How many of you wash your own dress shirts?

[scnupe7]

I am considering washing my own dress shirts rather than sending them to the cleaners. Does anyone else do this? Is there special method I should use when doing this?

Thanks

 

[alchimiste]

I do.

 

[jj4]

I do as well. Check out http://www.customshirt1.com/ASK/laund01.html for some of the best instructions around.

 

[RJman]

I do as I don't feel obliged to pay someone to **** up my shirts -- as I would be unless I sent them to Parkway. I cold-water wash them on Delicate and hang dry, unless the shirt is oversized, in which case I toss it in the dryer. I pretreat collars and cuffs.

TTTT, it's a bit of a pain. Still, they're not scorched, or shrunken, or yellowing.

 

[guitone]

I was about to start bringing them in to the cleaners again as it was such a pain as I let them go and had a pile of 30+ to do....I got them done as I was home from work for a month on STD, but now I am thinking maybe I need to just do a wash of 5 or 6 and iron them...why not machine dry and then iron? Also, why not use just cold water? I find that since I really don't get my shirts dirty, so far anyway cold water has been fine, but tell me if there are good reasons to change my approach, and I am not about to start scrubbing these before I wash......

 

[hopkins_student]

I at least do the washing on my own. As most RTW shirts have sleeves that are only barely long enough for me (wide shoulders, not long arms) I can't risk my dry cleaner shrinking them at all, as they always have in the past. Unfortunately, I'm not the best with the iron and sometimes I end up taking my shirts to the cleaner to be pressed.
It is my experience that the Kabbaz technique, though brilliant, is often a little more work than most people (that I know at least) are willing to put up with. I find that unless I have ring around the collar and/or cuffs or stains elsewhere, that washing on cold with a liquid detergent and then hanging to dry is all that is necessary. I have just recently purchased a spray bottle so that I can moisten my shirts before ironing and I imagine that this will make all of the difference in the world. This generally goes without saying, but make sure to always use distilled or at least purified (I use a Pur filter) water for spraying and ironing.

 

[bry2000]

I always send my shirts out. Tower cleaners in NY and City of London Cleaners in London. I would consider washing and ironing the shirts myself if I were wearing very expensive, perfectly fitting bespoke shirts. But my lineup right now consists of RTW H&K, T&A, and Brooks for the most part.

 

[zjpj83]

I don't but am going to start.

 

[Alter]

I got them done as I was home from work for a month on STD, ......

STD? Sexually Transmitted Disease? I hope you're feeling better now.

 

[AlanC]

I wash on gentle cycle on cold (sometimes whites on warm), hang dry and hand iron using a spray/mist bottle. Of course, I don't have to wear a dress shirt every day so it's not too bad to keep up with. I do have a bit of a backlog at the moment, though. I haven't caught up after a recent trip.

 

[Vintage Gent]

I too wash and iron--I've been doing so for nearly a decade now. Unless I get the sudden urge to have buttons crushed, I will never again trust the care of my dress shirts to the cleaners.

 

[BjornH]

I gave up on the cleaners after shiny collars and lost shirts.

Wash on 40C/100F and spin lightly on 700 or 500RPM. Stretch side, shoulder and sleeve seams. Stretch the front and collar and cuffs, if needed and drip-dry. Iron in batches of 5-6 in front of TV, preferably with a beer within reach.

The only problem with this is I used to get my shirts folded and wrapped in plastic. Now, I have to hang them up and they take up way too much space.

B

 

[guitone]

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

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

I wash my shirts, and I iron them too... Last sunday I ironed 24 shirts. I just kept stacking them in the 'to-do' closet until I realized how many there were.

luc

 

[Alter]

STD Yikes. Sorry to make a joke about it. I've never heard the abbreviation before. I really do hope you are feeling better.