You
pride yourself on your appearance. So you've invested time and
money in a range of fine shirts. You may even have a personal
clothier who tailors your shirts to your specific measurements. Of
course, you want those shirts to look, feel and smell great. And
last much longer.
Like most, you'll probably turn to a "professional cleaner" for
help.
So what are your shirt laundry rights? And what should you
expect from a cleaner?
- The right to shirts that are exceptionally clean and free of
both oil-based stains (such as body oil, creams, lotions,
salad dressing, steak sauce, etc.) and water-based stains (such as
perspiration, soda, juice, wind, etc.).
- The right to spectacularly bright whites, creams and
pastels.
- The right to colors that are bright, without that "washed out",
faded look.
- The right to collars and cuffs, including french cuffs, that
are pristine clean.
- The right to fabrics that don't have a crusty, cardboard
feel.
- The right to shirts that are meticulously ironed. By hand. Not
by machine.
- The right to sleeves without a sharp crease along the entire
sleeve length.
- The right to seams that aren't puckered or wrinkled.
- The right to front and sleeve plackets that aren't puckered or
wrinkled.
- The right to collars and cuffs that are fully rounded. Not flat
or creased.
- The right to collars that are perfectly turned down at the
back.
- The right to shirts that are carefully inspected.
- The right to shirts with a complete set of matching
buttons.
- The right to shirts on hangers that are individually bagged. Or
folded by hand, not by machine.
And how can your shirt laundry achieve the results?
- By first soaking your shirts in a gentle drycleaning fluid (to
dissolve oil-based stains) and then in a water-based solution (to
eliminate water-based stains) instead of scrubbing
your collars and cuffs with hard-bristled brushes and
"collar/cuff solution" in an attempt to get them reasonably
clean.
- By gently wetcleaning your shirts in cool or warm water
instead of washing your shirts in hot water
in an attempt to dissolve the oil-based stains.
- By using a gentle enzyme detergent instead of
a harsh, caustic, industrial grade detergent in an attempt to
eliminate the water-based stains.
- By using no bleach instead of adding
fabric-destroying bleach in an attempt to get your whites
really white.
- By using a premium, natural wheat starch instead
of starching your shirts with cheap synthetic glue
(that adheres to your shirt's fibers like multiple coats of paint)
in an attempt to save a few pennies per shirt.
- By hand ironing your shirts instead of machine
pressing them at a rate of 40 to 50 per hour, which leaves
your shirts with puckered seams, wrinkled collars, cuffs,
underarms, sleeve pleats, sleeve plackets and front plackets,
and wrinkled cuff/sleeve and sleeve/body joins.
- By taking the time to do the job right (3 to 5 days in most
cases) instead of routinely offering same
and next day service or 3 day pickup and delivery service.
By now you've probably come to the realization that your cleaner
doesn't come close to delivering on these rights. That your cleaner
has never told you - in detail and in writing- what results you
should expect from their cleaning (other than in meaningless
generalities). That your cleaner has never told you - in detail and
in writing - what they do to achieve those results (other than in
meaningless generalities). And that your cleaner has consciously
and intentionally withheld that information from you in order to
ensure that you don't ask too many awkward questions.
How can I help you?