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Anyone get their shirts dry cleaned?

post #1 of 33
5/13/08 at 10:56pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone? If I spend a wad for a really nice shirt, I'm not sure I want it going through the laundry.
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post #2 of 33
5/13/08 at 10:58pm
Dry cleaning doesn't do as good a job on the inevitable neck/wrist/pit stains you'll get. Handwash and hand-iron shirts - or find a laundry that will commit to doing this.

Edit: Machine wash at home. Not handwash.
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post #3 of 33
5/13/08 at 11:04pm
I do it for my linen shirts.

Regards.
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post #4 of 33
5/13/08 at 11:18pm
I dry clean everything 'cause I'm lazy.
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post #5 of 33
5/13/08 at 11:39pm
Shirts and sturdy cottons go to the laundry. Everything else goes to the dry cleaner.
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post #6 of 33
5/13/08 at 11:45pm
I have never dry cleaned dress shirts (granted, I don't wear them nearly as often as I like.) I machine-wash then hand-iron, using steam (maybe starch every third pressing.) My mother also bought me a commercial-grade steamer, which has been invaluable in gently airing daily soot and wrinkles out of my suits.
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post #7 of 33
5/13/08 at 11:47pm
a lot of my shirts are dry clean only...
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post #8 of 33
5/13/08 at 11:49pm
In the SF Bay Area, I used to dry clean my best shirts at a cleaners that used liquid carbon dioxide rather than organic solvents; this was supposed to be relatively gentle on your clothes. Now, I hand wash, line dry and iron all my own shirts.
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post #9 of 33
5/13/08 at 11:51pm
No, never
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post #10 of 33
5/14/08 at 12:13am
I am constantly begging my laundry service NOT to dry clean my shirts. Fine cotton shirts are quickly destroyed by the dry cleaning process, although the cleaners will dispute this.

I have finally resorted to carefully washing the shirts myself. I then take them to a laundry to have them hand pressed. The girls at the counter think I'm nuts, but they don't seem to understand that the shirts cost more than $29.99 and it's no fun to have them shrunk. Missing buttons aren't cool, either.

Also--please do not let the cleaners use the "pressing machine" on your good shirts. Have you seen one in action? Many cleaners will gladly give you the tour. Once you see how the machine violently smashes the shirt flat as pancake, you may wonder how the shirt and its buttons survive at all.

Another thing about the pressing machine: even if you specify NO STARCH, you will get starch if you have your shirts done on the machine. The starch residue from other shirts will transmit to yours. This was confirmed to me by a person who works at a dry cleaners.
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post #11 of 33
5/14/08 at 12:16am
I send them to a dry cleaner that hand washes and hand irons all my shirts.
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post #12 of 33
5/14/08 at 12:43am
I dry clean black shirts, and try not to do it often. All my other shirts, mostly bespoke now, I send to the cleaners for laundry, machine pressing with no starch. I'm certain it's not as gentle as me washing the shirts on delicate cycle and hand pressing myself, but I really don't have the time, patience or desire to do so. It takes me 20 minutes to iron a shirt, and I don't particularly enjoy doing it.
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post #13 of 33
5/14/08 at 12:47am
Dry cleaning shirts is a waste of $. Cotton shirts no matter their cost will be fine if laundered and hand pressed, and more importantly, clean.
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post #14 of 33
5/14/08 at 1:02am
Shirts I paid less than $70 for go to the commercial laundry. More expensive shirts or those harder to replace (like Paul stuart sale shirts or ebay borrelli) I do myself, ironing them dry with a sizzling hot iron.
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post #15 of 33
5/14/08 at 1:27am
Remove any collar stiffeners, cufflinks, studs, etc., check for missing buttons and then send to the cleaners. Only use starch if you have to, and then only on cotton collars and cuffs, as starch stops the pores from breathing and cracks collars. Collars and cuffs can be replaced with white ones if worn down, although some quality shirts come with spares that can be substituted. Cotton and silk shirts should be cleaned by hand with care.

When in doubt follow the instructions. The triangles on the tags refer to bleaching. A "Cl" within a triangle means that chlorine bleach may be used. A triangle on it's own means that bleach can be used. A triangle with a cross through it means do not bleach. A square with a circle inside means you can machine wash. An iron shape with one, two, or three dots within it means the piece of clothing can be ironed on cool, medium, or hot. As for ironing, the good news is that the less one does, the better it is for the clothing.

Advice from the neighborhood butler
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