Not all dry cleaners are created equal and chances are, if you are wearing designer clothes or any garment that you put your hard earned money into purchasing, you want to make sure it comes back from the dry cleaner without issue.
Here are some garment care and dry cleaner tips from Jerry Pozniak, owner of well-respected (and well known) Jeeves, Cameo Cleaners and Arthur Copeland Cleaners (I personally had an a-ha moment with # 2!)
* Check the care label before you purchase the perfect piece. We are seeing more care labels that indicate: do not dry clean, do not wash, do not iron and do not press. I have received from clients this week, both from Italian luxury brands, a dress and a coat that cannot be cleaned under any normal circumstances. I was able to hand clean both garments, but a "regular" dry cleaner will either ruin the garment or give it back not cleaned.
* If you have a piece in your wardrobe that is supposed to be "wrinkled and rumpled" let your dry cleaner know. Many of these looks are very popular for the Spring 2009 season. It's a bit difficult for your dry cleaner to sort out what "wrinkles" are supposed to be there and what "wrinkles" should come out. I have resorted to digital images of these types of garments to be sure.
* Fragile and irreplaceable buttons should be removed prior to cleaning by your dry cleaner. Make sure your dry cleaner offers a service to "remove & replace" your buttons for cleaning. Many luxury brands advise that the buttons be removed for cleaning. Mother-of-pearl, shell and glass buttons are the most fragile.
* A great dry cleaner should advise you on the best way to take care of your wardrobe and suggest the best cleaning method for each garment. Some garments are best cleaned in water with others "traditional dry cleaning" is best. At my shop we have "traditional dry cleaning," wet cleaning, eco-friendly dry cleaning and hand cleaning. (With all of these methods at my disposal there isn't anything I can't clean!)
* After having your garments dry cleaned they should look better than new. If your clothes don't look as good as when you brought them in, find a new dry cleaner. Poor pressing and improper cleaning can make a $1000 garment look like a $10 garment after only one trip to the dry cleaner. As in most things in life, you get what you pay for and in dry cleaning the cheapest is not the best.
Jerry has a blog that offers even more advice for garment care, check it out: www.drycleaningtips.com.
Photo Credit: Jeeves
Tags: Fashion Public Relations
