Dry Cleaner pressed my shirts with collar stays in...

I took 2 new Brooks Brothers shirts to get pressed and they did so with the collar stays in, now I have ugly stay imprints visible through the outside on my collar. I tried ironing them out after removing the stays but they are still visible. Has anyone had this issue? I may try washing it then ironing it again. Right now they look horrible, I would not wear them but at the same time I would hate to scrap 2 brand new shirts.

Originally Posted by 1970cleveland

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I took 2 new Brooks Brothers shirts to get pressed and they did so with the collar stays in
That's because you left the collar stays in. Don't do that anymore. They belong in a little box on your dresser.

Right now they look horrible

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They probably still look better than 90% of what other men are wearing.

+1 it's not the drycleaner's job to remove them and put them back in for you.

Soak the collars and pull the fabric this way and that to relax the pressed fabric, then iron again.

Never wash or launder shirts with the collar stays in.

haha true, it passed through my mind as I dropped them off but assumed they would do it so I was lazy and left them in. I agree it still looks better than what most wear but it drives me nuts to the point that I could not wear it with the stay imprints visible.

Originally Posted by mack11211

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Soak the collars and pull the fabric this way and that to relax the pressed fabric, then iron again.

Never wash or launder shirts with the collar stays in.

Thanks mac, dumb question but im an ironing rookie, do I wait till it drys to re-iron?

Originally Posted by 1970cleveland

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Thanks mac, dumb question but im an ironing rookie, do I wait till it drys to re-iron?
Yes

Originally Posted by Cant kill da Rooster

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+1 it's not the drycleaner's job to remove them and put them back in for you.

So every time you remove your collar stays, attach a tag to know which shirt they came from, and reinsert them after the dry cleaning?

Originally Posted by MrInvariant

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So every time you remove your collar stays, attach a tag to know which shirt they came from, and reinsert them after the dry cleaning?

If you can't tell which shirt they came from upon inspection, what difference does it make?

Originally Posted by 1970cleveland

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Thanks mac, dumb question but im an ironing rookie, do I wait till it drys to re-iron?

Yes and no.

Shirts are best ironed while damp.

My grandmother used to sprinkle a dry shirt with water then leave it overnight in a plastic bag. Then it would be evenly damp.

If you wash at home, you can do almost as well if you let your shirts hang partway dry after washing.

Never a good idea to put shirts in the dryer with any heat setting.

The best way to salvage your shirts is to remove the collar stays, mist the collar with water and re-iron the collars yourself. Taking them back to the same cleaners is a waste of time. They'll probably return them to you in the same condition you received them in the first time.

But I must disagree with Cant kill da Rooster who believes that it's not the responsibility of the dry cleaner to remove and replace your collar stays. When you drop off or send your shirts to a "professional shirt laundry" your'e entering into a "contract" with the cleaner to use their very best skills to restore your shirts to as close as original condition as possible -- if not better than original condition. Not removing and replacing your collar stays (and, as a result, leaving collar stay impressions) is an abdication of their basic responsibility to restore your shirts to original condition.

I'd go even further: removing and replacing collar stays should be on the list of shirt laundry quality standards at every dry cleaner. So next time you drop off or send your shirts to a "professional shirt laundry" ask them for a written list of their shirt laundry quality standards. Bet you'll find that they don't have a written list. Not only that, but I'd bet you'll find that there are no verbal quality standards either.

Here's an example of a published list of quality standards for shirt laundry: http://ravefabricare.com/true-quali...uality-cleaner's-shirt-laundry-standards.aspx

Website: www.ravefabricare.com

Daily blog: www.truequalitycleaning.com

Originally Posted by 1970cleveland

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I took 2 new Brooks Brothers shirts to get pressed and they did so with the collar stays in, now I have ugly stay imprints visible through the outside on my collar. I tried ironing them out after removing the stays but they are still visible. Has anyone had this issue? I may try washing it then ironing it again. Right now they look horrible, I would not wear them but at the same time I would hate to scrap 2 brand new shirts.

Were these metal or plastic stays?
I have accidentally left plastic stays in before and there was never a problem.

Originally Posted by MrInvariant

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So every time you remove your collar stays, attach a tag to know which shirt they came from, and reinsert them after the dry cleaning?

No. There are only a few different sizes of collar stays. Collect a pair in each size and keep them on your dresser. (I keep mine in a box with my cuff links and tie bars.) When you get dressed in the morning, insert the stays in the collar. When you get undressed in the evening, remove the stays and put 'em back in the box.

Originally Posted by Threadbearer

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No. There are only a few different sizes of collar stays. Collect a pair in each size and keep them on your dresser. (I keep mine in a box with my cuff links and tie bars.) When you get dressed in the morning, insert the stays in the collar. When you get undressed in the evening, remove the stays and put 'em back in the box.

Use stiff wide spread collars so you won´t need the stays as I do.

Originally Posted by Threadbearer

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No. There are only a few different sizes of collar stays. Collect a pair in each size and keep them on your dresser. (I keep mine in a box with my cuff links and tie bars.) When you get dressed in the morning, insert the stays in the collar. When you get undressed in the evening, remove the stays and put 'em back in the box.
This. I've never had a dry cleaners to remove and replace stays.