How to save money on dry cleaning

My teenage son has gotten into the preppy look. He likes to wear a Polo shirt with khakis and his Sperrys or with jeans and sneakers.

He recently received several Polo shirts at the beginning of the school year. Based on my normal laundry strategy, I wash them and would hang them on a hanger to dry.

MY NORMAL LAUNDRY ROUTINE:

After washing clothes, I only dry towels, linens, and pants.

I hang darks, shirts, and anything I don’t want to fade or shrink.

However, this routine results in a less than stellar presentation of his new Polo shirts. As you may also know, I don’t iron.

What was I going to do to ensure he looked his best without having to train him on laundry, iron his shirts, or take his shirts to the dry cleaner (as my husband suggested!)?

I mean, there’s a dry cleaner very close to my office. They offer great service. I drive through, they accept the items right out of my window and tell me that the items will be ready after 4 pm that day (as long as my order is in by 11 am).

But…the cost per shirt can range from $3-$8!

How to save money on dry cleaning

Dryel to the rescue. It’s only a fraction of the cost of dry cleaners

Dry cleaning at home is super easy with Dryel.

All you need is 15 minutes. 30 minutes max!

The heat of your dryer activates the Dryer Activated Cleaning Cloth to release cleaning agents that remove body soil and odors, so clothes come out smelling great!

The Fabric Protection Bag maintains the optimal amount of cleaning agents and heat needed to clean your special care clothes. It’s the key to steam cleaning!

I don’t really like to do laundry every day, but I’ve learned that if I save it all for Saturday, it takes me too long to catch up!

Instead, I process one complete load each day. I wash a load before work. When I get home, I move the load from the washer to the dryer. If I’m doing laundry on the weekend, I set a timer for 18 minutes to be sure that no matter where I am, I know the load is done and I can move it to the next step.

No more soured or mildewed loads. My mom taught me a time-saving trick that reduces my complete wash cycle to 18 minutes: skip the second rinse. Since I use about half the recommended amount of detergent and don’t use liquid fabric softener, it works just fine. While a load is washing, I can wash dishes, get dinner started, or help with homework.

Now, I just add the items needing to be “dry cleaned” to a Dryel bag and pop them in the dryer while loads are washing.

Your first line of defense against ironing is to avoid purchasing clothes that require ironing. Since ironing smooths out wrinkles, prevent them from happening. Take clothes out of the dryer promptly.

Since I hate to iron, I try really hard not to let anything get wrinkled. If I remove it then fold or hang it right away, no ironing is required!

More ways to save money on dry cleaning:

Why You Should Use a Home Dry Cleaning Kit

Dry Cleaning At Home With Dryel

What other tips do you have on how to save money on dry cleaning?