OT- Am I getting taken to the "cleaners" with Dry Cleaning?

[bostonsmama]

Just got back from the dry cleaners for a couple of suits (did I tell everyone that I'm interviewing for a new job? ugh!)...anyways, the bill for 3 blazers and a skirt was almost $30! Now I know why people try to wash that stuff in the washing machine! I'm very happy with the company (Zoots), but I just wondered what most people pay for a blazer, skirt, sheath dress, etc. Also, for the working moms who wear suits every day during the week, how often do you send your suits to the cleaner? Once a week seems too often for the price ($120/month?)...I might be able to mix in some slacks/sweater outfits during the week, but this could get expensive.

So, what's a good price? how far out of your way do you have to drive to get it? how many wears do you get out of a blazer/suit before you send it? and does the Dryel really work as a replacement?

Larissa
who is still trying to give birth so she can have more to say

[aliceinwonderland]

well, I'm a working mom this summer that is currently sporting jeans, flip-flops, and a shirt with a monkey on it (VERY laid back place, can you tell?).

Dry-cleaning is expensive, esp. for suits. But I'll take it over ruining a suit and having to buy another one. I have a bunch of interviews this fall, and my thinking is to buy one nice suit and pray i don;t spill coffee on it (and swallow the dry cleaning if I do). I have other suits, but need a *very* conservative one. I can't afford buying two, so dry-cleaning sounds like a bargain right now!!

Good luck on your interviews!!

[murpheyblue]

I don't know how much I pay for dry cleaning. Honestly, I'm more concerned with picking a dry cleaner with fairly extended hours and weekend hours (and easy/close parking) so it's not a pain to drop off and pick up.

I don't wear suits every day but I am an attorney so even my "business casual" attire is usually dry clean only. I don't have a set number of times I wear any one item before it goes to the dry cleaner. Unless, I spill something, I definitely wear stuff more than once or I'd be in the poor house. It kind of depends on the item. Some things just seem to need more cleaning/pressing than others.

Good luck with the interviews!

[bunnisa]

I'm not in NYC, but here we pay $4.75 for a blazer and $5.50 for a coat.

The prices are comparable to the larger metro area I used to live in.

Bethany
mom to one and one on the way!
http://lilypie.com/days/060226/0/8/1/-6/.png

[kath68]

That sounds about right (in my suit heyday I am sure I spent easily $30/week on dry cleaning) -- you can look for coupons and specials, but dry cleaning is expensive; no way around it. And they never press things right. Or lose buttons. Or their hours suck. I hate being dependent on dry cleaning; it was a huge factor in my last job hunt.

It is really bad for me this time of year, because I'll sweat more in the hot weather. So I will dry clean after one wearing if I've been sweating (or have a stain), but otherwise I'll go 2-3 times. I am lucky that I now have a jeans and t-shirt legal job, so my suit wearing is limited to the rare court appearance and shmoozy events after work. If I know I am going to go a while without wearing an item, I will definitely dry clean it.

I've never used the Dryel stuff. I don't trust it to work, but I know other people who love it.

[wagner36]

$30 doesn't sound completely unreasonable to me (jackets are expensive), but it is a bit high. I used to have the best dry cleaners in the world. Then we moved, but I like our new place. They hand out dum-dum suckers, but will now tell Charlie that they are for "big kids only" because I made a face one time when they let him take about 15 suckers. So, now they give him stickers. I think they bought the stickers just for him, so that's pretty endearing.

I dryclean every week, and it is usually between $25 and $35, depending on a variety of factors (sweater sets with shells count as one piece, but with short sleeves count as two) that seem fairly ridiculous to me. I'm an attorney, but rarely wear suits (we're business casual). I dryclean everything though, even things that I could technically wash at home. I have no patience for that dry flat stuff. I've never tried dryel either - no help there.

Our closest drycleaners is about 1.5 blocks away, but I go to one that is about 6 blocks away. When I lived in Minneapolis, it was IMPOSSIBLE to find a good cleaners, but here in Chicago there are good ones everywhere. They even replace buttons and hooks that fall off! That was shocking to me when we moved here.

[SummerBaby]

Wow, $30 actually sounds cheap to me! Suits and dresses in my area (upstate NY) are around $9-10 each, more if they're silk. Women's blouses are $4-5 (which really angers me because men's shirts are only $1). When I wore suits every day, I only had them cleaned once or twice per season, or if I spilled something. Blouses or shells I would do more often, esp in summer when it's hot. Thankfully, I am no longer a litigating attorney and unless I have a meeting out of the office, I can go pretty casual. I like to buy dressier 100% cotton sweaters (Hanna Andersson has some good ones) that can be hand or machine washed. This saves a lot of dry cleaning $$$.

I am not a big fan of Dryel. It's ok if you want to freshen a sweater, or something that doesn't wrinkle. But it doesn't really clean, nor does it get wrinkles out. Frankly I think putting a sweater on the "fluff" cycle with a dryer sheet serves the same purpose.

Good luck with your interviews!

Val
Mom to Madeline
7/28/04

[Puddy73]

That sounds a little high, but I don't live in a big city. My dry cleaner charges $9 per suit. I try to be careful and not spill anything and I'll often wear a suit 4-5 times between cleanings.

How did all you ladies find legal jobs with a business casual dress code??? It is sooo hot here in the summertime and my firm is pretty formal. I never go to court, so I put on a suit just to sit in my office and talk on the phone. Crazy!

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/03 & a little pumpkin due 10/05

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

[erosenst]

Have to admit that I don't pay a lot of attention to the price here, because we get a deal because DH uses them for cleaning uniforms for his business. However, having lived in Minneapolis, Chicago and NY before living here, I know that standard prices vary WIDELY by location.

I am a big fan of Dryel for some of my stuff. Silk/blend sweaters and sweater sets, silk shells, many pants, etc come out great. It doesn't replace dry cleaning completely, but does help freshen things after a couple of wearings. One of the keys is to make sure your dryer isn't too hot, and that you take things out and hang them before they're completely dry - they'll end up looking the same (to me) as things from the cleaners. I don't use it at all for things that need a good pressing - as PP's have said, it doesn't work well for that.

[SummerBaby]

LOL! That used to be me, sweltering in a suit all day just to write briefs in my office. I worked for an a$$ of a partner who wanted all female associates to wear suits, with a skirt and pantyhose. I think that was right after the memo he sent about not letting bathroom trips cut into billable hours. Shortly thereafter I went to work for government, where no one cares that I wear pants every day with, **gasp** open toe shoes and no pantyhose! :)

Val
Mom to Madeline
7/28/04

[Twin Mom]

I rarely get things cleaned these days b/c I am business casual at work, (well more on the casual side actually) but we are lucky that we have a bunch of discount dry cleaners here. The last one to open charges $1.79 an item and there are a few others that charge $1.99 an item. (A suit would count as 2 items.) The only problem is that generally you have to wait a few days to get your stuff back. The $1.79 cleaner use to provide 1 day service but now that they are so busy, it takes a whole lot longer. DH gets a lot more stuff cleaned then I do so it is not a big deal to me.

[wagner36]

I think that most firms here in Chicago are business casual. But, I have a friend who works in a smaller firm in Rockford, IL, and he has to wear suits every single day. Yuck!

[aliceinwonderland]

I am not working at a law firm this summer (though I am a block away from Tara's!), but I think it greatly depends on firm and city you're in. Boston is pretty white-shoe, for example.

Now I know why some firms list "busines casual dress code" as part of their benefits. Couple hundred bucks a month on dry-cleaning, yikes!

[kozachka]

Try looking for a discount cleaner. We pay $2.50 per item with extra 50 or 75 cents for silk here in Del Mar, CA. When we lived in Silicone Valley we paid initially $1.50 and than $2 per item.

I did not clean my suits unless they needed it, i.e. had spots, or once a season. From what I understand Dryel is not a replacement for cleaners and only good for refreshing your clothes.

[Puddy73]

I worked for an a$$ of a
>partner who wanted all female associates to wear suits, with a
>skirt and pantyhose.

I think it must be a power trip. We do have casual Friday's, but not everyone at the firm was happy about the change. The partner I work for protested casual Friday by wearing formal evening attire to work.
>
Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/03 & a little pumpkin due 10/05

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."