Here's and handy drycleaning tip from an insider. When choosing a dry cleaner, do not let price be your major factor. Dry Cleaners prices vary, depending on the area, on the competition and also on the quality. Like with everything, you get what you pay for, and drycleaning is no exception.
Alot of dry cleaners, particularly chemist, milk bars, laundries, tailors offers dirt cheap 3 piece specials, which may look tempting, but a scratch underneath the surface and cracks start to appear. A number of the dry cleaning companies offering these 3 piece specials are using subpar equipment, including 'grey' re-used solvent, old and severely out dated pressing equipment and are lacking the training and experience necessary to perform an adequate service. They may do a good job at first, but over time they will end up damaging your garments.
These companies are charging such a cheap price because their business relies on bulk. But how much time is spent on each garment when they are only charging $13 - $14 for 3? Your garments may not being looked at or taken care of properly, and measures such as increased drying temperatures, double leg pressing of trousers and no spot cleaning whatsoever are being used.
Here's a tip, always try to take your dry cleaning to someone that is a member of the Dry Cleaning Institute of Australia (DIA), which can be recognised by their blue logo.
There you can be sure that your garments will be taken care of by a professional, with years of training and experience. Surely it is worth paying a few extra dollars to look after your clothes.
I have set up this blog to give people an understanding of what dry cleaning is about, what dry cleaners do, and a few tips and hints of where and how to get your dry cleaning done.
My name is Dave and I along with another gentlemen, Jules, run a business called drycleaning@work, which is a pick and delivery service for dry cleaning operating in Melbourne. I have been involved in the dry cleaning industry now for about 10 years. I have grown up in the industry, with my family business being around for nearly 60 years. I guess you could say I’m a 3rd generation dry cleaner. I’m 25 and have a Bachelor Degree in Commerce.
Dry cleaning is a weird industry and at the moment is going through a downturn. Only the strong are surviving and the smaller outer suburbs dry cleaners seem to be struggling. It's also a weird industry because you are dealing with people clothes. Its a personal thing. A favourite jacket, the favourite jeans, the shirt you met your wife in, etc. Clothing can be close to the heart, which is why we dry cleaners take some sort of pride in restoring pieces back to their former glory.
Our business deals with professionals working and living in the Melbourne CBD and surrounding areas. Work and careers are becoming more and more important to young people these days. While the little day – to – day things like dry cleaning often get left behind.
Sometimes people just don't have time to take their dry cleaning to the store, let alone pick it up! Services like the one we provide are perfect for that kind of busy lifestyle, where we can pick up and drop off your dry cleaning to your office, charge it to your credit card and were done.
Over the next few weeks ill be blogging about the process of dry cleaning, what you may or may not know and a few hints and tips (and how to steer cleaner from the dodgy dry cleaner).
Laterrrsss
Dave the Dry cleaner
