I am buying new shirts for work. I have a few from banana republic that are pretty nice. Do you dry clean all of them. I'm not too up on the laundry lingo. I took some of my shirts in for dry cleaning today and she charged me 4.50 for a dryclean and regular wash was 2.50. I want my shirts to stay in really good condition. Any tips?
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How do you take care of your button up shirts?
- Thread starter bigMAC28
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Don't dry clean them, just have them laundered and pressed. Don't let shirts that need to be washed sit for ages before you take them to the cleaners. I've found that a little light starch helps keep them looking fresh too
If you're washing them yourself, dont wash them in hot water and dry them at a low temperature
If you're washing them yourself, dont wash them in hot water and dry them at a low temperature
Wash with liquid Tide with color-safe bleach (all one bottle), dry on low heat and remove ASAP. No iron, no wrinkles (though the shirts are "wrinkle-free" shirts), I get 4 years from my shirts. Downy fabric softener (liquid) in a Downy ball in the washer, though static with most of my clothes is still an issue.
My dress shirts sit in my hamper until I get motivated to do my laundry, I sort said laundry by function - work out clothes are the stinkiest so I keep those off to the side.
Stuff everything else in the washing machine, and then the dryer. Of course they stay in the dryer for about a week or until my wife gets pissed at me and throws them on the bed
Stuff everything else in the washing machine, and then the dryer. Of course they stay in the dryer for about a week or until my wife gets pissed at me and throws them on the bed
Starch is made of, well, starch. It's purpose is to make your collars less comfortable: avoid it!
you're less likely to do as good a job.
You'll probably use water that's too hot and you'll probably fry them in an overly hot dryer causing shrinkage.........and you probably can't iron a shirt worth a damn
Take it to the cleaners and have them clean it, but not the dry cleaning type. Shop around, some places are under $2.00/ shirt. It beats having to wash them on your own and ironing 15 minutes per shirt. Yes, people can tell if you take your shirts out to clean vs ironing them yourself.
Unless you have a fancy front loader machine, your shirts will wear out quicker if you wash them yourself.
Unless you have a fancy front loader machine, your shirts will wear out quicker if you wash them yourself.
Cotton shirts don't need dry-cleaning. Just regular laundering. And, in fact, the harsh chemicals in drycleaning solution are probably worse for the fabric.
To get the longest lifetime, its probably better to home-launder them. Commercial washers, dryers, and irons can be a bit tough on fabrics.
For home laundering follow this process:
1) Don't let stains "set" in fabric. Treat any accidental spills ASAP. Pre-soak troublesome spots.
2) Wash in the coldest possible water. White shirts can get by with a "warm" setting. Colors, especially bright ones, need cold water. You can use a non-chlorine bleach (Borax, etc.) to brighten fabrics.
3) Iron and starch your shirts. Starch sprayed on the fabric actually creates a temporary stain-guard, so it is especially good at protecting collars from unsightly stains.
4) Repair lost or loose buttons promptly. I taught myself basic needle-and-thread while in college, and my ability to replace lost or loose buttons and do small mends has amazed several girlfriends.
Most importantly, treat your shirts properly. Don't fall asleep in a good shirt. Don't mow the lawn, clean the kitchen, or change the oil in them. Hang them on decent wooden hangers, and leave an inch or two "breathing" space between them in your closet. "Special Occasion" garments, such as tuxedo shirts, can be folded (like they come from the store) and wrapped in tissue paper. (This prevents them from getting a coating of dust sitting in the closet for six months.)
To get the longest lifetime, its probably better to home-launder them. Commercial washers, dryers, and irons can be a bit tough on fabrics.
For home laundering follow this process:
1) Don't let stains "set" in fabric. Treat any accidental spills ASAP. Pre-soak troublesome spots.
2) Wash in the coldest possible water. White shirts can get by with a "warm" setting. Colors, especially bright ones, need cold water. You can use a non-chlorine bleach (Borax, etc.) to brighten fabrics.
3) Iron and starch your shirts. Starch sprayed on the fabric actually creates a temporary stain-guard, so it is especially good at protecting collars from unsightly stains.
4) Repair lost or loose buttons promptly. I taught myself basic needle-and-thread while in college, and my ability to replace lost or loose buttons and do small mends has amazed several girlfriends.
Most importantly, treat your shirts properly. Don't fall asleep in a good shirt. Don't mow the lawn, clean the kitchen, or change the oil in them. Hang them on decent wooden hangers, and leave an inch or two "breathing" space between them in your closet. "Special Occasion" garments, such as tuxedo shirts, can be folded (like they come from the store) and wrapped in tissue paper. (This prevents them from getting a coating of dust sitting in the closet for six months.)
From your earlier post, the difference is you'll be saving $2.50 per shirt doing them yourself. No need to have them done professionally, unless you're very lazy and/or have a bunch of disposable income you can't figure out how to spend.
It stiffens the fabric a bit. Makes the shirt look and feel very crisp.
Almost everything I own is Brooks & Brothers.
The shirts are press free. I wash, perma press dry, and hang them and they're perfect and ready to wear. The slacks are excellent quality and last forever. You can watch for sale and get good values too.
Shirts run about $130 and pants $150 up. But they look brand new and last for years. I'd replace cheaper shirts and slacks over and over during the life of B&B set and have to iron them to boot. I've avoided ironing since the service.
Slacks get dry cleaned.
The shirts are press free. I wash, perma press dry, and hang them and they're perfect and ready to wear. The slacks are excellent quality and last forever. You can watch for sale and get good values too.
Shirts run about $130 and pants $150 up. But they look brand new and last for years. I'd replace cheaper shirts and slacks over and over during the life of B&B set and have to iron them to boot. I've avoided ironing since the service.
Slacks get dry cleaned.
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Washing machine, some detergent, mash two buttons. When it finishes making noise transfer to dryer. Dryer sheet, mash two buttons. When it finishes making noise its done. Hang em up. There are way bigger things in life that need doing than to get wrapped around this kind of stuff.
One of the truly great moments was when I retired 5 years ago, I threw all my dress shirts, but one away. THe one is for when I'm buried.
A great dress shirt can really "make the man" in a way that no other garment can. Don't know what I mean? Then imagine how great a freshly pressed, well fitted white dress shirt can look paired with a humble pair of jeans.. and compare that to how you'd look wearing even the nicest dress pants (trousers, for you UK guys) and a tacky short sleeved shirt (think K-Mart manager...)
I turned away from "permanent press" dress shirts several years ago. They always seemed sorta "scratchy" and had a weird smell, which I later discovered was due to them being soaked in formaldehyde (the same stuff they use to preserve corpses) as part of the manufacturing process. Things have improved somewhat since then, but they still use formaldehyde in the process, and I've never found them to be as pleasant, or nice-looking, as freshly pressed cotton.
Fit is incredibly important in getting just the right look. Most shirts are sold by the collar size (15 1/2, 16", etc.) - and also the arm length. Getting these right is pretty important, but so is getting the over ally fit correct. If you have an athletic, tapered upper body, you'll look much better in a shirt tailored to that figure. Regular shirts can end up with a baggy "balloon" shape around your middle that looks ridiculous.
I turned away from "permanent press" dress shirts several years ago. They always seemed sorta "scratchy" and had a weird smell, which I later discovered was due to them being soaked in formaldehyde (the same stuff they use to preserve corpses) as part of the manufacturing process. Things have improved somewhat since then, but they still use formaldehyde in the process, and I've never found them to be as pleasant, or nice-looking, as freshly pressed cotton.
Fit is incredibly important in getting just the right look. Most shirts are sold by the collar size (15 1/2, 16", etc.) - and also the arm length. Getting these right is pretty important, but so is getting the over ally fit correct. If you have an athletic, tapered upper body, you'll look much better in a shirt tailored to that figure. Regular shirts can end up with a baggy "balloon" shape around your middle that looks ridiculous.
Get plenty of shirts. I have more than 10, since I get a discount for having 5 washed/ironed at the same time.
Life is too short, and my free time is too valuable to wash/iron shirts myself.
Life is too short, and my free time is too valuable to wash/iron shirts myself.
