dryclean vs launder - shirt question

[ohdannyboy]

so, i bought a zenga sport button down shirt that says it's 100% cotton, and it's 100% the comfy-est, nicest feeling shirt i own. however, it's time for a cleaning. with my normal button downs, i take them to my drycleaner to have them laundered and pressed. however, this shirt says it can be either laundered or drycleaned, and i'd like to go with whatever will keep it feeling smooth and micro-fiber-like the longest. does anybody have any suggestions?

 

[stubloom]

There are many variables that go into the dry clean vs launder decision: care label, stains, texture, buttons, trim, color, fabric, elasticity, brand, personal preference and fit, to name the most common variables. Here's a guide.... Blog post: Shirts and blouses - to dry clean or launder? http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...r-launder.aspx Now you'll be in a better position to discuss this issue intelligently with your cleaner. Hopefully, he'll also be able to discuss this intelligently with you!

 

[ohdannyboy]

thanks for the response stubloom, but i'm getting a "page not found" error on your blog post

 

[stubloom]

Thanks for the heads up. Link now fixed.

 

[ohdannyboy]

stubloom, that was tremendously helpful; as the shirt has odd sized buttons, i will likely look for dryclean and hand iron. as a follow-up question, mostly since i'm fairly new to the whole "owning quality clothing" life, how often would you recommend having a shirt cleaned? with my normal shirts, i tend to have them laundered every other wearing. thoughts?

 

[phxlawstudent]

Is doing it yourself out of the question?

If you really want to do the least damage to the shirt, you would hand wash it, air dry it, iron it yourself, and use no starch. Although I suppose it doesn't really matter who irons it as long as they don't use starch.

Past that, I'd look at Stu's article and come back here with more questions.

 

[stubloom]

Response to ohdannyboy: I really don't want to get into professional shirt laundry vs home shirt laundry debate, except to say that most folks who wash, hang dry and press their own shirts probably do so because they've given up on the commercial shirt laundries operated by dry cleaners. One gentleman on thelondonlounge.net recently referred to commercial shirt laundries as medieval torture chambers for your shirts. On the other hand, if you don't want to do them yourself, here's some background information you might want to consider when looking for a high quality shirt laundry in your area... Blog post: Your shirt laundry bill of rights http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...of-rights.aspx

 

[Urzu07]

If you really love how a particular shirt looks and feels, then dry clean it. If you don't really give much care into a shirt, then launder it, and hand iron it.

 

[teddieriley]

don't bother washing it. just put some CVS cloth tape around the inside of the collar and wear repeatedly.

 

[Cuttingboard]

Hand wash or wash on gentle cycle in cold water, hang dry and iron while a little damp. Nothing to it!!

 

[AE7]

Originally Posted by Urzu07

If you really love how a particular shirt looks and feels, then dry clean it. If you don't really give much care into a shirt, then launder it, and hand iron it.

That is stupid. Dry cleaning chemical agents destroy the fabric.

 

[stubloom]

Response to AE7:

Not true. There are so many variables involved. For example....

* the pre-spotting techniques employed or not employed

* the type of dry cleaning solvent or fluid being used (perc, synthetic petroleum or siloxane)

* the dry cleaning machine operational programs for darks, lights, mixed and fragile cycles (time, RPMs and temperatures for wash, extract and dry cycles)

* the type of pressing employed (machine vs hand)

* the dry cleaners pricing and turnaround time.

I could go on and on. The quality of dry cleaning varies significantly from cleaner to cleaner.

There are discount cleaners, middle-of-the-road cleaners, pretender cleaners and extraordinary care cleaners. Each type of cleaner is vastly different and the cumulative impact of their operations can have a significant impact on the life of your garments.

Clearly, it's not valid to categorize all dry cleaning as "fabric destroying" anymore than it's valid to categorize all fast food outlets as "fattening" or all car dealers as "sleazy"(hope that analogy works!).

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Stu you have mentioned that you favor siloxane for getting rid of oil based stains. Could I do this at home using this pure silicone hair styling product my girlfriend uses? Would dimethicone work as well? I know it sounds crazy, but it is worth asking...

 

[AE7]

Originally Posted by stubloom

Response to AE7: Not true. Clearly, it's not valid to categorize all dry cleaning as "fabric destroying" anymore than it's valid to categorize all fast food outlets as "fattening" or all car dealers as "sleazy"(hope that analogy works!).
Thank you for your response. It does sound convincing, but there is no way an average person like me without background in DRY CLEANING would know what exactly my dry cleaner uses. If if they would tell you, how much of it you would able to understand, especially given the variety of fabrics and different effects chemicals have over them. A question: is hot iron and excessive steaming SAFE for suits and shirts or not?

 

[stubloom]

Response to patrickBOOTH:

Yes, we only use siloxane (brand name is Green Earth). That's because I believe that siloxane is the best product for THE TYPE OF GARMENTS WE CLEAN -- high-end, more expensive garments.

We have also modified the way in which we use the product because of the type of garments we clean. We certainly don't use it in the manner that an ordinary cleaner would use it (which is the manner "recommended" by the product developer, Green Earth Cleaning).

The product comes in 5 gal. drums from Shin Etsu Silicones of America. The dry cleaning process that uses siloxane is patented by Green Earth Cleaning. Any dry cleaner using siloxane in a dry cleaning process must be licensed by Green Earth Cleaning and pay an annual licensing fee of $2500 per machine.

The reason that you can't use siloxane at home is that the formulation of this siloxane is specifically designed for use in a dry cleaning process, that includes wash, extract and dry cycles with specific related time, RPM and temperature specifications.