What's happening to my buttons?

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by alliswell

It has nothing to do with cleaning or the material of the buttons. This happens because your shirts are ironed in industrial shirt-ironing machines - imagine a wafflemaker that irons shirts - and your buttons are not lying flat when the iron is closed. The solution is to ask for hand-ironed shirts (probably $6/shirt) or to launder at home.

This is exactly correct. Especially true with cleaners that use a "body press" - looks sorta like a torso. And yes, MOP buttons, especially thick buttons got crushed regularly. Thin plastic held up better.

I've finally found a cleaner where it hasn't happened (yet). They hand-finish the shirts (though I don't know if that has any effect on the buttons or just the detailing). They hand press to and as All points out, it's about $6 per shirt.

 

[a tailor]

mop buttons are made of oyster shell. the poor oyster spent years building layer upon layer of nacre to build up that shell. then the button maker ruthlessly murdered [he ate it] the oyster. then made those lovely mop buttons out of the shell.
that shell is rather tough but not strong enough to resist the pressure of the laundry's machines.
they dont use hand irons, not at the low prices they charge. hand labor is very costly.

 

[repp_fink]

Here is the correct answer.

tl;dr:
It's not the washing, or the quality of the buttons, but the pressing. Specifically, it's the pads inside the pressing machines that are breaking your shirt buttons. Machine presses run at very high heat, and this heat acts over time to break down the soft pads inside the machine. If the laundry doesn't replace the pads on a regular basis, the pads will degrade and become stiff, no longer performing their intended purpose: to cushion your shirt buttons from the full force of the press.

Machine pressing your shirts does not necessarily equal broken buttons. A well-maintained machine press, with minimally-worn pads, should absolutely not break the buttons on your shirt. However, those pads are expensive, and for cost reasons, most laundries use the pads much longer than they should, allowing them to become stiff and useless. The result is broken buttons.

Personal notes: Even high-quality buttons are not immune to worn-out pads in the machine press (I've had my Turnbull and Asser shirt buttons broken by cheap cleaners). Better laundries will monitor the pads in their machines and replace them more frequently. Beware the "hand-finished" shirt (often pressed by machine and then touched up by hand) and insist, if possible, on a total hand-ironing of your shirt.

 

[Sonny58]

If that were happening at your cleaner then I wouldn't expect them to be returned to you that way. They should have been replaced, at no charge.

 

[GBR]

Damage in a commercial laundry due to their processes. Do not be so lazy and wash them yourself.

 

[TheTukker]

I opt for e) News of the World.

May want to add a poal.

 

[stubloom]

A collective A+ to alliswell, Cary Grant, a tailor (Alex Di Pietropaolo) and repp_fink for their informed responses.

I especially like repp_fink's link to a prior Style Forum post. Click on "here is the correct answer" in his post above.

 

[MikeDT]

D) Someone or something likes eating shirt buttons. Rats perhaps?

 

[repp_fink]

Originally Posted by stubloom

I especially like repp_fink's link to a prior Style Forum post. Click on "here is the correct answer" in his post above.

Yes, that previous poster was certainly well-informed. Undoubtedly well-groomed, nice-smelling, and a dab hand at brushing a horse, too.

 

[js4design]

I've had a pair of white chinos with a button flyand the bottons have all started cracking. I think it is the hot wash and dry that I've been giving them because I've neve sent them to the drycleaner.

 

[NORE]

Originally Posted by alliswell

Uh-huh. And your hamster's 25 years old

He is! Honest!

 

[SirGrotius]

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

Wow, I have never encountered a dry cleaner that was even the slightest bit attractive.

Haha. Definitely not a typical dry cleaner employee/owner, in the sense that she does it for extra cash in addition to college. I've struck up a few conversations but it's awkward and I'm married. Doesn't mean I can't admire.

 

[Galix]

Originally Posted by alliswell

Step 1) Ask her out
Step 2) ???
Step 3) Get her to iron your shirts

+1000