PRACTICAL VIEW : Don’t Be Taken to the Cleaners

Some summer fashions that say “dry-clean” can look better for less money if they are laundered.

White linen, for example, is more likely to stay white if laundered. Black linen, however, tends to fade, so either dry-clean or alternate dry-cleaning with hand-washing.

Silk will hand-wash well except for multicolored garments, which may bleed. Have them dry-cleaned.

Now that you know what to hand-wash, Barbara Zagnoni, consumer education director of Rowenta, offers some tips on ironing:

* Linen. Use a hot iron with plenty of steam. The seam allowance sometimes shows through when the seam is pressed, so you might want to slip a piece of white paper between the seam fabric and the garment before pressing.

* Silk. To avoid water spotting, iron on the wrong side with a dry iron set at medium. If you need steam, set on the lowest end of the steam setting, place a pressing cloth over the garment and iron on the cloth.