Dry Cleaning

[ChefGirl]

I have a silly question. I don't do a lot of dry cleaning for us since DH and I both are very very casual at work. I only take his nice golf shirts, golf shorts and nice dress shirts and pants to the cleaners. I don't iron, so all of my shirts are kind of wrinkled. If I take my gap button-down like shirts to the cleaners, they charge of $6 each for them. I was told that they can't launder them since mine are petitie smalls size shirts that won't fit on their standard hanging thing. Just wondering what you ladies do with your button-down shirts, or polo shirts, etc. I just can't jsutify spending $6 for a $20 shirt I get from Gap. You know? Maybe I should learn how to iron!

T.I.A.

[lilycat88]

Try another dry cleaner. I've never had that happen and we send some of DDs things and never been told that.

[brittone2]

I don't get things drycleaned often at all, but in the past I've never had anyone say that the shirt size was a problem, and I'm a petite small (when I'm not pg LOL) as well.

Check around and see if you can find someone easier to work with :)

[ChefGirl]

How much do you ladies pay for laundering your shirts and polo shirts at the cleaners? DH's laundered shirts cost aobut anywhere from $0.79 to $1.00 depending on various promotions. Just wondering since I really don't do that much dry cleaning or laundering at the cleaners.

TIA.

[dhano923]

Laundered shirts are $1.60 each. Dry cleaned shirts are $3.25 each. Our dry cleaner also does "Clean 2, get the 3rd free" so I always make sure to bring items in increments of 3s.

[ChefGirl]

Thanks. I just called around and compared prices. Laundered men's and women's button-down shirts range anywhere from $1.19 (w/DC) to $2.25 (w/o). I think it's just this cleaner that I currently go to does not do any laundered women's shirts unless they are size 14 or larger. Weird! I just have to take all my laundered shirts to someone else.

Thanks for everyone's replies.

[AddiesMom]

I used to write training programs, and actually wrote one for drycleaning stores on this exact subject.

Most of the charge for dry cleaning is in the pressing, and the more pressing (manual labor), the more the item costs. Men's laundered dress shirts are so cheap (typically $1 to $2) because the shirt pressing machine does most of the work. The operator just puts the shirt on while it's wet and in a minute it is dry and pressed. Shirts that don't fit on the pressing machine due to size or construction (tapered, doesn't button up all the way, has spandex) have to pressed be on a different unit, mostly by hand and this is a lot more manual work. About 5 years ago women's styles got more tapered and many have a small % of spandex, which can't be pressed on a laundered shirt machine and have to be done by hand, and of course many women feel this is unfair since men's laundered shirts are so cheap to press. I felt the same way! Some dry cleaners (the one I worked for) moved with the trends in women's shirts and purchased smaller sized machines that women's shirts will fit on. Still, you can't press items like polo shirts on it, and some dry cleaners won't do it if there is a small % of spandex or linen since commercial laundering is a very rough process (much rougher than your Maytag at home) and the shirt won't hold up to it. I would just call around to cleaners and ask if they charge the same for women's laundered shirts as men's. Hope this makes sense?

[ChefGirl]

It makes sense now. One place I called did tell me if there is spandex in it, I should dry clean it. The only reason I will send my shirts out to the cleaners is that I don't iron. I just can't do it. Do you know what do they do with commercial landering? Do you think these cotton gap shirts will hold up?

TIA

[AddiesMom]

Commercial laundering uses much stronger soaps and the machine goes at a much higher RPM when it goes into a spin cycle than household ones. When shirts come out of the machine they are just damp enough to be pressed, not soaking wet like when you wash things at home. Pressing uses a lot of steam, I know if you press cotton/spandex pants with too much steam they will grow several sizes! :) Honestly I haven't bought a laundered shirt with spandex in it for over 5 years since I won't pay the extra to dry clean it.

I would think the 100% cotton ones should be fine. All mine were Gap, JCrew, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren and I didn't see much difference. I just hate the Old Navy ones for men, they look wrinkled all the time no matter what and don't hold up as well. All shirts eventally give out, just a month ago my DH put his elbow through a Brooks Bros no iron shirt we laundered at home.