How to Find a Good Drycleaner?
- By Hendrik Pohl
- Published 12/28/2008
- Home Management
- Unrated
If you have washed and ironed a dress shirt before, you will probably agree that doing it is not worth your time. The average drycleaner charges not much more than a dollar to wash and press a shirt. So why wouldn’t you use a drycleaner? If you have had some bad luck with drycleaners in the past, or are looking for your first dry-cleaner, below are some helpful tips to keep in mind when selection cleaner.
Convenient Location
Keep in mind that you are using a drycleaner for convenience. With this in mind, a convenient location and available parking spaces are a must have. If you are driving to work, check if there are any drycleaners on the way. This way you can drop off and pick up shirts and suits on the way to work, during lunch, or on your way home. If there are none on the way to or from work see if there is a drycleaner near a location you frequently visit. Such as grocery stores, your local gym, or your bank.
Good Prices
If a shirt and suit is part of your daily work attire, then your dry-cleaning bills can add up. Depending on where you live, drycleaners typically charge between $1 and $2 per dress shirt. If you have a list of a few conveniently located dry-cleaners, than call and check on their pricing on dress s shirts, suits, and trousers.
Fast Service
Ask how long it will take to clean a shirt. Sooner or later you will have a situation where you will need a suit cleaned by the next day. Also, check when they
open in the mornings, and if they are open on weekends. Some drycleaners also offer a pickup and delivery service.
Chemicals They Use
Ask how they clean and press a clothing item. What you want to avoid is a place using fabric harming chemical cleaners. Also check on how regularly they use bleach on your white dress shirts. Even though bleach is needed in some cases to get stains out, it should be used only when necessary to prevent damage on fabric and threads. Besides the use of chemicals, check if anything of the shirts is ironed by hand. A good drycleaner will iron your collar and cuffs using a hand held iron.
Other Services
Check if they offer any other services such as alterations. Before you get a suit altered however, make sure that they have the experience necessary to do a good job. A quick search on the internet for customer reviews is a good and easy option to check references.
In case you wonder how long a dress shirt will last you, then as a good rule of thumb a dress shirt can be washed about 50 times before you should sort it out. A good indicator is the wear on the collar, the tips of the collar, and the cuffs. But do not throw the shirt away. Striped, checkered, and non-white dress shirts can still be worn for casual attire.
If you are a frequent traveler and suit and dress shirts are part of your attire when on travel, then ask your dry-cleaner if they can also fold a few of the dress shirts each time. That way you will always have some nicely folded dress shirts in your closet that will back easily without getting wrinkles.
Convenient Location
Keep in mind that you are using a drycleaner for convenience. With this in mind, a convenient location and available parking spaces are a must have. If you are driving to work, check if there are any drycleaners on the way. This way you can drop off and pick up shirts and suits on the way to work, during lunch, or on your way home. If there are none on the way to or from work see if there is a drycleaner near a location you frequently visit. Such as grocery stores, your local gym, or your bank.
Good Prices
If a shirt and suit is part of your daily work attire, then your dry-cleaning bills can add up. Depending on where you live, drycleaners typically charge between $1 and $2 per dress shirt. If you have a list of a few conveniently located dry-cleaners, than call and check on their pricing on dress s shirts, suits, and trousers.
Fast Service
Ask how long it will take to clean a shirt. Sooner or later you will have a situation where you will need a suit cleaned by the next day. Also, check when they
Chemicals They Use
Ask how they clean and press a clothing item. What you want to avoid is a place using fabric harming chemical cleaners. Also check on how regularly they use bleach on your white dress shirts. Even though bleach is needed in some cases to get stains out, it should be used only when necessary to prevent damage on fabric and threads. Besides the use of chemicals, check if anything of the shirts is ironed by hand. A good drycleaner will iron your collar and cuffs using a hand held iron.
Other Services
Check if they offer any other services such as alterations. Before you get a suit altered however, make sure that they have the experience necessary to do a good job. A quick search on the internet for customer reviews is a good and easy option to check references.
In case you wonder how long a dress shirt will last you, then as a good rule of thumb a dress shirt can be washed about 50 times before you should sort it out. A good indicator is the wear on the collar, the tips of the collar, and the cuffs. But do not throw the shirt away. Striped, checkered, and non-white dress shirts can still be worn for casual attire.
If you are a frequent traveler and suit and dress shirts are part of your attire when on travel, then ask your dry-cleaner if they can also fold a few of the dress shirts each time. That way you will always have some nicely folded dress shirts in your closet that will back easily without getting wrinkles.
Hendrik Pohl
For more helpful tips on mens fashion, how to combine clothing, and how to care for suits, dress shirts and ties visit: Cheap Neckties. Pohl is a regular author on men's fashion. He himself is a necktie aficionado, and his passion for ties motivated him to open Cheap-Neckties.com. His store offers a wide range of neckties, bow ties, cufflinks, as well as info on how to tie a neck tie.
View all articles by Hendrik Pohl