Pet Peeve: Shirts to the Cleaners...

[Franky In T.O.]

This really bugs me...

I bring my dress shirts to the cleaners on a regular basis and always find the collars creased due to the machine press, I'm sure. My cleaner says they hand press them before putting on a hangar, but they are always creased. Collars, like necks, are supposed to be round around the neck. Not creased. It's even gotten to the point that my shoulders have a crease on them. To make a long story short, I always have to iron my shirts myself before wearing which I find somewhat counter productive.

Now while I understand that it is due to machine pressing, I swear that a few years ago I wasn't having this problem. And it seems that every cleaner I go to has resulted in this. Is this a case of virtually all cleaners no longer hand pressing or is there something else I'm missing? What can I tell a cleaner to ensure this no longer happens anymore?

Or do I need to find a new cleaner? Seems like I'd be finding a diamond in the rough. Does anyone know any good Toronto cleaners?

This is actually a very big pet peeve of mine.

 

[dshin]

My parents own a dry cleaners. They out source shirts that are to be laundered...and the launderers use a machine press for all the shirts. Unwanted creases, as well as cracked buttons, are common occurances. This is reflected in the price you pay.
My parents do offer a hand laundry/hand press service...costs 3 times as much as sending to the launderers but you get what you pay for. People who bring in nice shirts specifically ask for this.

 

[dirk diggler]

disagree. I moved to a new city and lucked out. found a korean drycleaner in the strip mall across the street from my corp paid temp housing. he charges $2.40/shirt vs $1.60/shirt near my house. The cleaning is also environmentally friendly and done on site. I still drive 15 miles out of the way to go there and I have been in my house for the last month.

 

[suited]

Avoid machine presses, the heat from these presses is what can damage a shirt over time. Always have your shirts hand pressed.

 

[apropos]

Maybe they are handpressed, but due to 'overcrowding' on the rack, develop a collar/shoulder crease?

 

[idfnl]

Another thing that I have noticed that annoys me is that shirts that are stitched on the collar eventually develop a thin fold along the collar lengthwise along the stitch line.

I meant to ask them to fix it the last time I took a shirt in, but I forgot.

I would agree with the comment above, nobody is going to give your shirts TLC without doing it yourself.

My mom suggests 10 mins in the dryer to get most of the wrinkle out then iron while still damp, this is much faster than laboring thru a dry shirt but they never look very crisp and who has time for this?? Actually, they never look very crisp no matter what I do.

 

[Franky In T.O.]

One of the main reasons for bringing clothes to the cleaners is to save time. That is mainly what I'm paying my money for - for someone else to do it for me. But it should be a given, IMO, that a shirt should be properly pressed.

I'm not going to do it myself. I don't have the time nor would I expect my shirts to be as crisp as they should be from the cleaners. So I just want the basic expectation of service that I believe anyone would want. My neck isn't flat. It's round. My collars should be round as they were when purchased and as a shirt should be.

Paying 3 times may be an option. But I'm not convinced we're supposed to in order to have non-creased collars. My thought is that at any price a shirt should look like a shirt is supposed to upon bringing it in for professional cleaning.

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by Franky In T.O.

One of the main reasons for bringing clothes to the cleaners is to save time. That is mainly what I'm paying my money for - for someone else to do it for me. But it should be a given, IMO, that a shirt should be properly pressed.

I'm not going to do it myself. I don't have the time nor would I expect my shirts to be as crisp as they should be from the cleaners. So I just want the basic expectation of service that I believe anyone would want. My neck isn't flat. It's round. My collars should be round as they were when purchased and as a shirt should be.

Paying 3 times may be an option. But I'm not convinced we're supposed to in order to have non-creased collars. My thought is that at any price a shirt should look like a shirt is supposed to upon bringing it in for professional cleaning.

Find a better cleaner.

I feel your frustration. I'm going through the same hunt now.

 

[Tarmac]

there is this thing you can do, try another cleaners

 

[Optimas]

Originally Posted by Franky In T.O.

My thought is that at any price a shirt should look like a shirt is supposed to upon bringing it in for professional cleaning.
Just as it would be optimal if any random pair of shoes had Cleverley quality, all suits were as exquisite as those from Anderson and Sheppard and nothing costs more than a HappyMeal at McDonalds.

Yes, I do find it slightly disturbing that the standard choice for professional ironing is absolutely horrendous, just as I dislike the massive amounts of overpriced and ill-fitting suits available. I think the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of customers could not care less (and their shirts are fairly cheap, limiting the damage potential), and would probably not be willing to pay a large premium to have them hand pressed, even if they were aware of the differences in quality.

 

[Franky In T.O.]

Originally Posted by Franky In T.O.

I swear that a few years ago I wasn't having this problem. And it seems that every cleaner I go to has resulted in this.

Originally Posted by Tarmac

there is this thing you can do, try another cleaners

Now why didn't I think of that?

 

[Franky In T.O.]

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

I feel your frustration. I'm going through the same hunt now.

And a hunt it is. I think what's happened is over the past few years machine pressing has become the standard just as automation becomes the standard with many industries. Sadly, the quality has been sacrificed.

I remember going to the cleaners and getting great service all the time. I had only switched cleaners because of a personal move. In the past 5 years, I've gone to more cleaners than ever trying to find one that does things right. My current cleaner is directly across the street and so the convenience is what's keeping them hanging by a thread.

 

[pledge]

As a take-off on this thread, I can swear that some cleaners actually machine-press shirts "by accident" even when you specifically request that they be hand pressed. this is the only way that i can account for the way my shirts come back from the cleaners: completely stretched-out from limb to limb. i would assume that a proper hand-pressing would elmiinate concerns over stretching...

 

[Franky In T.O.]

Originally Posted by Optimas

Just as it would be optimal if any random pair of shoes had Cleverley quality, all suits were as exquisite as those from Anderson and Sheppard and nothing costs more than a HappyMeal at McDonalds.

Yes, I do find it slightly disturbing that the standard choice for professional ironing is absolutely horrendous, just as I dislike the massive amounts of overpriced and ill-fitting suits available. I think the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of customers could not care less (and their shirts are fairly cheap, limiting the damage potential), and would probably not be willing to pay a large premium to have them hand pressed, even if they were aware of the differences in quality.

The thing is it wasn't always this way. You used to go to the cleaners and your shirts would be laundered and pressed. There wasn't a difference in quality.

 

[hadamulletonce]

I've had many shirts stretched and creased by cleaners over the years. It's tough to find a good one for shirts these days.