By Erica Moser, News Correspondent
At some point, most students have probably looked at a tag on a piece of clothing for washing instructions only to see three ominous words: Dry clean only.
A common response is mild irritation at the thought of having to spend extra time and money. People often hand wash the article – or just ignore the label and throw it into the washing machine.
But this can be bad for the fabric, said Jassira Pena, a customer service representative at Dependable Cleaners at 110 Newbury St.
“We actually don’t recommend for people to try and remove stains by themselves or try to press something at their home or even clean it, because then when it comes to us [later], we’re not too sure what you have used,” Pena said.
Not dry cleaning certain pieces could burn the fabric or cause tearing, color loss or shrinkage, Pena said.
Nylon, silk and wool are especially susceptible to these problems, said Penny Antonaros, manager at Symphony Cleaners at 295 Huntington Ave.
But Pena said there are some situations in which opting against dry cleaning may be acceptable.
There are certain things you can clean in the washing machine “and it would come out perfectly fine” without dry cleaning it, she said.
But don’t try it with sweaters, especially if they’re cashmere. Steven Olimpio, a junior graphic design major, said he didn’t follow directions and ruined a sweater.
“I used to have this sweater … and I washed it once and dried it and it became like a women’s medium,” Olimpio said. “Needless to say, that was the end of that.”
Yonatan Katzelnik, a freshman mechanical engineering major, can relate to the horrors that ensue from choosing not to dry clean.
“My roommate has a duvet and it’s dry clean only, and he was like, ‘oh, whatever,’ and it just completely fell apart,” Katzelnik said.
Several male students agreed they prefer to have their dress shirts dry cleaned to avoid ironing.
“I like my shirts starched, so it kind of keeps it a bit firm,” said Brett Kelly, a junior business major.
For people who don’t want to go to the dry cleaners, Kelly recommends filling a Windex bottle with a mix of cornstarch and water, spraying it on the shirt and ironing, a technique his mom taught him.
“My mom comes up with a lot of little things like that,” he said.
Kelly is definitely not the only one taking his mother’s advice.
“I don’t really follow instructions,” Olimpio said. “I just do what seems right based on what I see my mom do.”
Other students said although they never dry clean anything, they have not encountered complications.
“I usually just wash it by itself and dry it by itself,” said Micaela Carroll, a sixth-year pharmacy major.
Several female students said they don’t have many dry-clean only garments – or the ones they have aren’t nice enough to warrant the extra expense.
“There are some, but I tend not to, really because of the cost,” said Kathryn Hickey, a middler physical therapy major.
Dry cleaning a shirt costs $7 to $9 at Dependable Cleaners – depending on whether it is short- or long-sleeved – and $5 at Symphony Cleaners. Dry cleaning coats at places near campus can range from $15 to $30.
A decent alternative to dry cleaning clothes, if one wishes to avoid spending money, is to “hand wash with Woolite,” Antonaros said.
Kelly Madigan, a junior marketing major, suggested putting tennis balls in the washing machine with a comforter or down coat. This precaution is supposed to prevent the feathers in the item from clumping together.
“I don’t really look at the tags or anything; it’s usually just by the material I can tell,” she said.
Overall, deciding whether or not to dry clean something can be tricky, as it depends on the item and the quality of the material.
Antonaros said she has had many customers who “tried to save money, but they ruined the clothes.”
The easiest way to avoid dry cleaning is to check tags in stores and not buy anything that says dry clean only. Or just ask a mother.
