Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
Today's video is all about dry cleaning!
I discuss when to utilize it, when not to go to the dry cleaner, and what to look for
in a quality dry cleaner so you protect your wardrobe investment.
So first of all, what is dry cleaning?
Basically, it is the process of cleaning without using water and detergent.
Despite of its name, dry cleaning is actually not dry, it just substitutes the detergent
and water with solvents.
Basically, garments are put in a solvent then spun, or steamed to get rid of it, and that's
the end of the dry cleaning process.
Dry cleaning has been around for almost 2 centuries.
In fact, it has been patented in 1921 as dry scouring by the African-American gentleman,
Thomas Jennnings.
Until about 1920, dry cleaning heavily relied on chlorine based and petroleum based solvents
which worked quite well but they were highly flammable.
So if you smoked a cigarette, you might actually light yourself on fire.
Because of that fire hazard, by the 1930s, most dry cleaners moved to different solvents.
The two most popular ones were tetrachloro-ethylene and perchloro-ethylene, and they are still
used today.
The biggest advantage was that both were compatible with most fabrics and they were not flammable.
If you actually take a look at the process of a dry-cleaning operation, it looks remarkably
similar to a regular washer and a dryer, just supersized.
Whenever you see a dry cleaner in your neighborhood, chances are they are one of two things.
A. they are a dry store or two, they are an actual dry cleaner.
A dry store is simply a place where you drop off your shirts or suits and they take them
and put them into a larger facility where everything is washed and dry cleaned.
On the other hand, a package plant dry cleaner is someone who actually cleans on the premises
which means you have a higher level of control because everything happens right there.
The dry clean stores are oftentimes just middle men so you actually don't know what's happening
to your garments.
Most of the time, a dry store is lss expensive, however, if you have a high-end shirt that
cost you hundreds of dollars, you don't want to save on the dry cleaning because it may
ruin your shirt because they iron it wrong, they tumble it in a way that the colors frays
easily and seams come undone.
Whenever possible, try to find a dry cleaning package plant that cleans in the premises
so you can see the whole process from start to finish if you want.
So, why do you need dry cleaning?
If you watched ,y video about wardrobe maintenance which you can check out here.
You'll see that I'm a big fan of clothes brushes and while they really work, sometimes, when
you have a stain like ketchup or grease, a simple brush won't do it and even water with
a little bit of dish soap, won't actually get rid of the stain and that's when you have
to go to the dry cleaner.
Sometimes you also have very delicate fabrics such as silk, velvet, or cashmere, and hot
water with detergent would destroy your garment and that's when you need dry cleaning as well.
Dry cleaning can actually be very controversial because of the chemicals used in the process
and tetrachloro-ethylene for example, is a water and soil contaminant whic is actually
quite bad and so there are regulations that are quite strict and people can't just pour
it in their backyard anymore, but that used to be the case and it's actually really bad
for the groundwater.
I think today, most dry cleaners have to abide by laws and it's safe to drop off your clothes
without having concerns about the environment.
So what clothes should you bring to a dry cleaner and what should you NOT dry clean?
First of all, if the label says dry clean only, that's a safe way to assume that it
should go to the dry cleaner.
Yes, you can try it at home to clean it yourself.
Maybe start on a seam that is not visible and rub some water and detergent on it to
see if it colors fast.
Chances are it's not and you're better off just handing it over.
Unfortunately, manufacturers are only required to provide one way to clean the garment.
Sometimes, they just put dry clean on it even though you could wash it by hand.
In those cases, try it, of course, at your own risk but chances are you can wash it in
the machine especially if you have a newer machine that has a gentle cycle such as a
cashmere cycle or a soft washing cycle.
Probably one item people bring to the dry cleaners are dress shirts and so that's what
they focus on.
Those are sometimes actually laundered with water and not just solvents and then the important
part is the pressing because the pressing is mostly done by machine, sometimes it's
a flat machine, sometimes it's a machine that looks like a person that blows out hot air.
In either case, Iwould always inquire about how exactly they iron your shirts and if they
offer a hand ironing service.
If they say hand-ironing, ask if that means someone operates the machine by hand orsomeone
actually uses an iron by hand.
You always want a service that irons by hand.
It may cost you a buck or two more but if your dress shirt costs 200 dollars, it's well
worth it.
You get a better crease, you get a nicer attention to details, and in the long run, your shirt
will last longer.
Because of the solvents, I always pay attention to my buttons, if something is loose, chances
are, they will come off more easily and ideally, you wash them at home and hire someone to
iron it for you which is actually more expensive than a dry cleaner and less convenient but
if you have really high end bespoke shirts, I suggest you wash them inhouse and don't
rely on a dry cleaner unless it;s someone that offers a museum quality dry cleaning
service and they do everything by hand.
In that case, it will cost you a lot more, it will probably run you more between five
to ten dollars per shirt but depending on where you live, it can be less or more.
Another item that's really great for dry cleaners are suits, jackets, and vests.
Mosst suits are made out of wool or wool blends and you never want to put them in your washing
machine, they have to be dry cleaned.
Likely, if you brush them, if you steam them, if you air them out properly, you will rarely
have to bring it to the dry cleaner.
Also, if you have more suits and they can rest in between, you have to go to the dry
cleaner less often.
Personally, I would say most of my garemtns probably only go to the dry cleaners once
every two or three years simply because I have a larger wardrobe and I take care of
my wardrobe so that way, they last much longer.
Another item people love to bring to the dry cleaner is a tie.
Unfortunately, most ties are made out of silk and silk is not color fast.
You cannot wash it with dish soap and water because chances are the color will come out
and it will ruin your tie.
At the same time, if you bring it to a dry cleaner, chances are they'll press it and
the tie looks really bad afterwards.
So, the proper way to clean a tie is to actually undo the seam in the back then clean it and
then sew it back together.
You guessed it, that's quite expensive and it's something that would only be done back
in the 1920s when you had house staff.
Today, I'm not aware of a single dry cleaner that offers that kind of service but generally,
when you have to bring your tie to the dry cleaner chances are, it won't come out nice,
it will look weird and it won't tie as well so usually, it's ready for the garbage bin
so be careful with your ties because dry cleaning them usually ruins them.
Most dry cleaners use a stiffening product on the garments before they dry clean it or
while they dry clean it simply because it helps to press them, however, I personally
don't like it on very soft shoulder garments so always ask if your dry cleaner uses them
and if they can skip them for your garments.
As you can see, it really pays to develop a relationship with your dry cleaner because
if they know you on a first name basis and you tip them well, chances are, they are much
more accommodating to your requests.
So how often should you dry clean?
In essence, as little as possible and just only when absolutely needed because dry cleaning
deteriorates the fibers and the longevity of your garment.
So what can you do to avoid repeated trips to the dry cleaner?
Go with washable undergarments that protect the outer layers such as a shirt or your suit.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of wearing undershirts and you can learn more about it in our undershirt
guide here because I consider the shirt to be the barrier to protect my suit and I'd
rather invest in different shirts but it's a personal choice and you can make that call.
Whenever you've been out and you've worn your suit all day, don't wear it the next day,
let it rest for 2 days, hang it on a hanger, either steam it in a bathroom or with a garment
steamer and then let it just hang outside.
I usually put it in the garage or in a place where it's covered where they don't get wet
but get a lot of fresh air and the breeze, it just helps the garment to get rid of dust
and to release the wrinkles and to smell fresh.
Avoid spraying cologne directly onto your garments because they leave residues and you'll
have to bring it to the dry cleaner more often.
Also, skip all kinds of fabric fresheners.
They may work temporarily but they leave that residue and sometimes it feels and touched
differently so I suggest to skip those.
Also try to spot clean at home and the sooner you do that after a stain occured, or the
sooner you bring it to the dry cleaner, the better it is.
If you let the stain sit over time, chances are, it's more difficult to get rid of the
stain and sometimes they will stay forever.
In a nutshell, spot cleaning, brushing, steaming, and airing out your garments should always
be the first line of defense against dry cleaning.
So what should you look for in a great dry cleaner?
First of all, you want someone who offers hand ironing services because if they don't
offer that, it's too low of a quality and I would stay clear from that.
Second, if you can find someone who offers museum quality dry cleaning, that means they
have the capabilities to really use items that would go to the museum.
Usually they do it on wedding dresses and while that runs through 80-100-150 dollars
and it's not somethning you want to do with your suit on a regular basis, just them knowing
how to do it usually means they also have a higher standard for their regular dry cleaning
operations.
See if they actually look at your buttons, if they cover them up, if they ask you what
kind of stain was actually used on that, so they can treat it the right way and get rid
of it.
Try to develop this relationship where they're actually interested in your garment and in
you and that they honor your requests such as hand ironing service.
Make sure they have clear structured pricing so they tell you exactly what it cost beforehand
and a written policy about what happens in case something gets damaged or lost.
Of course, you can always check for reviews.
In my experience, most people don't care about clothes as much as you do probably and therefore
those reviews are not really that helpful.
So in today's outfit, I'm wearing a jacket with a matching vest.
vest is double breasted, 6 buttons, 3 of which are buttoned.
They go well together with mustard colored pants.
The pants were made in Sri Lanka by a custom tailor that I made during a trip there.
The suit is vintage from Caraceni in Milan.
I'm pairing it with a striped winchester shirt.
Winchester means that the collar is contrasting white and the shirt body is in a different
pattern.
I'm pairing them with gold knot monkey fist cuff links from Fort Belvedere which go really
well with the warm tone of my jacket, the vest, and the pants.
For my ring I went with a citrine with a yellow gold and it's a one color that goes well with
my outfit as well as with my gold wedding band and my gold cuff links.
The tie is a blue, red, and buff tone madder silk with a large paisley and the blue is
picked up by the stitching of the pocket square which also picks up the white stripe in the
shirt, that way, it's all tied together.
The shoes I"m wearing are actually quite old.
I bought them in 2003, used, from a vintage store because that's all I could afford at
the time but I wanted quality shoes.
Socks are from Fort Belvedere with shadow stripes.
The two tone colors burgundy and mustard yellow really helps to tie the brown shoes together
with the mustard yellow pants and even though the yellow of the socks is not exactly the
same as the pants,the two tone of the burgundy helps to really get it straight.
That's why I love the two tone socks because they pair so well with everything and they
are much better than solid socks.
To learn more about socks, please check out our video and our guide on how to pair shoes
with socks and pants here.
Today, I'm not wearing a boutonniere but you could also wear it for example with an edelwiess
or a blue cornflower or a blue delphinium looks really nice because it's a large lapel
and it just helps to make it more interesting and less boring.
The pocket square is handrolled but not ina traditional way and it has very fine X stitch
which is very difficult to accomplish and we found someone in Italy who can do that.
It's very time consuming but it's a very debonair, elegant and unique look.
If you want the cufflinks, the tie, or th epocket square, or the socks, you can check
them out in our shop here.
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