We live in a modern world where everyone is busy balancing their work and personal life. As a result, most of us do not have enough time to wash our clothes. Besides, some people are not a pro at cleaning garments. Not to forget that everything cannot be cleaned at home!
These are the major reasons for the popularity of laundry services and the growing interest of people in knowing the cost of dry cleaning.
However, the truth is that no one size fits all when it comes to pricing. Just like other businesses, dry cleaners determine their expenses before setting the price of their services. The primary factors that determine costs include:
- Cost of space (rent)
- Labor costs, including salary and wages
- Purchase and maintenance cost of dry cleaning machines
- Cost of garbage collection
- Cost of products used in dry-cleaning
The fact is that running a professional dry cleaning business can be pretty expensive. This is one reason why dry cleaners charge a handsome amount. Drying cleaning can cost anywhere between $5 and $50 per item.
Let’s take a deeper look into dry cleaning!
What is Dry Cleaning?
Dry cleaning is defined as the process of cleaning garments without the use of water. The lack of water in the cleaning process is what influences the name of the process. Instead of water, dry cleaning involves the use of non-water chemical solvents.
The process of dry cleaning is highly beneficial for clothes whose fibers don’t react well to water, including wool and silk. Besides, it is also good for garments that should not be exposed to the heat of traditional dryers.
How is Dry Cleaning Different from Laundering?
People are often confused about how dry cleaning differs from laundering. The short answer for this is water.
When laundering clothes one has to use water and detergent. The clothes are washed in a commercial-grade washing machine, taken out slightly damp, and then pressed.
On the contrary, dry cleaning involves the use of non-water-based solvents to remove stains followed by crisp ironing of clothes.
Why Choose Dry Cleaning over Laundering?
While it is a known fact that laundering is comparatively gentle on the clothes, people still prefer dry cleaning their garments. Why is that? Is there any particular reason for choosing dry cleaning over laundering?
Let’s find out!
It is ideal for garments made of natural fibers
Dry cleaning is often considered the best option to clean garments made of natural fibers, like wool and silk. This is because water can have an adverse effect on these fabrics and even cause the garment to lose its shape, shrink or fade.
It is the only way out to get rid of certain stains
Some stains can be rigid and are only removed through dry cleaning, such as stains of oil, dye, and tannin.
Every garment in the dry-cleaning process goes through a pre-spotting process where an experienced cleaner examines the garment to locate stains, followed by determining the source of the stain so that it can be removed with the appropriate solvent.
How Much Does Dry-Cleaning Cost?
Professional dry-cleaning can be expensive at times. Take a business suit, for example.
If you buy a suit worth $150, then you’ll have to spend $25 every time you get it cleaned. After six cleans, you’ll have spent as much money as you spent on buying the suit.
In fact, your monthly dry-cleaning costs can be really high if you keep buying clothes whose tags say ‘dry clean only!’
However, the good thing about dry cleaning is that it keeps your favorite dresses, cardigans, and suits in shape for years. On the contrary, dry cleaning can also be very costly. But how much does dry cleaning exactly cost?
Keep reading to find out!
Dry Cleaning Cost
The cost of dry cleaning varies from one state to another. What you may be charged at New York can be different from what you’ll pay at South Carolina, despite the services being similar.
It is known that dry cleaners can charge different prices for the exact same services. But the good news is that you don’t have to pay a huge amount to get good services.
Believe us when we say that shops that charge less are likely to offer similar services as shops that charge a considerable sum!
Besides, some ways can help you save money on dry cleaning. For example, instead of spending money on fuel to reach the shop, you can look for dry cleaners around your home. You can also utilize pickup and dropoff services at certain dry cleaning shops.
In addition, several shops provide discounts and offers throughout the week.
Dry Cleaning Cost for Different Items
While actual costs might be different, here is the breakdown of the average cost of dry cleaning different garments.
Dry Cleaning a Business Suit
The average cost of dry cleaning a business suit is $16. The cost depends on the type of material used. For instance, dry cleaning a polyester suit will cost less than dry cleaning a woolen business suit.
Dry Cleaning a Coat
Just like a business suit, the cost of dry cleaning a coat depends on the material. For example, the price for dry cleaning a leather coat will be higher than the cost for dry cleaning a woolen coat. However, the average cost is somewhere around $18.
Dry Cleaning a Shirt
Most shops will charge you less than $5 for dry cleaning a shirt. However, if you opt for hand-pressing after cleaning, you will have to pay an extra fee.
Dry Cleaning a Pair of Pants
The average price for dry cleaning a pair of pants is $7. However, some pants may cost you as little as $3.69, especially the ones made from linen.
Dry cleaning pants made of heavy materials like leather may cost you more.
Dry Cleaning Comforters
The average cost of dry cleaning comforters is $30 as it requires more effort and time. However, cotton comforters are less costly to dry clean.
Bottom Line
Dry cleaning might be essential to keep some of your garments in shape. Although the cost of dry cleaning per item may be low, it increases depending on your choice of dry cleaning shop, the number of garments, and the frequency of visits.
For this reason, it’s better to find the ideal shop that is close to your home and strikes the right balance of quality and price.
