Dry Cleaning
With our premier dry cleaning service, your treasured pieces will get the top drawer treatment!
Price List
Prices my vary depending on quality of garment, fabrication, embellishments & brand
Blazer
$7.50 +
Blanket
$15 +
Blouse
$6.50 +
Blouse
$Bodysuit +
Coat, 3/4
$25 +
Coat, 3/4, Down
$75 +
Coat, Full
$45 +
Coat, Full, Down
$150 +
Curtains
$25 +
Drapes
$50 +
Dress, Short
$15 +
Dress, Mid-length
$15 +
Gown
$30 +
Duvet / Comforter
$40 +
Duvet Cover
$25 +
Gloves
$5 +
Hoodie
$7 +
Jacket
$15 +
Jumpsuit
$20 +
Mats & Rugs
Price varies
Pajamas
$7.50 +
Pants
$6.50 +
Pillowcase
$5 +
Robe
$10.50 +
Raincoat
$25 +
Scarf
$6 +
Sheet
$12 +
Shirt
$6.50 +
Shirt, Wash & Press
$3 +
Short
$5 +
Skirt, Short / Mid-length
$6 +
Skirt, Long
$7.50 +
Suit, 2-Piece
$13 +
Suit, 3-Piece
$15 +
Sweater / Sweatshirt
$6.50 +
Tablecloth
$16 +
Tie
$5.50 +
Tanktop
$5 +
T-Shirt
$7 +
Tuxedo
$17 +
Tuxedo Shirt, Wash & Press
$4 +
Uniform
$11 +
Vest
$6.50 +
Wedding Gown
$200 +
about drycleaning
WHAT IS IT?
Dry cleaning is a stain removal process in which a garment is soaked in an organic solvent rather than water. For this reason, the name is a bit of a misnomer because it isn’t technically a “dry” process so much as a process of cleaning without using water.
WHY DRY CLEAN?
Not all garments can be washed in a conventional machine. Here are the main reasons:
WATER
When washed in water, the fibers of most fabrics, and especially the more delicate ones, can stretch very easily. This causes the garment to lose its shape.
HEAT
In order to remove stubborn stains in the wash, the heat setting must be high. This tends to shrink the fabric of a garment a great deal. Running it through the dryer would shrink it even more, rendering the piece all but ruined. With dry cleaning, on the other hand, a solvent does the job without the potentially-damaging heat.
HOW IT WORKS
GARMENT ANALYSIS
A technician will inspect the garment for any damage to the fabric or noticeable stains in order to to categorize what level of care it needs. This analysis determines how long the cleaning cycle should be. If necessary, the technician will pre-treat a specific stain on the garment before running it through the cleaning cycle. Since no single garment is alike, this spot treatment step is labor intensive and requires a skilled technician with a lot of experience to do a thorough and effective job.
MACHINE CLEANING PROCESS
The machine process is actually pretty simple. The first step involves purifying the solvent. Starting off in a holding tank, the solvent is pumped through a filter. After it has been strained of any contaminants or impurities, the machine transfers it into a cylinder. The garments are cleaned in this cylinder. To ensure that the solvent stays clean throughout the cycle, this process of filtering and transferring from the holding tank and back to the cylinder is repeated over and over until the cycle is complete.
The next step is to rid the garment of any solvent that may still be clinging to it. After pushing the solvent back into the holding tank, the cylinder spins at a high speed. This forces any of the solvent out of the garment fabric and leaves it nearly dry.
Finally, the garment is run through a dry cycle. Now that the garment is solvent free, the machine can run warm air into the cylinder which destroys any remaining solvent on the clothes.
What happens to the solvent? It is heated in a still which rids it of any foreign matter it may have collected from cleaning the garments. Once it is thoroughly heated and clean, the solvent is transferred back into the holding tank and ready for the next load of garments to dry clean.
WHICH GARMENTS NEED DRYCLEANING
MATERIAL MATTERS
Figuring out which items in your wardrobe need to be dry cleaned and which don’t can be very confusing. Checking the care label is important but it’s helpful to have a general sense of which materials need which cleaning process.
So, what materials need to be dry cleaned? Generally speaking, you should always dry clean garments made of wool, silk, rayon, or linen.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
Wool
Wool is a very strong and sturdy material but it can shrink very easily, especially if washed in warm or hot water. For that reason, whenever possible, you should always dry clean your wool garments. If you have no other choice but to wash your woolens do not use a washing machine. Hand wash them instead using only cold water. And absolutely do not dry them in a clothes dryer. Instead, air dry them, laid flat.
Silk
The main reason to dry clean silk is that the dye used to color silk bleeds very easily. If you must wash it, you should use cold water with Woolite or a similar detergent that is more gentle on your garment.
Rayon
Similar to silk, the dyes in rayon bleed very easily. It can also shrink a lot when washed in warm or hot water. For this reason, it’s advisable to dry clean all rayon garments.
Linen
Although linen can be washed, it may be more work than you have time for. It should always be hand washed. And, as with the other fabrics listed, should not be put in the dryer which will cause it to shrink. Instead, air dry on a clothesline. Because it wrinkles so easily, any linen garments you have will almost certainly need to be ironed after washing. In the end, although there is nothing that would inherently damage your linens by washing, it is much more convenient to dry clean.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DRY CLEAN?
GARMENT TYPE MATTERS
On the whole, something that has been dry cleaned once can be worn two or three times before being sent back to the cleaner. Of course, this depends on the state the garment after the first wear. In the summer months, when people tend to perspire a lot more, you might find your blouse or sport coat needs to be cleaned right away. Or if, for example, you work in a more stain-prone environment you may need to rotate your wardrobe more often.
Generally speaking, however, you can probably get away with three wears. The chemicals used in the dry cleaning process not only remove the stains from your garments but also serve as a barrier to stains in the future. And, at the end of a dry clean cycle, when a garment is pressed to remove creases and wrinkles, that starch keeps the piece from wrinkling too much after just one wear.
One thing that you should be aware of is that the dry cleaning process does degrade the material of all fabrics. The chemicals used to remove stains protect the fibers in the short term but, with continual and repeated cleaning, eventually weaken it. Keeping that in mind, no matter what type of garment you need cleaned, it is recommended to dry clean only as needed.
Some tips on specific wardrobe items:
Shirts
It is not advisable to dry clean shirts made of cotton since they can be laundered and ironed without damage. Wool shirts, however, can be dry cleaned after about the fourth wear.
Suits
You really only need to dry clean your wool suits once or twice annually. Unless it gets stained. Of course, if you wear it more than once or twice every week, it will need to be cleaned more often. In that case, after each wear, you should air the suit out to eliminate odors and use a steamer to smooth wrinkles. If you follow that protocol you should be able to get away with dry cleaning your suit once every month.
Pants
Wool pants can be worn very often before they need to be cleaned. You’re safe to wear them fifteen to twenty times unless, of course, they become stained.
Denim
How you clean denim is a matter of preference. Many people wash their denim in conventional washing machines. Others clean it by hand in cold water and allow it to air dry in order to retain the original color. However, if you would like to retain the original color as well as the structure of the garment, dry cleaning is the way to go.
DRY CLEANING SPECIAL ITEMS
Comforters & Decorative Bedding
Any bedding that is embellished or has special quilting or tailoring, should be cleaned with care. All bedding items in a matching set, such a coverlet with matching bed skirt and pillow covers, should be dry cleaned all together. This will help to maintain a uniform appearance in color and touch.
Drapery
Your curtains and drapes take a beating over time. Water and sun damage, occurring from proximity to the outside elements, can discolor and weaken the fabric a great deal. From within the household, they can be damaged by cigarette or cigar smoke, pet dander, and household cleaning chemicals. An annual trip to the dry cleaner is a sensible way to maintain these items without losing the integrity of the fabric.
Upholstery Items
As with matching and decorative bedding, cushion covers, bolsters, and other removable upholstery textiles should be dry cleaned together to preserve the uniform look of a whole furniture piece.