How to separate good from great dry cleaners?

[JL724]

Word of mouth and local reviews seem to point towards places that are priced well and don't ruin clothes. Is there anything I should be looking for, particularly when it comes to shirt cleaning?

 

[alliswell]

Look for places that do the work on-site, and look for hand-ironing. And don't dry clean your shirts - have them washed and ironed.

 

[KObalto]

Where are you located?

 

[tricky]

I take mine to a wet cleaner www.tscwetclean.com

 

[acridsheep]

Bad dry cleaner: ruin clothes.
Good dry cleaner: no ruin clothes.
Great dry cleaner: no ruin clothes + happy ending.

 

[stubloom]

There are 26,000 dry cleaners in the USA and every single one will tell you that their quality is exceptional. Really? The problem is that most dry cleaning plant operators have NEVER seen, touched or smelt great work in their entire careers in the dry cleaning business. Most operators live in their own bubble. They know what they do and what their competitors across the street do. And that's about it. They THINK they know but do they REALLY know? Reminds me of Garrison Keillor's mythical Lake Wobegon where ALL the children are above average. If you live in a major metro area you stand a better chance of finding a great cleaner. If you live anywhere else your'e probably out of luck. Smaller locales just don't have the consistent QUALITY of garments and QUANTITY of garments that's absolutely critical in building an institutional culture of top craftsmanship over a period of many years. Furthermore, they're unwilling to forego income over the many years it takes to build that foundation of skills, experience, processes and equipment. They may have started with good intentions ("I'm going to be the best cleaner in Delaware") but eventually succumb to the complexity and difficulty of producing great work day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, year in year out. After all, fine garments are not pork sausages. Every piece is different. Every piece is CUSTOM. So where to start? Start by finding out their minimum price for a man's 2 piece suit and a laundered dress shirt and their "normal" turnaround time. True quality is NEVER cheap and CANNOT be routinely completed in a few days. I'll go out on a limb here: if they charge under $20 for a suit and less than $5 for a laundered shirt, it not possible to CONSISTENTLY produce true quality work. Period. Unless, off course, you operate as a charity. Furthermore, if they routinely offer service in 3 days or less, it's near impossible to CONSISTENTLY produce true quality work. Next, call the manager of the men's department at the very best upscale stores in your area (Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave, Barneys New York, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren, etc.), the owner of the best independent fine men's store in your area, the manager of the best nationally known boutiques in your area (Gucci, Ferragamo, Zegna, etc.), the best bespoke tailors or personal clothiers in your area, etc. An even better idea is to find out where these very same stores, tailors and personal clothiers send INVENTORY THAT HAS BEEN SOILED for cleaning and resale at full retail price. Try to develop a consensus as to who they suggest. Warning: Many cleaners "pay for play". That is, they provide free or heavily discounted cleaning in return for recommendations. Now that you might have some idea as to where to go, you're not out of the woods. Fact is, you're not even in the starting blocks for this marathon. The most important thing you can do before approaching a possible "great cleaner" is to educate yourself as to what constitutes "true quality cleaning." This will put you in a far better position to engage with your cleaner and ultimately judge the quality of the work that is being represented to you as "true quality cleaning". And would you believe I have just the place for you to start....... Blog post: The shocking world of ordinary dry cleaning and shirt laundry http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...t-laundry.aspx Blog post: Your dry cleaning bill of rights http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...of-rights.aspx Blog post: Your shirt laundry bill of rights http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...of-rights.aspx Blog post: Understanding the difference between a cleaner and a fabricare specialist http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...pecialist.aspx Blog post: Understanding quality of product vs quality of service and conveniences http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...veniences.aspx Happy hunting!

 

[JL724]

Thanks for the responses. Anyone else have any advice?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Where do you live?

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by JL724

Thanks for the responses. Anyone else have any advice?


What other "advice" do you need when you got the following?

Originally Posted by stubloom

There are 26,000 dry cleaners in the USA and every single one will tell you that their quality is exceptional. Really?...............................


And would you believe I have just the place for you to start.......

Blog post: The shocking world of ordinary dry cleaning and shirt laundry
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...t-laundry.aspx

Blog post: Your dry cleaning bill of rights
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...of-rights.aspx

Blog post: Your shirt laundry bill of rights
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...of-rights.aspx

Blog post: Understanding the difference between a cleaner and a fabricare specialist
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...pecialist.aspx

Blog post: Understanding quality of product vs quality of service and conveniences
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...veniences.aspx

Happy hunting!

 

[ter1413]

Originally Posted by acridsheep

Bad dry cleaner: ruin clothes.
Good dry cleaner: no ruin clothes.
Great dry cleaner: no ruin clothes + happy ending.

Great cliff-notes!

 

[Quadcammer]

Originally Posted by stubloom

There are 26,000 dry cleaners in the USA and every single one will tell you that their quality is exceptional. Really? The problem is that most dry cleaning plant operators have NEVER seen, touched or smelt great work in their entire careers in the dry cleaning business. Most operators live in their own bubble. They know what they do and what their competitors across the street do. And that's about it. They THINK they know but do they REALLY know? Happy hunting!
You say that your quality is exceptional right on your website. I guess you're the exception right? And I'm assuming that you exclude yourself out of the group that has never seen great dry cleaning.

 

[stubloom]

Response to Quadcammer:

1. Actually no, I'm not the only exception. But I will say that I'm among the very few in the US who consistently delivers true quality cleaning. In total, I'll guesstimate that there are no more than 30 or 40 out of 26,000. You do the math.

2. I'd say, with absolute certainty, that I'm not in the group that's never seen true quality cleaning. Fact is, I visit at least 4 different true quality cleaners around the USA every year. I don't think you can call that living in my own bubble.

 

[pvrhye]

It trips me out how Stu managed to find every drycleaning thread post haste, but doesn't seem to post often otherwise. Maybe he has a non-business ID?

 

[bwhamilton]

Originally Posted by stubloom

There are 26,000 dry cleaners in the USA and every single one will tell you that their quality is exceptional. Really?

The problem is that most dry cleaning plant operators have NEVER seen, touched or smelt great work in their entire careers in the dry cleaning business. Most operators live in their own bubble. They know what they do and what their competitors across the street do. And that's about it. They THINK they know but do they REALLY know?

Reminds me of Garrison Keillor's mythical Lake Wobegon where ALL the children are above average.

If you live in a major metro area you stand a better chance of finding a great cleaner. If you live anywhere else your'e probably out of luck.

Smaller locales just don't have the consistent QUALITY of garments and QUANTITY of garments that's absolutely critical in building an institutional culture of top craftsmanship over a period of many years. Furthermore, they're unwilling to forego income over the many years it takes to build that foundation of skills, experience, processes and equipment. They may have started with good intentions ("I'm going to be the best cleaner in Delaware") but eventually succumb to the complexity and difficulty of producing great work day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, year in year out.

After all, fine garments are not pork sausages. Every piece is different. Every piece is CUSTOM.

So where to start?

Start by finding out their minimum price for a man's 2 piece suit and a laundered dress shirt and their "normal" turnaround time. True quality is NEVER cheap and CANNOT be routinely completed in a few days. I'll go out on a limb here: if they charge under $20 for a suit and less than $5 for a laundered shirt, it not possible to CONSISTENTLY produce true quality work. Period. Unless, off course, you operate as a charity. Furthermore, if they routinely offer service in 3 days or less, it's near impossible to CONSISTENTLY produce true quality work.

Next, call the manager of the men's department at the very best upscale stores in your area (Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave, Barneys New York, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren, etc.), the owner of the best independent fine men's store in your area, the manager of the best nationally known boutiques in your area (Gucci, Ferragamo, Zegna, etc.), the best bespoke tailors or personal clothiers in your area, etc.

An even better idea is to find out where these very same stores, tailors and personal clothiers send INVENTORY THAT HAS BEEN SOILED for cleaning and resale at full retail price.

Try to develop a consensus as to who they suggest. Warning: Many cleaners "pay for play". That is, they provide free or heavily discounted cleaning in return for recommendations.

Now that you might have some idea as to where to go, you're not out of the woods. Fact is, you're not even in the starting blocks for this marathon.

The most important thing you can do before approaching a possible "great cleaner" is to educate yourself as to what constitutes "true quality cleaning." This will put you in a far better position to engage with your cleaner and ultimately judge the quality of the work that is being represented to you as "true quality cleaning".

And would you believe I have just the place for you to start.......

Blog post: The shocking world of ordinary dry cleaning and shirt laundry
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...t-laundry.aspx

Blog post: Your dry cleaning bill of rights
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...of-rights.aspx

Blog post: Your shirt laundry bill of rights
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...of-rights.aspx

Blog post: Understanding the difference between a cleaner and a fabricare specialist
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...pecialist.aspx

Blog post: Understanding quality of product vs quality of service and conveniences
http://www.ravefabricare.com/true-qu...veniences.aspx

Happy hunting!


This is epic.

Thank you!

 

[comrade]

Great dry cleaner: no ruin clothes + happy ending.[/quote]

"happy ending"- Doesn't that stain?