Great 'slash the cost of dry-cleaning' Hunt

Bargain_Rzl

The cheapest dry cleaner near me (that I know of) is Morrison's because of the 4 for £12 offer.

I usually have about 4 items a month which need cleaning so this works well.

However this is TWICE the price of the bargain dry cleaner's where I used to live, who do 4 items for £6 and they don't specify what types of garment they can take. At the moment I have a train season ticket which still covers travel to my old neighbourhood, but when this expires (end of June) it will start costing around the £12 mark including two return journeys so I might as well go to Morrisons

I know there are a few oldstylers in my old area so for the record it's the one two doors to the right of the Co-op in Welling DA16.

lil_me

Unfortunately Persil have stopped making the Revive sheets, which is probably why I got the last 20 packs I bought at 1/3 of the price

Austin_Allegro

I can only speak about mens' tailored woolen, cotton and linen clothing, but I don't dry clean any clothes as it's expensive, unnecessary and can eventually damage the garments.

Although the process dates back to the 19th century it wasn't common to dry clean clothes in this country until the 1960s/70s and before that people brushed and steamed their clothes or used the sponge and press method:

Brushing and steaming: actually the process preferred by Savile Row tailors. Use a clothes brush on your clothes after every wear, and occasionally turn the garments inside out and brush them. Use a clothes steamer (you can get a good small one for about £30) as often as you like - the dirt rises out in the steam. Many charity shops use this process as it is quick and cheap, and also disinfects the clothes and kills moth larvae.

Sponge and press (wool/cotton/linen items): Lightly sponge the clothes all over to remove surface dirt. Place a damp cotton or linen cloth over the garment then press with a hot iron.

I have used these methods for years and my clothes certainly seem to look ok and don't smell or anything!

Seakay

anskills wrote:

hi, whats the best way to clean silk ties? i have a few that are not expensive, but i do like them. i was considering rolling them up in a towel, tying it up closed, then putting them in the washing machine at the lowest temp delicates programme then on the gentlest spin. should this be ok?

i was going to hand wash them but it might be a bit too much effort for the relative inexpense of the ties. if i did decide to hand wash them, what should i use?

thanks in advance!

What I do is to get a needle with a very fine point and some fine thread and make big tacking stitches all around the edge of the whole tie before washing it in a delicates wash in the machine, or by hand. Spin in the machine or leave to drip dry. The stitches stop the material from twisting, leave them in until the tie is dry.
If you think that the tie needs ironing then remove the stitches and insert a piece of card inside the tie before ironing on a very low heat under a very rung out damp hankie or piece of cotton material without any fluffyness. The card stops seam marks and the damp cloth is less likely to mark the silk than steam sprays
This sounds like a huge faff, but is actually quite quick.

money_saving_diva

Hi, I have a top from Karen Millen (which was from an outlet - so was a bargain .... meant to be £90 but I got it for £20) ....... but it is made of silk, has beads, embroidery and worse of all tassels on it!!! I love the top but it has worked out to be a nightmare! It is of course dry clean only and even has special instructions for the dry cleaners on the label!? After the first time I wore the top I took it to my local dry cleaners and pointed out the instructions etc. they said the tassels might get tangled but I had no choice but to give it to them really so I left it with them. I collected it 2 days later and it was fine ..... BUT I then wore it that weekend and and took it back to the same dry cleaners the following week and they refused to wash it again because the woman explained she had spent a whole afternoon de-tangling the tassels!? whoops! ... I was surprised they hadn't tried to charge me more the first time. I then took it home and just aired it as it wasn't stained or anything. I have now worn it once more and don't know what to do with it??!! Can anyone help me??!! I love the top but don't want any more dry cleaners to refuse to serve me!!

anskills

Seakay wrote:

What I do is to get a needle with a very fine point and some fine thread and make big tacking stitches all around the edge of the whole tie before washing it in a delicates wash in the machine, or by hand. Spin in the machine or leave to drip dry. The stitches stop the material from twisting, leave them in until the tie is dry.
If you think that the tie needs ironing then remove the stitches and insert a piece of card inside the tie before ironing on a very low heat under a very rung out damp hankie or piece of cotton material without any fluffyness. The card stops seam marks and the damp cloth is less likely to mark the silk than steam sprays
This sounds like a huge faff, but is actually quite quick.

sounds good, although im not sure exactly what tacking stiches are and how to do them?

Spendless

lil_me wrote:

I remember the last suit we bought for DP (was very expensive) the guy who was the manager of the shop said get the jacket dry cleaned but don't bother with the trousers, just wash at low temp (stated dry clean only)

Thanks for this. I told my DH who wears a suit everyday for work so it works out expensive for dry-cleaning. He had 2 pairs of trousers for the same jacket, so we decided to try on 1 pair of trousers last night, they are currently drying and seem fine so far but will report back later.

Definately NOT for the faint hearted, proceed at own risk but I married abroad and mum paid for my dress to be cleaned for my blessing at home, which got the dress filthy again, and by then I'd discovered I was pregnant with DS and couldn't afford a dry cleaning bill (mine couldn't be mistaken for anything other than a wedding dress due to long train, it was plain though without beading) so it hung in the wardrobe dirty for a few years until I had DD and then I wanted the train to be turned into her christening gown, but I was reluctant to pay a fortune for cleaning cos if it didn't work I could have put the same money towards a christening robe for her, so I put it in a pillow-case and on a delicate wash in the washing machine:eek: and hung it on the line to dry and it came out fine, and was turned into a dress for DD christening.

madmoose_2

I have just bought a lovely cropped leather jacket from Topshop - cost me £100 and I stupidly wore it on a night out. The jacket has booze stains on the arm and a bit on the front and it looks quite unsightly.

I went to find out how much it would cost to get cleaned and was quoted between £35 and £45!!! Is there a cheaper place / way of cleaning leather?!!?

Hope someone can help!

jinkssick

my girlfriend works in a dry cleaners, she told me to post for her. i havent read through to see if its already been posted.

she said if you have a garment of clothing (not too dirty of course) and take it back and say sorry this was not cleaned properly (take an old ticket), could I have it cleaned again, it will work seeing that when items are taken they are not checked throughouly for look etc.

dont do it too often of course, as this will just be taking the !!!! and of course, not believeable.

Lazy_Ike

jinkssick wrote:

she said if you have a garment of clothing (not too dirty of course) and take it back and say sorry this was not cleaned properly (take an old ticket), could I have it cleaned again, it will work seeing that when items are taken they are not checked throughouly for look etc.

Wow great advice for money saving. Now let me see, how can I save money on mobile phones. Ah got it! If I slip a phone off the display into the inside pocket of my jacket, and walk out the shop that should work.

dont do it too often of course as this will just be taking the !!!!