After we’ve determined which of your shirts may be laundered and which have to be dry cleaned, the first thing we do is make sure every laundered shirt has a bar code hidden on the inside, and if not, we’ll use a heat seal machine to apply one. What does this do for us, and what does it do for you?

Once a bar code is affixed to the inside of a shirt, we’ll scan that bar code into the computer and input details about that shirt. This makes tracking your items much easier going forward. By scanning the bar code, we’ll know that it’s your shirt, how many times you’ve had the shirt cleaned with us, whether you’ve had starch or no starch on the shirt on previous orders, and any special finishing requests you have for your shirts, like creasing the sleeves or folding and boxing your shirts. (More on the art of what we in the dry cleaning industry call “finishing” in a later section.)

Having scan-ready bar codes is an advantage for our employees because it allows us to process your orders faster, without having to input the fabric, style and brand of your shirt into our computer every time. And bar codes also add an element of security for you, because they reduce the possibility of user error. It’s impossible for us to accidentally put your shirt in somebody else’s order, because the bar code would tell us we’re trying to assign it to the wrong customer. This process significantly reduces the odds of lost items.

1. Why are shirts laundered rather than dry cleaned?
2. What shirts can be laundered, and what must be dry cleaned?
3. Why do women’s shirts sometimes cost more than men’s?
4. What’s the value in putting a bar code on your shirts?
5. What is starch, and should I get it on my shirts?
6. How do we remove those nasty collar stains from your shirts?
7. What machinery is used in cleaning and pressing your shirts?
8. What kind of quality control measures are in place for shirts?
9. What is 'finishing,' and what does it mean in regard to shirts?
10. What's the expected lifespan of a shirt, and how can I prolong it?