Thread: Dry-Cleaning and Doing Your Own Dress Shirts

I have been taking my dress shirts in for dry-cleaning for the past 30-years. I can't say that I have minded since I typically only dawn the dress shirt, tie and perhaps suit once or twice per week since I work with engineering types. I usually replaced my dress shirts (get tired of them) before they wore out. However, for the past few months I have working at a headquarters office where a suit and tie are the uniform of the day. I don't mind the shirt and tie, but I have grown to dislike having to run by the cleaners every week...and I really got tired of how they pressed wrinkles into my shirts (always had to retouch them) and how quickly the shirts were falling apart.

Well, I finally listened to my mom (she has been telling me to do my own shirts for many years) and I picked-up a gaggle of new wrinke-free shirts (most were from JCPenney and a couple from Costco) and started washing them myself. What a freaking difference! My shirts come out fresh and clean, will last for years-and-years (according to my mom), and it saves me both time and money from having to deal with the cleaners.

Okay, you cannot go wrong with the Stafford Signature 100% Cotton wrinkle-free dress shirts from JcPenney (my opinion). They are $30 per and are simply the best bang-for-the-buck...just as good as $50-$60 premium shirts IMO. I picked-up a couple of the Kirkland Signature 100% Cotton wrinkle-free shirts from Costco for $17.99. Okay, they aren't bad (I usally like the Kirkland Signature brand) but do yourself a favor and spend a few more dollars on on Stafford Signature shirts...well worth it. Also, the wrinkle-free is somewhat of a misnomer since they'll have to re-touched with an iron. However, it only takes a few minutes per shirt and it actually takes less time than having to unscrew all the wrinkles the cleaners manages to press into my shirts. Plus---and here's the kicker---your shirts will last for years and stay fresh looking.

I don't know about the top-loading washing machines w/agitator (although my mom still uses one and she doesn't have any problems) but we have an top-notch Samsung front-loader w/matching dryer and the shirts looks great. Anyway, if you find yourself in a similar position...dump the dry-cleaner and start doing your own dress shirts. Of course, if only I could get my wife to iron then I would be all set. She is one of those fortunate people who can throw on something right from the dryer and the wrinkles magically disappear or else you don't notice. I'm one of the 95% who aren't so lucky!

Anyway, I thought that I would throw this topic out there and see what comes back. I cannot believe that I haven't done my own dress shirts sooner...

Good thread.

I'll plug LL Bean and Lands End wrinkle-free shirts and touching up with a clothes steamer.

My dad would certainily endorse the Lands End wrinkle-free shirts; he loves 'em. Also, I try to wear each shirt twice before washing them...which is normally not a problem. I've never used a steamer, but perhaps I'll give it a try. Thanks!

The Lands End wrinkle free shirts are really good. My wife and I went on a tour of the Canadian Rockies for ten days recently and even after packing and unpacking almost every day, and wearing the shirts more than once they looked great.

Here's the Consumer Reports Magazine article on "no iron" or "wrinkle free" men's dress shirts. Take it for what it's worth since the article in two years old and I lost a lot of faith in ConsumerReports in recent years:
Wrinkle free dress shirts: Consumer Reports

Best choice
- JCPenney Stafford Signature, $25 - It looked smooth right out of the dryer and has an interesting detail: a gusset on the tail to prevent seams from separating when pulled.

OK choices
- Lands' End Pinpoint Oxford, $40 - It needed a bit of ironing but had no construction flaws.
- Croft & Barrow (Kohl's), $30 - The shirt was fuzzy after its fifth trip through the washer and dryer. That can foretell pilling.
- Macy's Club Room, $30 - The laundered shirt was wrinkle free, but one of the shirts had lots of white dots, indicating thread breaks or weaving flaws. That usually doesn't affect fabric strength, but the dots might turn into tiny holes after many care cycles.

Worst choice
- Kirkland Signature (Costco), $17 - Two of shirts we examined had stitching problems that could have sent them to the rag pile before their time, and one buttonhole was overstitched and looked more like a parallelogram than a rectangle.

Okay, the Stafford Signature shirts are now $30. I've had no problem with these shirts...but I wish they had a little more variety. My dad (and a number of folks here) love the Lands' End shirts. They are now about $50, but they appear to offer more variety than the JCPenney brand. I do not like the Croft & Barrow (Kohl's) shirt nor does my dad. They appear to be in the $32.50 range. As far as Macy's shirt...my Dad buys them from time-to-time and my mom hasn't noticed the quality problems noted by Consumer Reports. Finally, I have few of the Kirkland Signature shirts. I haven't noticed the quality problems mentioned in the article (Costco may have taken action to resolve these issues)...however, they are not as "wrinkle free" as the Stafford Signature shirts. At $18 they're a bargain...but I just as soon spend a few more dollars and save a couple minutes ironing each shirt. My choice.

My choices: Stafford Signature and Lands End Supima Oxford/Pinpoint (excellent selection)
Okay: Kirkland Signature (Costco)
Avoid: Croft & Barrow (Kohl's)

This appears to be a pretty good list based on the folks I talked to. However, I'm a "value conscious" consumer and I don't think Brooks Brother or L.L. Beans shirts are worth the additional money (3x the price) over a Stafford Signature.


Source

Are you wondering what the 5 best no-iron dress shirts are? While there are a lot of no-iron dress shirt brands available, price is not an indicator of which will hold up the best. Some no-iron dress shirts will hold up better simply due to the treatment of the fabric.

Brooks Brothers. Traditional, regular or slim-fit shirts from Brooks Brothers are made of pure cotton and are treated to hold up throughout the day without a wrinkle. Brooks Brothers no-iron dress shirts come in solids, stripes or plaids. Wearers rated these as one of the best shirts to remain wrinkle-free.

Lands' End. Lands' End guarantees their no-iron dress shirts will remain wrinkle-free, yet the crisp pleats will remain pressed for 25 washes on the tailored cut shirts, and 50 washes on the traditional cuts. The Lands' End line is pure cotton fiber on both the tailored and traditional cut shirts and comes in a wide array of colors.

L.L. Bean. Seems everyone is in agreement on the L.L. Bean wrinkle-resistant no-iron dress shirts. They develop no wrinkles, are a great fit and are comfortable. L.L. Bean has a 100% satisfaction guarantee on their no-wrinkle dress shirts. They come available in long and short sleeve and in cotton or twill fabric. Many great patterns and colors are available.

Stafford. The Stafford Performance Wrinkle Free no-iron dress shirts are getting rave reviews. The Stafford Wrinkle Free shirts are available at a middle-of-the-road price in lots of great colors and patterns.

Red House. Red House's no-iron button-down shirts made of cotton are also getting excellent reviews from men. Red House's patterns and pinpoint Oxford dress shirts are made of 100% cotton with a breast pocket.

I will never buy another Brooks Brothers shirt. I bought 5 of these about a year and a half ago and every single one of them had "blowouts" at the elbow. These were the proper size and always washed at home. These are the ONLY shirts that I have ever had this issue with and I wear dress shirts every day (M-F). After the first 2 did this I did a google search and discovered that this is a "known issue" with BB shirts. I took the final 3 back when they had the issue and was able to talk them into replacing them, but since then all 3 of the replacements have done the same thing. I didn't bother taking back this time. One of my co-workers had the exact same issue later in the year.

I love the LL Bean shirts. They are very high quality (I think much better than the JCP brand) and last forever! They will also take anything back if you ever do have an issue.

Great info on Brooks Brothers LB! After reading your post I recalled that my Dad was a big fan of Brooks Brothers, but I haven't heard him mention them in years. Well, as it turned out he had a number of BB shirts fall apart. My mom told him it was the shirts, but dad didn't warmly embrace her suggestion. Needless to say, my mom decided that if anyone bought another "crappy shit"...they were going to wash and press them. Problem solved. I personally don't have any experiences with BB shirts, but I wanted to add my two cents.

I really like the Stafford Signature shirts, but their selection is disappointing. Seriously, just how many times can you wear white, oxford blue and a couple pin-stripe shirts? They offer their cheapie shirts in a wide variety of colors...but who wants a cheapie shirt. Anyway, I ordered three Lands End shirts the other day because I wanted to add some color to my wardrobe...might be siting on the porch as I swype.

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Originally Posted by lakebum431

I love the LL Bean shirts. They are very high quality (I think much better than the JCP brand) and last forever! They will also take anything back if you ever do have an issue.

That's a great selling point. I'm general pretty thrifty, but sometimes it cost less (long-run) to buy the more expensive item.

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