It’s that time again—your laundry hamper is full and you’re out of clean socks. If you don’t have time to do your own laundry, you can turn to a professional to take care of your clothes. Some cleaners have a 15 lb minimum policy, though, so you’ll need to make sure your laundry meets that expectation.

Not sure what 15 lbs of laundry looks like? Here’s how you can determine your laundry’s weight and take advantage of a full load.

Laundry weight

Before you have your clothing laundered, you’ll want to check that you have enough for the minimum 15 lb weight requirement. A household washing machine usually holds 7 or 8 lbs of laundry, but professional machines can handle larger loads.

Here’s what 15 lbs of laundry can include:

Depending on your wardrobe, your 15 lbs of laundry might include more or fewer items.

If you find counting articles of clothing too tedious, you can weigh your laundry following these three simple steps.

1. Weigh yourself on a bathroom scale holding your laundry.
2. Weigh yourself on the same scale without your laundry.
3. Subtract the second weight from the first, and the total will be the weight of your laundry.

Alternatively, you can place your clothing in a laundry basket and weigh that on your scale. Remember to measure and subtract the weight of the empty basket afterwards.

Don't feel like doing laundry or carting your clothes to the cleaner's? See if Rinse serves your area. We'll pickup, expertly clean and fold, and return your laundry to your door, 7 days a week. Learn more at rinse.com. 

 

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Cleaning

Preparation
Before you wash your shirt, undo all the buttons—including the button cuffs—and remove any collar stays.

Pre-treat stains
For any food, ink, or sweat stains, you can pre-treat them with a stain remover. Let the formula soak in the fabric for about 20 minutes before you continue cleaning.

Wash
Wash shirts in cold water using the delicate cycle on your washing machine. If you’re dealing with oil-based stains, warm water will improve the chances of the stain washing out. Just make sure you don’t do this too often as repeated warm washing can cause colors to fade.

Drying
Hang the shirt to dry on a plastic hanger and button up the top two buttons to maintain the shirt’s shape. If you want to get ahead of ironing, you can put the shirt in the dryer on permanent press mode but make sure it’s only in the dryer for six to eight minutes max.

Ironing

Check the shirt’s label for its fabric content so you can select the appropriate heat setting on your iron. Cotton shirts or cotton-blend shirts can typically withstand higher heat than ones made of synthetic fibers (e.g. polyester), which require a lower temperature. For best results, shirts should be slightly moist. If you prefer a crisp finish to your shirt, use spray starch or iron the outside of the shirt first, then flip it inside out to iron the inside.

Start with the collar
Spray the shirt collar with water to lightly moisten it. Lay the collar flat and start ironing the underside from one point to another. Flip the collar over and repeat on the other side.

Move onto the cuffs
Spread the button cuffs open. Iron both sides of the cuff but avoid ironing over the buttons.

Iron the front of the shirt
Move the iron carefully around the shirt’s front buttons. Iron each side of the shirt, moving the iron from the shoulder down to the bottom.

Iron the back of the shirt
Anchor one of the shirt’s sleeves into the square edge of your ironing board and lay the shirt flat. Start ironing at the top of the shirt and then move the iron down. Slide the shirt over to iron the other half of the shirt.

Finish with the sleeves
Use the sleeve seam as your guide for laying the shirt sleeve flat on the ironing board. Make sure the sleeve is flat and smooth before you iron or else you may be cementing creases on the other side. Start ironing from the top of the sleeve to the cuff. Flip over and repeat on the other side, and then move onto the other sleeve.

Storage

Everyday shirts should be fully buttoned, hung on a sturdy hanger, and stored in your closet. For shirts that you don’t wear often, store them in a cotton garment bag. The cotton allows for air to circulate and prevents the shirts from yellowing.

Knowing how to properly care for your button-down shirts will ensure they stay as clean and crisp as the day you bought them. For days when your schedule is running you ragged, you can bring your button-down shirts to a dry cleaner, who will provide a professional clean and press service for your wardrobe’s most essential pieces. You can also check if you're in Rinse's service area to have your clothes picked up, professionally cleaned, and hand-delivered to your door. 

Photos: O_Lypa / Shutterstock.com, chuugo / Shutterstock.com, Di Studio / Shutterstock.com, TaraPatta / Shutterstock.com

At Rinse, we feel strongly about the care we provide for your clothing. It’s our job! We thoroughly vet all of our cleaning partners to ensure you are receiving the highest-quality care possible.

We feel just as strongly about the environment and the health implications involved with some of the cleaning services we provide. We have a strict policy that all of our cleaning partners use environmentally friendly cleaning processes. The green revolution is the best solution!

What is perc and how am I exposed to it?

Historically, the dry cleaning industry has been known for using the solvent perchloroethylene (“perc”), which is a known carcinogen and potentially hazardous. While we do not partner with any cleaners that use perc we believe it is important for us to provide you with further insight on perc and green dry cleaning.

If your clothes are being cleaned at a dry cleaner that uses perc you most likely are exposed to it through inhalation or skin exposure. Common side effects include dizziness, headaches, drowsiness, nausea, and skin and respiratory irritation.

Yikes! Needless to say, it is important to find out if your dry cleaner is using perc or not.

Going green!

The majority of our cleaners offer a hydrocarbon-based solvent, which is one of the preferred alternatives to perc. This type of solvent is non-toxic, has no documented risk of causing cancer, and is environmentally safe.

Many cleaners outside California still use perc and our decision to work with non-perc cleaners everywhere is accelerating much-needed change in the industry.

If all of this talk about toxic solvents has you a bit worried about dry cleaning your clothes there may be an alternative for you. Wet cleaning!

What is wet cleaning?

Wet cleaning is a water-based alternative to dry cleaning that is safe for use on dry-clean-only items. It uses special machinery to maintain the size of the garment and feel of the fabric while cleaning the garment with water and detergents. We only work with cleaning partners who have demonstrated a great quality and consistency in the wet cleaning process.

It is recommended for water-soluble stains on dry-clean only materials since it will have greater cleaning efficacy while maintaining the look and feel of the fabric. However, we do not recommend wet cleaning for all your dry-clean-only clothes. In summary, it is both safer for you (our customers) and the environment to go green and avoid perc.

We strongly suggest that you find out if your current dry cleaner is using perc or not. Or just schedule a pickup with us and we’ll make sure your items are cleaned using environmentally friendly cleaning processes. We guarantee it!

If you are still hesitant don’t just take it from us. Here is a “Smart Science” segment on green dry cleaning from who else? That’s right! The Weather Channel.