# How Much Would You Pay To Have Your Shirts Laundered?



## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

With the rising cost of quality dress shirts, as well as the increase in men opting for MTM and bespoke shirts, I've become curious about how much one is willing to spend on having their shirts carefully laundered and hand pressed.


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## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

I would spend up to $5 for a perfect launder/pressing. I understand Ravi is in the $6 range on average, but they evaluate each shirt individually. However, my better half will not allow me to 'mail order' my dry cleaning.


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

Shirts, even very expensive ones, are essentially disposable. I'll pay about $3 a piece, no more. The closer to $1.50, though, the happier I am to pay. 

That being said, laundry is something I prefer to do myself. I don't iron many of my shirts, but I like to fold them on an shirt board while the TV is on. Taking care of my shoes and clothes is a very rewarding experience.


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Hey, thanks for the responses. I got delayed in adding the poll options, so perhaps you could add your poll responses above.

Thanks. :icon_smile:


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

I've quit having mine commercially laundered. My standards aren't so high, and my time isn't so dear, that I can't wash and iron them myself.


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

Are you going to print out the results of this poll and take them to your drycleaner as a bargaining chip?


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Trip English said:


> Are you going to print out the results of this poll and take them to your drycleaner as a bargaining chip?


:biggrin:

Nah, mostly for my own intellectual curiosity; I have yet to find a local cleaner I am truly satisfied with, so I really don't want to antagonize them any further. heh heh


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## hookem12387 (Dec 29, 2009)

Does the shirt board help a lot witht he folding? I just hang all my shirts, because I can't fold properly (at all).


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Not much more than zero. I do it myself, and don't find it terribly burdensome; I also hardly ever ruin a shirt.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

I wouldn't pay a nickel. I have an on-again-off-again love affair with my cleaner. Just when I think he's got it nailed, as when he recently salvaged a BB 3/2 sack blazer I was sure was stained beyond repair, bam, he mis-presses a simple darted sport coat. Argghh.

Given I've had my share of things ruined by cleaners, I try to limit my exposure, and so I do my own shirts. I know, I know--they can't screw up shirts. I'm not about to find out. Plus, I like my shirts air dried.


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## rleigh (Nov 16, 2011)

They say you get what you pay for, but I'm hoping for a good service for $4 or less.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

I always send 'em out, $1.50 -$1.75 is standard around here. My current laundry is $1.75, and in 10 years they've never so much as smashed a button or lost a shirt. I'm surprised your choices in the poll are so high, I don't think I've ever seen any priced higher than $2.50. I admire you men for doing your own shirts, but I'm terrible at it.


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## dorji (Feb 18, 2010)

I honestly like to do them myself. Sometimes I give them a real thourough treatment, sometimes just quick wash. I would not want to own a shirt that I couldn't/wouldn't launder myself...

Not much is better than shirts or bedsheets dried on a clothesline in the breeze.


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## dorji (Feb 18, 2010)

To answer your question, if I did send them out I would not pay more than $4. I suppose if I lived in an apt. building or some other place with a community-shared washer then I would use a service to wash the shirts.


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## hockeyinsider (May 8, 2006)

sbdivemaster said:


> With the rising cost of quality dress shirts, as well as the increase in men opting for MTM and bespoke shirts, I've become curious about how much one is willing to spend on having their shirts carefully laundered and hand pressed.


I spend between $1.50 and $2.50; depending on the dry cleaner.


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## zarathustra (Aug 24, 2006)

I prefer my shirts boxed. I was paying over $3.00 a shirt at my prior place. Right now I believe it is approx. $2.50 - 2.75.


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

I pay $1.65, and my cleaner does a good job. They have a hand-processing service for the standard dry-cleaning price of $6.00, but I only use it for linen shirts.


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## catside (Oct 7, 2010)

99 cents. I do get what I pay for, clean pressed shirts. better pressed than i would do at home and probably cost less.


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## Sharpe (Apr 20, 2010)

I do my shirts myself, I actually really enjoy it. I will set an hour or so to go through the shirts I wore during the week or last two weeks, while waiting I take care of my shoes while watching a game or catching up on a few shows.

Definitely something I never thought would be as relaxing.


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## Bradford (Dec 10, 2004)

I pay $1.75 / shirt and 50-cents more if I want them boxed. I wear off the rack shirts from Brooks and Nordstrom, so the thought of paying any more does not cross my mind. I have yet to have a shirt destroyed by the dry cleaners.


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## Brio1 (May 13, 2010)

Not one bloody penny: I have a phobia of dry cleaners. I have yet to find one that could be trusted with my shirts.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

Just really quick figures: It takes about 5 minutes to properly launder a shirt. It takes 25-27 minutes to properly press a shirt. Let's round to 1/2 hour. 

A good presser earns $30,000. In an 8 hour day 16 shirts can be properly done by the presser. That's 80 shirts per week and $600 per week which equates to $7.50 cost per shirt. Standard markup would make that $15 retail.

I guess you $4 guys must really love wrinkles.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

no wrinkles, $1.50- $1.75 is standard where I live.


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

The cleaners I used to use charged $1.95 for shirts, and I dropped them years ago when they took it upon themselves to hand-press a shirt that was 15% linen without asking me first. $8.50. For one shirt.

The ones I use now charge $1.50. About once a month I find a shirt where the right cuff button has been broken, but I bring it in the next week and they re-do it. On one occasion they sewed a new button on immediately and I took the shirt back with me.

Madame Paulette is a place in New York that I would only patronize if I got something on a Charvet bespoke shirt that had been ordered for me by the Pope. Oddly, the _New York _magazine "best of" in 2001 says they charge $14 for a hand-laundered shirt, and in 2003 they say it's only $5.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

While I chose the $4 or less option in the survey, my wife launders and irons all of my shirts and has been doing so for quite some time. Does a rather remarkable job of it, methinks, and does not charge me a dime. She does it because she finds me to be "absolutely adorable!" LOL; Bwahaha, bwahaha! 

PS: The amounts charged at laundries in this area seem to run from $1.75 to $3 per shirt. I am not aware of any that charge more than that.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

I haven't sent a shirt out in a decade. I am an ironing fool.

I find it restful.


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## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> I guess you $4 guys must really love wrinkles.


Absolutely understood Alex. However, since I ALWAYS wear a jacket, as long as my cuffs and collar are wrinkle free and not creased (which has happened), I'm generally happy with the press job.

Again, I'm doing this with $100 bespoke and OTR shirts, not the fine pieces you craft. In that case, I'd be doing them at home, by hand, and probably getting funny looks from my better half as I caress the shirt and swoon over the stitching.


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## mrkleen (Sep 21, 2007)

hockeyinsider said:


> I spend between $1.50 and $2.50; depending on the dry cleaner.


same here.


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## leisureclass (Jan 31, 2011)

Well let's see... it costs a dollar to run the washer in the basement of my building, not sure how that breaks down per shirt. Hang drying and usually not pressing or steaming my shirts is free of course.


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## Coffee Mug (Mar 27, 2011)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> *It takes 25-27 minutes to properly press a shirt*....Standard markup would make that $15 retail.


This doesn't seem credible for any reasonable interpretation of "properly". $1.50, no wrinkles is standard here, too.


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## Ayrton (Mar 4, 2012)

If I could iron and have them come out correctly, I would do them at home. As it stands, my cleaner does a great job and is affordable.


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## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

Coffee Mug said:


> This doesn't seem credible for any reasonable interpretation of "properly". $1.50, no wrinkles is standard here, too.


Please please please look through some old threads; I'll leave out the pontification of Mr. Kabbaz being (one of) the world's best shirtmaker, as well as his biography/resumé.

To PROPERLY press a shirt to be entirely free of wrinkles and to do so in a manner that does not cause any lasting damage to the shirt, yes, it will take upwards of 20+ minutes per shirt.

At $1.50 (hey, I do this to, no judgement), you are trading the cost of the clean/pressing for the life expectancy of your shirt. Doing it by hand, 'properly' will make your shirts last for HUNDREDS of launderings. At $1.50, you're going to be lucky to get 50.


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## Coffee Mug (Mar 27, 2011)

TheGreatTwizz said:


> Please please please look through some old threads; I'll leave out the pontification of Mr. Kabbaz being (one of) the world's best shirtmaker, as well as his biography/resumé.
> 
> To PROPERLY press a shirt to be entirely free of wrinkles and to do so in a manner that does not cause any lasting damage to the shirt, yes, it will take upwards of 20+ minutes per shirt.


Yes, yes. I'm acquainted with all of the self-praise, and I'm sure it's justified.

On the other hand, ironing a shirt is like making a bed. It may need to be done, but it doesn't need to be done perfectly. The shirt is going to wrinkle as soon as you put it on anyway.

Now, I'm open to the idea that there's a whole world of luxury dry cleaning out there that I'm missing out on, and a forum like this is a good way to learn about it (it's my story when it comes to shell cordovan shoes). But I've never had any problem with shirts failing from being cleaned too often or pressed too quickly. Even granting this claim for the sake of argument, you can buy many new shirts many times over with the money saved by not paying a 1000% mark-up at the cleaners.

More generally, the insistence (usually without evidence) that the PROPER way to make a shirt, or clean a shirt, or buy a pair of socks, or whatever, is the super-expensive one (that hey, coincidentally I'm selling!) seems as foreign to the trad ethos as the idea that Bills Khakis are a waste of money because you can buy a $20 pair of pants at Kohl's.

One of the things I enjoy about this forum is the attempt to define the sweet spot of quality and price, and buy high-quality (but not often luxurious) stuff that is made sustainably, will last a long time, and age gracefully. I have no idea where $15/shirt laundry fits into that.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

Miket61 said:


> Madame Paulette is a place in New York that I would only patronize if I got something on a Charvet bespoke shirt that had been ordered for me by the Pope.


Amazing! The Pope orders your shirts? You must be blessed.



eagle2250 said:


> ... She does it because she finds me to be "absolutely adorable!"


 Gosh, Eagle, I'm so sorry. When did Mrs. Eagle become blind?


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

OK, I can't resist.

How does it take 27 minutes to press a shirt?

It takes me 5 minutes with a Rowenta, and I haven't ruined one yet.


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Gosh, Eagle, I'm so sorry. When did Mrs. Eagle become blind?


heh heh heh


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

32rollandrock said:


> OK, I can't resist.
> 
> How does it take 27 minutes to press a shirt?
> 
> It takes me 5 minutes with a Rowenta, and I haven't ruined one yet.


This is something I have wondered as well; following the instructions provided for the Kabbaz Method of Pressing for the Chronically OCD, I come in around 45 minutes.

Perhaps Mr. Kabbaz could be convinced to create a video of his methods; John Francomb, Creative Director for T.M. Lewin, has video instructions for ironing a shirt in 3 minutes. (Maybe he learned from Charles Bronson...) At the very least, I'd like to see how to press and stretch at the same time; I'm particularly befuddled by this:


> "Lay the top center front (buttonhole side) face down on the table. Holding the top with your hand and the hem with the iron, stretch very tightly and press heavily twice."


 I just don't see how to maintain a stretch while running the iron from the hem towards the hand that's holding the top...?

Keep up the responses - very informative - I'll check back later; tomorrow, I will explain more about why I started this poll... :icon_smile:


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## herfitup (Mar 4, 2012)

Local guy is $1.85 a shirt and they replace any buttons that they manage to chip and do a good job matching them.


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## PaulTracy (Mar 15, 2012)

I pay $1.50 per shirt and I treat the collars before I take them to be laundered. I have found that if ring-around-the-collar is not taken care of properly the shirt is ruined after 2-3 cleanings. I treat my collars with a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda past, let them sit overnight and scub them the clean.This method is AMAZING.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Just really quick figures: It takes about 5 minutes to properly launder a shirt. It takes 25-27 minutes to properly press a shirt. Let's round to 1/2 hour.
> 
> A good presser earns $30,000. In an 8 hour day 16 shirts can be properly done by the presser. That's 80 shirts per week and $600 per week which equates to $7.50 cost per shirt. Standard markup would make that $15 retail.
> 
> I guess you $4 guys must really love wrinkles.


IIRC, the majority of low cost cleaners use those weird steam blowing devices and then touch up a few spots with an iron. While in use, it basically turns your shirt into one of these things:


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## hockeyinsider (May 8, 2006)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> I guess you $4 guys must really love wrinkles.


I hate the ones you get on the collar because of the way they drycleaned or pressed it.


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## Himself (Mar 2, 2011)

I don't get the 27 minutes either. I probably take 3 minutes, tops. The collar, cuffs, and front are what matters. The rest wrinkles when you put it on. If it's important then I'm wearing a jacket anyway.

I have yet to find a cleaner that doesn't leave ugly creases on the collar, and wear the shirts out too fast. So I do my own.

If I had to look pressed every day, and found a good cleaner, I would probably pay a couple of bucks. It's probably more than that around here though.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

I couldn't vote because there was no $0 option. I wash, dry and iron my own shirts.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

Check the "price is no object" box.



Earl of Ormonde said:


> I couldn't vote because there was no $0 option. I wash, dry and iron my own shirts.


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## stubloom (Jun 6, 2010)

Interesting discussion. Here are my 2 cents worth...

Every shirt laundry has different client base. My clients tell me that there are 2 things they care about (particularly if they are bespoke, MTM or high-end OTR:

1. The look of the shirt after cleaning and pressing.

2. The life of the shirt.

These 2 issues are directly affected by the process used to "clean and press" the shirt, and, as a direct result, the delivered cost of the shirt.

There are basically 2 approaches to "cleaning and pressing" a shirt in a "professional shirt laundry": 

1. The quick, labor-poor and relatively cheap way (laundered with boiling water and industrial grade detergents for a longer time period, machine pressed at the rate of 40 to 50 per hour, crammed in a poly bag).

2. The slower, labor-intensive and relatively expensive way (soaked to remove oil and water based stains, laundered with cold water and premium detergent for a relatively short time period, hand pressed at the rate of 10 or 12 shirts per hour, individually bagged).

There is really no in-between (irrespective of what your shirt laundry claims as fact).

Irrespective of the specific laundry's approach to "cleaning and pressing" and a client's insistence that price is not the issue, price is and can become an issue. Which is why I suggest that you consider COST PER WEARING as a factor when choosing a shirt laundry. Here are 2 examples:

1. An ABC brand white cotton dress shirt purchased at a cost of $60. 

Investment is $60. Shirt laundry charges $2 each for a "bang and hang" shirt on a hanger. Shirt lasts 30 laundering before it reaches the end of it's life. Cost per wearing is $4.

2. A XYZ brand white cotton shirt is $600. Shirt laundry charges $8 each for a "spotless, perfectly pressed" shirt on a hanger. Shirt lasts 100 launderings before it reaches the end of it's life. Cost per wearing is $14.

Bottom line is that it depends on the individual and what's important to that individual. We have clients with $60 shirts who think $8+ for a shirt is a bargain. We have clients with $600 shirts who think $8+ for a shirt is pushing the envelope. As I said, it all depends on the individual.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> It takes 25-27 minutes to properly press a shirt. Let's round to 1/2 hour.





stubloom said:


> hand pressed at the rate of 10 or 12 shirts per hour, individually bagged


Sounds like there's at least some difference of opinion on the proper way to press a shirt.


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## filfoster (Aug 23, 2011)

I now pay just under $2 per shirt. I remember doing my own for years and NEVER want to do that again, no matter how fine a job I did, (and of course, as an OCD person, it was spectacular).
I hope to retire before the five-a-week requirement becomes prohibitively expensive or alternatively, find an unlicensed, unregulated black market ironing service, one perhaps, where 'green card' is never mentioned.

I still spit shine my own shoes because... well, I like spit.


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## Georgetown08 (Oct 5, 2011)

stubloom said:


> Which is why I suggest that you consider COST PER WEARING as a factor when choosing a shirt laundry. Here are 2 examples:
> 
> 1. An ABC brand white cotton dress shirt purchased at a cost of $60.
> 
> ...


This type of calculation is what I had in mind when I read the thread. All of my shirts are in the "ABC" shirt range, and nowhere near the "XYZ" shirt range. As long as that remains the case (as it will for the foreseeable future), I'll be happy to take them to the $1.75 laundry. If I am ever in a position to own the "XYZ" type shirts, I will be willing to stomach a higher cost per wear. Because presumably those shirts presumably offer something that cannot be matched with the cheaper ones, and the reason for purchasing them is not to maximize affordability.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Orgetorix said:


> Sounds like there's at least some difference of opinion on the proper way to press a shirt.


Sounds like what he's talking about is how many shirts can be finished per hour with different equipment and number of employees working on them. I very much doubt one employee is going to hand press a shirt as well as they do in just six minutes.


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## crs (Dec 30, 2004)

The shirt I'm wearing as I type this cost $3. To purchase, not to launder.


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## humblequant (Mar 23, 2010)

I pay 3.75. For that they pick up and deliver the shirts and supposedly use some kind of ecological process and use a machine to press the shirt. The same place offers a hand press for $7.00 which I indulged in once for information purposes. Admittedly things like the cuff pleats turn out significantly nicer with the expensive option. Maybe next time I have an interview or some other important event I'll get a few done that way. But the 3.75 version is good enough for day to day when 70% of the shirt is covered anyway. OCBD's go to the laundress who charges .90 per pound and does not iron.

I think $30,000 might be a bit optimistic of an assumption for the person who does the ironing. $15 per hour? Not when someone will do it for $10. Making that adjustment, the $7 price is at least the right order of magnitude for some of the high end estimates in this thread. The thing is, when I plug my own salary into that calculation, I'd have to be the most efficient shirt presser in the world and so it's kind of hard to justify doing them to myself - my time is simply more valuable.


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