Today, I actually had to drop something off at the cleaners. “Had to” because I consider it a necessary evil, i.e. it’s a waste of money. For example, my wool tunic with silk lining was $11+!
Unless it’s a wool blazer, down jacket/coat, or vintage silk, dry cleaning is not a service that I use on a regular basis. Wool shrinks and the lining gets all wrinkly, down feathers settle and flattens, and as I found out the hard way, vintage silk can also shrink!
Anyway, before this visit to the new cleaners, I used a cleaner at my local Superstore. Their prices are decent, especially if you have a coupon that comes on the back of your grocery receipt.
However, the last time I dropped off my gorgeous, red, cashmere blazer, it came back with a couple of stains…that I was able to subsequently remove with a stain remover at home. 🙁 And one of the buttons was even hanging by a thread. After this experience, I determined that this wasn’t a good dry cleaner.
When I was in high school, my dad used to run a dry cleaners. And when I worked there, I remember doing things like sew back loose buttons, go over items that have been cleaned with a fine-tooth comb to make sure stains were removed, and other small touches to justify this service.
So with items like those dry cleaning cloths, that you can do at home, is there still a demand for dry cleaners? Is there such thing as a Good Vs. Bad Dry Cleaners? Is this a service that you use on a regular basis?
You cannot even compare the home “dryel” kits and the service of a local mom and pop dry cleaners. Of course there are bad cleaners out there who treat it like a factory, but theres still small run one where the owners care and take care with each item. Even the ironing has to be perfection.
My cleaner always does the buttons for me…its the nicest surprise to come back to see a new button on my shirt where I have totally forgetten to put one!!! lol
Someones the customer service sucks where I go (low pay lol), but the clothes come back AMAZING and perfect.
I’ve never dry-cleaned anything, because I own nothing that needs to be dry cleaned. But I’ll be honest, I didn’t know dry cleaners still existed. We don’t have them here. Never have, doubtful we ever will.
If I had something that needed dry cleaning I’d find a “mom and pop” store that had a good reputation. Half the “do it yourself at home!” products are a waste of money, and I’d rather put my trust into someone who has experience than an off the shelf product.
Honestly, I usually launder Dry clean only things by myself using natural products. I started with washing the things I knit – then realized if I could hand wash my silk-wool scarf, I could hand wash my silk-wool top, too.
I haven’t dry cleaned in years, even thou I have lots of dry clean only clothing. I simply use cold water, choose either my “Handwash” or “Silk” setting on my front end loader, and use Woolite for detergent. I have never had an issue with shrinking.
I’ve had a similar negative experience with the drycleaners at the “superstore” near me. I take in clothes to get a specific stain out; and ask them to give it special attention. But they usually came back with the same stain and charged me anyway. I just don’t go back there anymore. I’ve tried my local drycleaners, but my experience there was less than stellar as well (a whole sleeve torn off; buttons missing; shirts “crispy” with starch…) I know there are good establishments out there (according to my friends), but they are very far away and not at all convenient to be lugging laundry to. I hope the rest of you have had a better experience.
I agree with Sally, finding a great local drycleaners is the best! We tried several before we found the one we have stuck with; they are amazing! Aside from friendly staff and great service, even though their prices are fairly reasonable, they have great specials and % off from time to time, usually with the change of seasons.
Now we pretty much just use it for mens’ suits, and our coats and jackets – but when I was teaching, I had many more clothes which needed drycleaning, so it’s good that expense is gone.
I find Dryel is great for things like sweaters or shirts that can’t be washed. But I can’t imagine trying to clean a men’s suit or winter coat by myself! Find a good drycleaner for those.
Jen – where do you live? We have tons of dry cleaners where I live and they are all packed.
We regularly use our local dry cleaner in Manotick and he is amazing!! He can get out any stain, everything is like brand new when we get it back from him. My husband has some pretty expensive suits so we consider it an investment as it keeps the clothes in amazing shape way longer. Some of his ten year old suits are in as good a shape now as when we first bought them. I also use the dry cleaner for other investment pieces we own (ie. cashmere, wool coats, dresses).
how is dry cleaning any better than using the washing machine at home?
I’ve been using Dryel sheets for years and have had amazing results for silk or cashmere tops etc. When I do need to use a dry-cleaner, especially for coats and jackets, I go local, mainly because I live in Toronto, so have plenty to choose from. I have had problems with leather cleaning though, while my husband went to a high-end for his leather jacket, as it needed a repair and came back really lovely, I went cheaper – big mistake – my old fav leather jacket came back stiff! I guess you can say, sometimes paying a bit extra is worth it!
The down coats I own say to wash and dry at home – no dry cleaning! on the label. A long, low heat in the dryer as well as throwing in a tennis bal or two ensures the feathers dry and fluff up.
@Uncle Tom – Try throwing your suit or blazer in the washing machine and tell me if there’s a difference!
Do not go to the superstore. They send everything to a depot, so if something goes wrong they can’t do much to fix it. Even with the coupon discount, their profit margins are quite high. Their prices are definitely not reasonable for the quality of cleaning services they provide. I suggest you look for a local cleaners, and even better an environmentally friendly one (CO2 or hydrocarbon) which doesn’t leave that gross perc smell.
Where do you live that there are no dry cleaners?!
We use an eco green drycleaner,fairly close to my husbands office. They pick up and drop off for us,so very convenient. They do a great job on suits,silks,cashmeres,coats,beaded dresses,etc. We also use the shirt service for hubby’s workshirts,$2 each and they are clean and pressed perfectly.
However,there are some things I like to wash by hand and find I do just as good a job as the cleaner such as my blouses,work dresses,skirts(even the wool ones)and washable silks and suedes. Can’t see myself doing away with the drycleaner any time soon!
for my clothes ( and my mom’s too) that needs to be dry cleaned i just use a simple home method that really works for us. I simply lay down my clothes on the bath tub then i use a gentle soap ( choose one that is not too strong to prevent unnecessary damage to the cloth) then lather only using my palms in a circular motion. Then I repeatedly do it until i am satisfied and know that it is clean. I love the results and way cheaper 😛
I don’t support dry cleaning. I have some items branded “dry clean only” that have held up just fine in the wash. I refuse to bring toxic chemicals into my house for the sake of fashion.
Good on you H!
I totally agree!
How many toxic chemicals should we be enabling to flush into our ground water, oceans and lakes?
It is time to really reconsider our use of all these dangerous chemicals in our lives … and ask ourselves how is this even legal? Why isn’t government watching out for the best interests of our children?
I also throw most of my “dry clean only” items in the wash with cold water on delicate cycle. I only take a few selected pieces (evening gowns, delicate skirts) to the dry cleaners. I find that you can really tell if they care about your clothes or not because at certain places, they return my items using safety pins to hold them to the hanger! To me, this is totally unacceptable because I end up with stretched holes in the fabric and these are usually the higher end items I own. 🙁
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I try to buy items that don’t require dry cleaning, however, my dh drycleans all his dress shirts and suits which he wears daily. Some are a few years old and still look brand new. It saves a lot of time ironing and a lot of money since they last so much longer. He drops them off in bulk so gets a discount. Our cleaner does an excellent job pressing them and replacing buttons. He tried a cheaper place once and ended up with wrinkles and missing or mismatched buttons.
I am a freelance for nearly half a year, I want to try oDest.I used to be a soft developer, don’t know if I could handle this type of service.Hope you can share something more