How much do you pay for dry cleaning?

[MaryMary]

Holy smokes....I am freaking out right now. I just called two reputable dry cleaners in Toronto that clean vintage clothing and they are telling me it is going to cost $100 and up to clean each dress!!!!

Is this normal? Would it be so bad if I took the dresses to a regular dry cleaner, as long as we had a convo first about them being vintage?

I don't know, I am stressing, a lot of these dresses I have read are too fragile to handwash, like cotton voile, and I have a few rayon dresses.

I am going to be poor from just having to clean them

 

[KittyT]

At that point, you might as well buy a brand new dress. No, this is not normal - there is no way in hell you should pay that much for cleaning.

Also, IMO, if a dress is too fragile to hand wash, you shouldn't even be wearing it in the first place. The only reason in my mind to dry clean a vintage dress is if it is a fabric like rayon that may shrink with hand washing.

 

[MaryMary]

Okay, thanks for the input...and I guess I should correct myself...I think fragile was the wrong word to use, more like they are delicate, like with the cotton voile I read you may have drama with shrinkage. Same with the rayon dresses. At this point I am really confused by all the different info that is out there! [huh]

 

[Inky]

that is a ridiculous price. I have paid $4 to $6 to dry clean a vintage rayon blouse. I have paid $8 to $12 for a couple of dresses that are also rayon. Everything else I hand wash. I also do not wash or clean every time I wear them. I use a clothing brush and if I do get a stain I spot treat it if possible. Most of my vintage are cotton dresses so the care is easier, but the rayon ones definitely go to the cleaners every 2-3 wearings depending on the situation.

 

[KittyT]

cotton voile I read you may have drama with shrinkage. Same with the rayon dresses. At this point I am really confused by all the different info that is out there! [huh]

Well if there's shrinkage risk, that's another issue entirely! I'm not sure about the voile, but rayon definitely risks shrinkage. Those items are the only ones I'll dry clean, but as Inky said, i stretch it out. Cleaning usually costs me $15 a dress, but I try to clean them as little as possible, mostly because I don't trust dry cleaners and I have had items ruined before - but I always tell them to be extra careful with something that's vintage, and sometimes they will charge me a little extra. Just be sure you're wearing slips under your clothes to stretch out the time they can go between cleanings.

 

[LizzieMaine]

They don't *want* to clean those items -- by quoting ridiculous prices they're trying to convince you not to bother. Either that or they're worried about liability if there's damage -- probably they botched someone's valuable vintage item in the past and got sued for it.

I second Kitty's recommendation -- clean them as little as possible, wear slips, and also wear dress shields. A little bit of protection will go a long way.

 

[Marla]

Dry cleaning vintage really shouldn't be extremely expensive! I only dry clean my woolens and rayon twice a year before I put them away for storage, to ensure against moths who feast on dirt particles that cling to fabric. At a reputable dry cleaner I pay about 8 dollars for a dress and 12 for a coat, and this is the best place in town! At the dry cleaning farm a dress costs about four dollars, but I never take my vintage there because I don't think the risk is worth it.

 

[Fletch]

How you saved on cleaning in 1931

Russell Baker's uncle spot-cleaned his own suits with benzine. Fairly nasty stuff - flammable, poisonous, irritant.

 

[Kate O Potato]

I'm terrible and use those dry cleaning sheets. I know it's risky business but I haven't ruined anything so far!

 

[KittyT]

and also wear dress shields. A little bit of protection will go a long way.

How could I have forgotten? Seconded! Dress shields are the best (and 100% of-the-era!). Get pin-in ones to save on the cost of disposables. They're so easy to remove and wash. Go here for the best - http://www.kleinertsshields.com/.

 

[Inky]

How could I have forgotten? Seconded! Dress shields are the best (and 100% of-the-era!). Get pin-in ones to save on the cost of disposables. They're so easy to remove and wash. Go here for the best - http://www.kleinertsshields.com/.

Kitty, do you use this pin in style:

http://www.kleinertsshields.com/proddetail.php?prod=560

why do you prefer pin in over the ones that snap onto your bra? i've never used these and would like to - they could be great when dancing (i think!)

 

[KittyT]

Kitty, do you use this pin in style:
http://www.kleinertsshields.com/proddetail.php?prod=560

Yep, the vinyl ones. I have both regular and short sleeved versions. I find that I use the short-sleeved version much more!

why do you prefer pin in over the ones that snap onto your bra? i've never used these and would like to - they could be great when dancing (i think!)

I think the ones that snap onto your bra are probably awesome! I've just never tried them, mostly because I get what's available at my local fabric store - and I honestly forgot about them when making my previous post. If you try them, definitely let us know how you like them! Mostly, I was just trying to steer people away from sew-ins or stick-ins.

 

[Lauren]

I think it depends on what the dress is made up of but for plain cotton voile that's really expensive. If it had sequins or fur or was super ridiculously fragile that's one thing, but just a dry cleaning- sounds a little much. I've paid quite a lot for cleaning, but that was my early 1900s and all lace wedding gown- and it was a SERIOUS job for experts.
Don't get something with sequins dry cleaned. I am still lamenting my evening dress and bolero that were lost cause of my ignorance several years ago

 

[Vintage Betty]

I think this is a great question.

I pay about $25 per dress at my local dry cleaner here in the San Francisco Bay Area, who uses a "green" cleaning technique which protects the dress and environment without nasty chemicals.

There are a number of options for cleaning your dress already mentioned, including checking out the following in the yellow pages near you:

Musuems (ask if they do cleaning - some do)
French Laundry (costs more but worth it)
www.Lacis.com (I have had stuff cleaned there but it will take a while)

And I know that at least one lady here brings her laundry to a specialty cleaner. Perhaps they could check for you regaring mailing your dress into the cleaners.

 

[bunnyb.gal]

I take my vintage - and only the stuff that really really needs it - to a dry cleaners called Jeeves (really!). It is ridiculously expensive but they specialise in vintage/wedding/designer, and really and truly my normally reliable local won't touch some of the stuff I present to them. One of my rayon crepe early 30's dresses, grubby as heck, for about 30 quid, came back immaculate.

Having said all that, I do have complete faith in Jeeves to do the job (and the items always come back on nice satin hangers, and in a breathable cover, not those nasty plastic ones.).

 

[MaryMary]

Thanks for the tips, I am definitely going to invest in some slips and dress shields! I like the ones that snap onto your bra, will give it a try and report back

Lauren: I am wondering what your advice would be for outfits with sequins...I just won a beautiful velvet evening gown that has sequins lining the edges of the neckline....sooooo now I have velvet AND sequins to worry about! What do you do now, since your bad experience? (sorry to hear that story by the way, those tales always break my heart!)

Bunnyb.gal: Your Jeeves sounds like the place I went to that quoted me $100! They specialize in wedding gowns and vintage amongst other things. Problem is, spending $100 a dress to clean it is a little out of my budget, no matter how good of a job they do!

Mary

 

[Lauren]

Marymary, I actually haven't had anything else with sequins cleaned. That was enough! I think it was the chemicals that did it. I would contact the French Laundry- that's where I got my wedding dress done. It will be expensive, but if you want it cleaned that's probably the best route. I would say just use the dress shields and air it out like the other ladies have said. I don't wear my real vintage enough to warrant cleaning it much- other than hand washables. Our Miss Sis is the queen of vintage cleaning- maybe she has a good suggestion?

French Hand Laundry
626-792-3881
606 S Lake Ave Pasadena, CA 91106

Also, maybe try contacting a museum about it- they may be able to make suggestions. I emailed one a long while ago about cleaning things and they got back to me relatively quickly with suggestions. Of course it's so long ago I don't remember the museum or the advice... [huh]

 

[Miss Sis]

I'm not actually sure what you should do about vintage sequins. They made them from *gelatine* back then (yes, really), so any wetness is disastrous.
Basically I have never bought anything with sequins on it because of this! I ruined a 1930s sequined capelet that had belonged to my Nana accidently as a child when I dropped it outside in the rain. That's when my mother told me about them being made of gelatine.

As for how much to pay, not $100 a dress, that's for sure. Simple cotton voile etc can easily be handwashed and if it is delicate, you will be more gentle with it than a dry cleaner. Rayons are tricky as how they shrink can vary. I've never had a problem washing them but 1) they *will* shrink, and 2) they are very delicate in a wet state. You have to iron them back into shape whilst very damp on the wrong side. If you are at all nervous about this, you'd better send them to a good cleaner.

I dry clean wool suits and coats - washing risks linings etc shrinking - and velvet. I used to have a nice independant dry cleaner who did my things but I no longer work nearby so searching for a new one. The place that does my BF's vintage weren't quite up to scratch on the things I sent them recently. Frankly, finding a good dry cleaner is hard work!

 

[bunnyb.gal]

Thanks for the tips, I am definitely going to invest in some slips and dress shields! I like the ones that snap onto your bra, will give it a try and report back

Lauren: I am wondering what your advice would be for outfits with sequins...I just won a beautiful velvet evening gown that has sequins lining the edges of the neckline....sooooo now I have velvet AND sequins to worry about! What do you do now, since your bad experience? (sorry to hear that story by the way, those tales always break my heart!)

Bunnyb.gal: Your Jeeves sounds like the place I went to that quoted me $100! They specialize in wedding gowns and vintage amongst other things. Problem is, spending $100 a dress to clean it is a little out of my budget, no matter how good of a job they do!

Mary

Oh believe me, it was all I could do to prevent my jaw from dropping to the floor when I got the bill; it definitely was not in my budget, either! A special occasion item, to be sure!

 

[MaryMary]

Thanks Lauren and Mis Sis,

Hmmm, okay, so I am wondering if the dry cleaner can literally clean "around" the sequins, like just the velvet area....

I may have to stand over them to supervise....lol!