Best way to get dry cleaning & laundry done?

I got a call just now from the dry cleaning service to pick up my stuff, but I'm already at the desk. Given that I've fucked this up once already I'd like to hear what you guys do for dry cleaning / laundry. Please advise.

 

Are you in New York? When I was there I used FlyCleaners. worked well for me as I could schedule pick up & delivery time. Come to think of it when I used the service around the corner I got it delivered at the time I wanted too (typically 7:30pm Friday right after I got back from work and before the predrinks started)

Nothing is true; everything is permitted.
 

You two might change my life if this works out. Do the shirts look acceptable? I typically hate how collars and the button stripe thing on shirts look if they're not dry cleaned, even if they're ironed down.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

http://www.ctshirts.com/us/

This is my saving grace. Their non-iron shirts are fantastic. I literally have 10 of them and just rotate them over a span of two weeks, throw them all into the washing machine with basic detergent on warm/cold, then hang/air dry them. They look fantastic and the collars hold up perfectly (I take the collar stays out when I wash and re-insert them while air drying so they dry into that shape).

 
networkyournetworth:
http://www.ctshirts.com/us/

This is my saving grace. Their non-iron shirts are fantastic. I literally have 10 of them and just rotate them over a span of two weeks, throw them all into the washing machine with basic detergent on warm/cold, then hang/air dry them. They look fantastic and the collars hold up perfectly (I take the collar stays out when I wash and re-insert them while air drying so they dry into that shape).

Gonna give it a try as well, if they are fine, hearthfelt thank you. I just came back with a heavy laundry bill. Fuck everything.

Never discuss with idiots, first they drag you at their level, then they beat you with experience.
 

agree with Sil. the dry cleaning process will destroy your shirts and suits over time, so resist the urge.

for suits, unless you ooze the type of shit that's in the water in Rio, you can get by dry cleaning your suits 6x a year (assuming you wear them about once a week). after each wear, brush your suits and make sure they hang for a bit in a place with nice airflow.

for shirts, definitely have enough to last 2 weeks. I own both custom and charles tyrwhitt. for CT, wash them after 2-4 wears (depending on how sweaty you get), and press them before each wear. and yes, even press them if they're non iron. you don't need to wash your shirts all the time unless you sweat through them every day or you don't wear undershirts. never send a non iron shirt like CT to the cleaners, waste of time. wash and dry them yourself and then iron.

another good tip is buy cedar planks to hang up in your closet. they're discreet, get moisture out of the air, and make everything smell good.

 

I wash my dry clean my suits even less, maybe 1-2x a year, thought I have about 10 now I rotate through. I do have a steamer I use on them to keep them fresh. Shirts I usually wash and iron myself, unless I let a stack build up and get lazy, at that point ill run them to the cleaners.

The cedar planks are great, I keep them in my drawers and closets (shoe trees as well), smells great

 

Invest in a steamer.. $150-$200 dollar investment. It takes about 5 min max to steam a shirt and it will extend the lifetime of your shirts and suits, which should only be dry cleaned on occasion. Just my thought on the matter

 

They're based in London and I saw one of their stores in Germany (I think Frankfurt) so I assume they do ship to continental Europe. I also looked online and they have a German version of their website, so you might consult that for shipping to Europe.

 

Ain't no motherfucking $2 cleaner going anywhere near my Turnbull & Asser shirts or Henry Poole suits ... you brush them regularly, like a fine steed, and once a long while you take them to be cleaned by a professional whom you trust more than you do your wife. And on't be shy to slip the man some extra cash; it's worth it.

"I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. " -GG
 
BillBelichick37:
1,000 dollar suit 2 dollar dry-cleaning

3 hundred dollar shoes 4 thousand dollar watch 5 hundred dollar tie

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

most are the same. if you have time, do a trial run. bring some of your not so great shirts, and see how they turn out. Avoid the really cheap places (less than $1/shirt)- Aim for $1-2/shirt. Also, do you really want a place that charges per pound??

Most laundramats are basically the same - convience is key (like tekno said). Pick one close, and hopefully they're someone competent. Always be nice to them. Say thanks, ask them how their day is even when you're too tired to cae.

 
Say thanks, ask them how their day is even when you're too tired to care.

This is good advice to follow when interacting with anybody in the service industry.

You never know when you might need a favor down the line from a security guard or janitor...or secretary.

Seriously, though.

 

Go with any place that's been operating for a long while and not too expensive. Sometimes you might go 5 blocks in one direction and come across 2x the price, but at the end of the day, they send the clothes to the same plant to dry clean and wash their shit.

All of them should have free delivery so if you have a doorman you can take advantage of that.

If you don't have a doorman and you're working as an analyst, definitely just get somewhere close to your house because you will find it difficult to pick up /drop off your clothes while you are working obscene hours.

 

Do they stink or are they visibly dirty? Then you don't really need to dry clean them, though though you should occasionally.

Also, be careful when steaming the jackets, especially the fused kind, and around the seams.

**How is my grammar? Drop me a note with any errors you see!**
 

Not a perfect system, but this is what I do:

1) I only wear shirts which are natural fibers and have sleeves under a jacket. The natural fibers breathe more than poly/poly blends and shirts with sleeves allow you to get a bit more life out of them than wearing a shell. I have zero clue why this is, but I feel like I always sweat more than my male counterparts - confusing since I am always freezing while they are always hot. 2) TMI, but same rule for underwear. 3) Not everyone can get away with this but I wear coordinated pants and dresses with jackets as opposed to wool/wool-blend suits. This allows me to pick fabrics which are more substantial and require less ironing if I hang them up at the end of the day. BR sloan pants are my go-to and any wrinkles fall right out if you hang them with the fold on the crease. For blazers I usually wear some sort of blend which works with pants in that heavy of a material (linen blend in the summer, flannel or tweed in the winter). I do own "regular" suits but usually only find that I need them once every 1-2 months since my "uniform" is perfectly acceptable for most meetings.

With the combination of all of these, I can get away with a combination of dryel+dryer for everything except my shirts. Most of my shirts are machine/hand washable. My silk shirts are the only things requiring regular dry cleaning (although if you buy cheap ones plenty of people say you can hand wash those in the sink - I'm just too chicken to try).

 

My apartment (a new apartment, not a fancy one) cooperates with a local dry clean store and they offer residents discounts & dry-clean drop-off/pickup at the front desk, which makes it extremely convenient. The price is also reasonable for shirts, although a little bit expensive for pants.

Persistency is Key
 

I buy a massive amount of work shirts and wash them when I start running low, less wear and tear on each.

I wash my own shirts (non iron)...I would rather just buy new shirts when you add in the incremental cost of using dry cleaning services at $3 a shirt or whatever it costs

 

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