Margaret's Shirt Cleaning Services FAQs
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Margaret's offers three different varieties of shirt cleaning services. Our regular Shirt Laundry, Del Mar Shirt Laundry and our Bel Air Shirt Service. Depending on the fabric and the designer we have found that the preferred cleaning technique can vary.
Regular Shirt Laundry & Finishing
This is a machine laundry process. Shirts are finished on a laundry shirt press and receive minor hand touch-up if needed.
Del Mar Shirt Laundry
Del Mar is also a laundry process, however we use a specialty detergent on shirts which helps them retain their brightness, cleans collars well and overall helps your shirts maintain their original appearance. If starch is requested we use a natural starch which does not build up like many commonly used synthetic varieties. Shirts are machine pressed initially and then touched up by hand for details. We remove collar stays and replace them after finishing. Plastic butterflies support shirt collars and prevent droop. Shirts are folded using the same types of boards and supports as manufacturers.
Bel Air Shirt Service
Today's high-end men's cotton dress shirts are more delicate and fitted than in the past. Older processing techniques are no longer the best choice to maintain the life of these shirts. Many are designed for a lower washing temperature, as well as a lower ironing temperature than used in traditional laundry operations. Margaret's Bel Air Shirt Service uses a gentle cleaning process, either hand wash or dry clean as suggested by the manufacturer's care label. Shirts are soft pressed. This lower temperature multi-stage cleaning and pressing process is designed to extend the life of your finest dress shirts. Bel Air minimizes the amount of heat and mechanical action your shirts are exposed to...whites stay white, colors stay bright. The end result is a softer, more delicate texture.
Bel Air strongly suggested for these brands: Balmain, Brioni, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermes, Isaia, Kiton, Loro Piana, Prada, Scott Hill Custom, Stefano Ricci, Tom Ford, Yohji Yamamoto.
How can a consumer get around this (yet still provide dry cleaner with care instructions)?
Most clothing can be cleaned by a professional without the use of care labels. However, with all the new fabrics and constantly-changing care instructions, it always helps when the dry cleaner can double check the care label.
If the label “irritates” the skin or shows through the garment, it can be removed or relocated to a less noticeable place. If there is no other choice but removal, then I suggest that the label instructions be copied into a notebook and either submitted or verbally conveyed when the garment is dropped off for cleaning. .
Worn clothing may contain collar & cuff soil, food and drink stains, perspiration, cologne and perfume...any of which can discolor fabrics and cause holes and yellow or brown stains. Yes, stains are considerably more difficult to remove if they sit in the fabric for more than 48 hours. Insects love soiled fabrics and are attracted to all of the stains listed above.
What are some items that should be dry cleaned “regularly” (even if they seem to be “clean”)?
Clothing should be cleaned, without exception, before storing for the season, even if they appear clean and were only worn for 5 minutes. This applies to all fabrics, but especially to wool clothing and sweaters.
When labels like this surface, there are usually ways to get around them. In most cases, Margaret's has the skill, experience and ingenuity to properly assess the fabric, construction, embellishments and dyes to find a safe way to clean the garment. Sometimes the garment can be “spot cleaned” in the troubled areas, hence complying with the unrealistic and problematic care label.
Care labels can be limiting or misleading but, in most cases, when a label says dry clean only it means it. Of course, consumers and dry cleaners often do hand wash dry clean only clothing (professionals call hand washing, “wetcleaning”). However, many fabrics that bear a dry clean only label such as linen, cotton, and some rayon, microfiber and silk are wetcleaned successfully. Keep in mind that lighter colors respond best (limiting dye bleed and fading), and most require expert pressing and finishing to maintain the proper body and drape.
