How many times do you wear a dress shirt before it goes to the cleaners??

stylemeup · Dec 14, 2008

I wear mine until they start to smell, then I stop.

Or if they are visbly dirty, then I stop too.

Last week I found a shirt in my closet that I hadn't worn and forgot to clean for over a year. It had these nasty yellow stains all over the collar. I took it to the dry cleaner thinking it probably wouldn't come out. But after I got it drycleaned then it came back looking good as new. The yellow stains were completely gone.

free man · Dec 14, 2008

I usually wear them until I think it needs to be cleaned - BUT - I am a college student and I am weird. I don't wear one shirt for the entire day, usually its a few hours max. I take mid-day naps and I'm not going to sleep in a dress shirt so I take it off, and usually put on a different one. If I wore shirts all day, it would definitely be one and done.

swiego · Dec 14, 2008

Once or twice.

It depends on exactly what it means to wear a shirt.

Some days, I have the morning off, I put on the shirt at 1pm, relax at the office catching up on email for a few hours, then head back home. The shirt comes off and will be worn again.

Other days, I put on the shirt at 6am before hopping in the car. I then plough through a 16 hour work day in a hot, sweaty environment in the middle of summer and find myself having to move equipment, run between buildings, etc. When I get home at 1am, the shirt goes right into the hamper.

So, it really depends. A few hours IMO doesn't merit another wash, especially for a finer shirt where I don't want to subject it to too many unnecessary cleaning cycles. On the other hand, a single hard day can be enough to make me want to send that shirt to the cleaners before I wash it again.

mrmax · Dec 14, 2008

once.

Zegnamtl · Dec 14, 2008

Originally Posted by contaygious

I have a steamer I use to freshen up shirts. It costs me 7 bucks to clean one at Fletchers here in vancouver (non dry clean) and I don't have enough shirts yet to last me while they are being cloeaned sooo I don't have another option.

Washing and ironing your shirts really is not that hard and does not take that much time.
As an incentive since as you mention, you only have a small collection of shirts, it is about a new shirt every month if you do it at home.

acidboy · Dec 14, 2008

If its worn beyond an hour inside an airconditioned environment, once.

bmulford · Dec 14, 2008

Originally Posted by acidicboy

If its worn beyond an hour inside an airconditioned environment, once.

+1

I wash my shirts on delicate with cold/cold and iron them while they're damp.

TC (Houston) · Dec 14, 2008

Originally Posted by bmulford

+1

I wash my shirts on delicate with cold/cold and iron them while they're damp.

Wow, do you always launder your own dress shirts?

_AMD · Dec 14, 2008

Originally Posted by bmulford

+1

I wash my shirts on delicate with cold/cold and iron them while they're damp.

+1, although I usually iron when dry, with steam. That's only because I usually do laundry at night, and end up ironing the following day.

Aaron

audiophilia · Dec 14, 2008

Once.

Metlin · Dec 14, 2008

Once.

I learnt early on the need to have lots of shirts, because reusing and subjecting the same set of shirts to several wash or dry clean cycles reduces their life.

These days, I've a healthy collection of shirts that ensures that I can go through my entire dress shirt collection for a month before coming around a full circle.

This way, my more frequent dress shirts get washed/dry cleaned about 20 times a year, while the rest probably a dozen times or less.

Working Stiff · Dec 14, 2008

My father once told me this story, whicich I think sums up the issue.

John Kennedy was talking to one of his staff members - a young guy, still learning the ropes. No idea how the subject came up, but the staffer happens to suggest that, if you put on a shirt for an event and only wear it for a couple of hours, it is completely reasonable to wear that shirt again later on. Kennedy said nothing to this, but his upper lip curled up in a look of shock and disgust.

Whenever I am tempted to try to get second wearing out of a shirt, I imagine John Kennedy giving me that look, and the shame that the staffer must have felt, and it sets me straight.

Dewey · Dec 14, 2008

Wear one time and wash -- just like socks and underwear.

bmulford · Dec 14, 2008

Originally Posted by TC (Houston)

Wow, do you always launder your own dress shirts?

yep. dry cleaners always break my buttons. Plus I kinda enjoy it, like polishing shoes.

Biscotti · Dec 14, 2008

A whole lot brah, 10-15 times maybe more.

How many times do you wear a dress shirt before it goes to the cleaners??

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Definitely full canvas only

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