How many of you wash your own dress shirts?

[Mr Checks]

Here's something I don't understand: my Rbt Talbott shirt says to "cold iron" but that doesn't get the wrinkles out (after hang drying). The shirt seems very sturdy so I'm surprised at this requirement.

I'll try the Kabbaz method next time.

 

[guitone]

"STD< Short Term Disability, as in post surgery......

Yikes. Sorry to make a joke about it. I've never heard the abbreviation before.

I really do hope you are feeling better."

Thanks....I am feeling much better....Post surgery is never fun, docs do not set realistic expectations so you always hurt more than they lead you to believe...but now that I am up and around it is nice to be back...thanks

 

[johnw86]

I launder and iron at home...except for unusual weeks once or twice a year where I'm traveling and the weekends are filled with other needs. There are some great threads here on washing and ironing if anyone is new to the Forum and looking for guidance.

 

[NewYorkBuck]

I would love to - but the hours of an investment bank and the limits of a NYC laundry really get in the way.

I will when I move to the burbs.

 

[Andrew V.]

I machine-wash all my shirts. Sometimes I hang-dry them, sometimes I machine-dry, depending on how lazy or patient I am feeling.

 

[sashae]

I just picked up an iron a few weeks ago, and did my first batch of 13 (yikes) shirts last Sunday... slow going, but the shirts look pretty nice. Considering the local dry cleaner wants $3.75 for wash/hand press, I've almost paid for the iron already

-s

 

[dah328]

I soak my dress shirts in hot water and Oxyclean for an hour or two, give the collars and cuffs a once-over if there are any rings, then machine wash warm with powder detergent and iron them while damp. My shirts last forever this way, but I'll admit that it is rather time consuming.

dan

 

[Drinkwaters]

I use a product called Linit, found in the laundry section of the market. It is a concentrated starch that can be mixed to your own desires. It gives my shirts a beautiful finish and I highly recommend it.

 

[kabert]

I refuse to take the time to do it myself.... Especially since I have two sons under 3 yrs old in the house who want to play when I'm at home (plus irons can be dangerous) and since the cleaners I use does a good job and hasn't broken a single button (plastic or MOP) in the last 2-1/2 years. (And, the cleaners charges just $0.95 per shirt. If it was $4 per shirt, I might be reconsidering...

 

[redtree00]

I machine wash, line dry and hand iron all my better shirts.
I send out my cheaper shirts.
I collect about 2 or 3 weeks of shirts and wait till I am either home alone or the wife and kids are sleeping and then iron while watching a movie, baseball game or listening to music.

 

[Keith T]

Spray 'N Wash on the collar, machine wash cold. Tumble dry. Stack in the closet, accumulate enough to bother ironing (about a dozen or so). Spotless spray starch (sometimes the lemon scented) and spray water bottle if needed. Takes me about an hour and a half to 2 hours at a pop.

Wife thinks I'm crazy.

 

[HitMan009]

Does putting shirts in the dryer actually shrink the shirt? If so, is it quite substantial? Does putting a shirt in the dryer harm the shirt? I have never used a dryer for shirts as drying them naturally on hanger is pretty quick... in roughly an hour, they are just slight damp, perfect for ironing.

 

[sashae]

So who starches their shirts here? How much? What sort of starch?

 

[scnupe7]

Do any of find that when you wash shirts yourself, the collars and cuffs are a little less stiff and crisp?

 

[Pink22m]

Here's something I don't understand: my Rbt Talbott shirt says to "cold iron" but that doesn't get the wrinkles out (after hang drying).  The shirt seems very sturdy so I'm surprised at this requirement.

I'll try the Kabbaz method next time.

I think you mean "cool iron", as my Talbott shirts also say this on the tag.  When I iron my Talbott's I just turn the setting up on my Rowenta a bit past the minimum setting for temperature.  This is usually sufficient for removing wrinkles.  I am pretty certain that you could iron them at the warmest setting and there wouldn't be any damaging effects to the shirt.  I have not had any problems, so just turn up the setting a bit and you should be fine.

Personally, I wash all my shirts on gentle cycle, using cold water and Woolite.  I then hang them up to dry in a spot that doesn't have direct sunlight, and adequate air circulation. I iron all my shirts using my Rowenta (hightly recommended, as I have been through 3 irons before the Rowenta).  

[/quote]So who starches their shirts here?  How much?  What sort of starch?

I never use starch, since it can damage the fabric over time by making the threads more brittle.  The only time I ever used starch was on my RL pinpoint oxford, but that is a much sturdier fabric than egyptian cotton, for example.  At the very most, using it on pinpoint oxford would be the only exception, otherwise stay away from starch.