care instructions, although DLI notes that manufacturers only need a reasonable basis for those instructions and aren’t required to test garments first. Read the label, then use what you know about the fabric.
- Wool and wool blends are common in business suits. They resist stains and odors, hold their shape well, and usually carry a dry clean label because of the structured jacket and lining.
- Linen suits are cool in summer and crease quickly. Expect to press or steam them more often, and treat stains promptly, since light colors show everything.
- Cotton suits, including chino and seersucker styles, are sometimes washable. Check the label, since the jacket’s interlining may still call for dry cleaning.
- Polyester and performance-fabric suits are often machine washable and resist wrinkles. The label will say so, and you should follow its temperature and drying settings.
- Tuxedos and suits with silk or satin trim need gentle handling. Mention the trim when you drop the suit off so the cleaner can protect it.
If a label and a fabric seem to disagree, ask your cleaner before you wash anything at home.
Stain triage: What to do before the suit reaches a cleaner
Speed matters more than technique. DLI’s clothing care tips say stains that sit even a short time become much harder to remove, and cite studies showing that after one week, 20% of stains may not come out completely, and after three weeks nearly half may be permanent. If something spills, get the suit to a cleaner as soon as you can.
On a dry-clean-only suit, blotting and a quick trip to the cleaner are the safest plan, so don’t run a structured jacket under the tap. The rinsing steps below come from Woolmark’s guide to removing stains from wool and suit washable wool best. In the meantime, follow these steps.
- Blot the spill with a clean, lint-free cloth to lift as much as possible, without rubbing.
- For black coffee, Woolmark suggests rinsing under cold running water right away to dilute it.
- For red wine or fruit juice, Woolmark suggests rinsing as much as possible with clean water first.
- For butter, sauce, or grease, Woolmark suggests gently scraping off the excess with a spoon or blunt knife.
- Keep heat away from the stain, which means no iron, no hair dryer, and no hot car.
- Tell your cleaner what the stain is and when it happened.
That last step matters even when you can’t see a mark. DLI notes that spills from white wine, soft drinks, fruit juices, and other liquids may not be visible once dry, so let the cleaner know a spill happened.
Some stains won’t come out at all. DLI’s myths page says stain removal depends on the type of stain, the fabric, the dyes, and how long the stain has been there, and that some stains, like ink or dried paint, may be impossible to remove without damaging the fabric. That’s one more reason to act fast.
How to store a suit between seasons
A suit that’s stored well comes out of the closet ready to wear. Start with a clean suit, for the reasons above, then follow Woolmark’s and DLI’s storage advice.
- Empty the pockets and remove belts and accessories so the fabric doesn’t sag or bulge.
- Button the jacket and zip the trousers before hanging.
- Hang the jacket on a shaped or padded hanger that supports the shoulders.
- Store wool in an airtight bag or container, and keep any moth repellent from touching the fabric.
- Keep the suit out of direct sunlight and strong light, which DLI says can fade colors over time.
- Leave space between hangers so the suit isn’t crushed against other clothes.
When you take the suit out again, Woolmark suggests hanging woven wool in fresh air to clear stale or food odors before you wear it.
Traveling with a suit
A suit can survive a trip in good shape with a little planning. Empty the pockets before you pack, and use a garment bag if you can carry one on. If the suit has to go in a suitcase, fold the jacket carefully along its natural lines and lay it on top of the other clothes so nothing heavy presses on it.
Unpack the suit first when you arrive and hang it on a proper hanger. Woolmark notes that wool garments can be refreshed after unpacking by hanging them in a steamy bathroom, since the moisture removes wrinkles. Let the suit rest overnight if you can. The wool fibers recover their shape better after a day off.
If you spill something while you’re away, follow the stain triage steps above and make a note of what the spill was.
How to spot a good dry cleaner for your suits
A good cleaner treats your suit as a garment worth protecting. A few signs point in the right direction.
- The counter staff ask about stains and spills when you drop the suit off.
- The shop tells you the price, including any extra charge for trim or lining, before the work starts.
- The suit comes back with sharp lapels, a clean trouser crease, and no shine on the fabric.
- Buttons are intact, and any that were loose have been noted.
- The cleaner can explain what they did with a stain they couldn’t fully remove.
After the first visit, look closely at the suit in good light before you wear it.
How OrangeBag cleans suits in Los Angeles
OrangeBag prices suits by the piece for Los Angeles residents. A two-piece suit is $27.50, a jacket or blazer on its own is $13.75, and pants are $13.75, while a shirt and a tie are $7.95 each.
Each à la carte order carries a $9.95 service fee and a $3.00 delivery fee, and prices are subject to change. OrangeBag’s full list of dry cleaning prices in Los Angeles shows every item.
A driver collects the suit from your door and brings it back, so there’s no suit bag folded into a car trunk on the way to a counter. Dry cleaning isn’t currently available in the San Fernando Valley, Glendale, or Silver Lake, and the page on laundry pickup and delivery in Los Angeles lists the rest of the areas we cover. If a spill lands on the suit before pickup, our guide to treating stains on dry-clean-only clothes explains what’s safe to try first.
Suit cleaning FAQ
Do suits need to be dry cleaned?
Most do. Wool suits, and anything with a structured jacket, canvas, or lining, are usually labeled dry clean, because water can shrink the wool or pucker the inner layers. Check the care label first. Some washable suits made from polyester blends or performance fabrics can go in a machine, and the label will say so.
How many times can you dry clean a suit?
We haven’t found a published limit. The bigger risk is cleaning too rarely, since stains and sweat left in the fabric can weaken it over time. Pressing and everyday friction add wear too, so avoid cleaning a suit that doesn’t need it. Care for it between wears, and send it out when one of the signs above appears.
Should you dry clean the jacket and pants together?
Yes. DLI recommends cleaning matching pieces at the same time so they don’t change color unevenly. If the trousers get a stain and the jacket is fine, send both anyway. Over years of wear, a suit whose pieces were always cleaned together keeps a more consistent shade.
Does dry cleaning damage a suit?
Regular professional cleaning is more likely to help a suit last, according to DLI, because it removes the stains, perspiration, and body oils that weaken fabric. DLI also notes that some damage from perspiration, salt, or personal care products can exist before cleaning and only become visible once the fabric is flexed during the process.
Ready to send your suits out without the errand?
Bag up the suit, the shirts, and the tie, and a driver will collect them from your door. Every piece has a set price, so you know the cost before you book.
