Shirt Laundry

Introducing Jermyn Street ShirtCare for fine cotton shirts

RAVE FabriCARE consistently delivers the cleanest, brightest and finest hand ironed shirt in the Southwest.

Fact is, we’re recognized by a number of independent, non-compensated, authoritative experts as one of the finest shirt laundries in the USA and Canada.

And, unlike ordinary cleaners, we do this all without brushing, bleaching, boiling and baking the life out of your fine shirts.

Why, you may ask, do we process your shirts with such extraordinary care?

Because the majority of the shirts we care for are either bespoke, made-to-measure, or are manufactured by serious shirt makers such as Borelli, Brioni, Carnali, Kiton, Lorenzini, Stefano Ricci and Zegna; Abbarchi, Alexander Kabbaz, Charvet, Emma Willis, Harvie & Hudson, Hemrajani, Henry Poole, Hilditch & Key, New & Lingwood, Thomas Pink and Turnbull & Asser; Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Paul Stuart, Saks Fifth Avenue and Wilkes Bashford. And many others too numerous to mention.

Shirts of this quality dictate extraordinary care.

This way they’ll still look their best after 50 plus cleanings. Instead of being thrown out or consigned to the charity bin after 25 to 30 “commercial launderings” – the insurance industry standard for the life of a shirt.

Don’t settle for ordinary

Truth be told, any ordinary cleaner can “clean and press” a shirt. In 4 hours or less.

But there’s much more to crafting extraordinary shirts than jamming them in a washer, injecting hot water and harsh, caustic, industrial grade detergents, banging them out on a shirt pressing machine at the rate of 40 to 50 an hour, creasing the sleeves and stuffing them in a bag.

This is the factory approach to cheap, fabric destroying shirt laundry.

There’s got to be a better way.

And there is.

At RAVE FabriCARE, our shirt laundry process comprises 7 critical functions:

Examine and assess

We start by carefully examining each shirt for oil-based stains, soil and water-based stains.

And assessing the item’s age, fabric content, dyes, construction and condition, including pre-existing damage and defects.

We also remove all metal and plastic collar stays so that your shirts are never hand ironed with the collar stays still inserted. This avoids those unsightly collar stay impressions that you  typically find on shirts returned to you by ordinary cleaners.

Soak to remove oil-based stains

After examination and assessment, we soak your fine shirts in a dermatologically-friendly, odorless, fabric gentle, environmentally benign dry cleaning fluid for about 15 minutes.

And why do we do this?

Because it’s the only way to safely and gently dissolve oil-based stains such as body oils, hair oils, creams and lotions as well as greasy food deposits without resorting to conventional washing techniques that use hot water combined with harsh, caustic, industrial grade detergents and bleaches in an (often futile) attempt to “boil away” these oil-based stains.

And because it’s the only way to ensure that, when your fine shirts are finally ironed, those body oils, hair oils, creams and lotions as well as greasy food deposits don’t transform or oxidize through heat into difficult to remove yellow and brown spots and stains.

And the dry cleaning fluid we use?

The same gentle fluid we use to clean your “dry clean only” bespoke, made to measure, designer, high fashion, specialty and couture garments. A fluid used by fewer than 5% of all dry cleaners.

Fact is, our dry cleaning fluid is so gentle it’s used as a base ingredient in many personal care products you drip into your eyes and apply to the most sensitive parts of your skin on a daily basis. Products such as shampoos, antiperspirants, deodorants, moisturizing creams, lipsticks and the like.

So gentle you can (legally) wash your face and hands in it.

Now you know why soaking to remove oil-based stains is critical.

Soak to remove soil and water-based stains

Next, we soak your fine shirts in special water-based solutions to relax/open the fibers and release soils and water-based stains. For a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours for shirts with french cuffs.

Why is soaking critical to the stain removal process?

For 3 reasons:

Conventional washing techniques involve tumbling your fine shirts in a washer wheel in a mix of hot water, harsh, caustic, industrial grade detergents and bleaches

High thread count shirts are sensitive to hot water, harsh, caustic, industrial grade detergents and bleaches.  

True quality shirt care requires a reduction in the wear and tear that could result from the use of these conventional washing techniques.

Conventional washing techniques involve longer wash cycle times to allow the hot water, detergents and bleaches to penetrate the fibers and release the soils and water-based stains

High thread count shirts are sensitive too long wash cycles.

True quality shirt care requires a reduction in the length of the wash cycle.

Conventional washing techniques involve high temperatures and bleaches

High thread count shirts are sensitive to high temperatures and bleaches.

True quality shirt care requires a lowering of temperatures and the elimination of bleaches.

Summary of why soaking is important

In summary, conventional washing techniques involve washing your fine shirts in hot water, harsh, caustic, industrial grade detergents and bleaches for an extended period of time.

All no no’s.

The late Alexander Kabbaz, a world-renowned bespoke shirt maker, offered this care tip on his website:

“Allowing a shirt to soak … reduces the amount of scrubbing needed to remove soil, therefore reducing wear. The longer it is permitted to soak, the better the results.”

Now you know why soaking to remove soil and water-based stains is critical.

Launder gently and briefly

After soaking, we gently and briefly launder your fine shirts in computer-controlled wet cleaning machines where microprocessors control water temperature, water levels, and the speeds of the washes, rinses and extracts to exacting specifications.

Here’s a little more information on this subject:

Pre-softened water

We only use pre-softened water.

Cold water

Our water temperature is cold (during the winter months) or cool (during the summer months). There’s no need to wash in hot water because the prior soakings have already removed all the oil- and water-based stains that can possibly be removed.

Please remember that we are based in Arizona. The outdoor temperature is cool to warm in the winter and hot in the summer. So the temperature of the incoming water is cold to cool, depending on the time of year.

Short wash

Our wash cycle is short, typically 5 minutes. There’s no need to wash for an extended period of time – say 30 to 45 minutes like ordinary cleaners – because the prior soakings have already removed all the oil- and water-based stains that can possibly be removed.

Premium detergents

We only use gentle enzyme detergents from Sanitone ®, the premier manufacturer of high quality dry cleaning and wet cleaning detergents in the USA.

Only dry cleaners licensed by Sanitone can use Sanitone products. RAVE FabriCARE has been a Sanitone licensee for almost 35 years.

Our Sanitone enzyme detergent is pH balanced.

• So it’s free of alkaline detergent residues, has a pH close to that of human skin and is hypoallergenic.
• Fragrance and perfume free. So it’s suitable for those who are sensitive to fragrances and perfumes.
• Phosphate free. So it’s biodegradable.
• We don’t use sodium hypochlorite (aka household bleach) or sodium peroxide in our wash cycle. These   bleaching agents fade colors and weaken/rot fibers over time.
• We don’t use fabric softeners in our wash cycle. Softeners yellow fabrics over time and the fragrances and perfumes in softeners are not suitable for those who are sensitive to fragrances and perfumes.
• We don’t overload our wet cleaning machines. This reduces the possibility of abrading your fine shirts.
• We don’t launder your fine shirts together with other items to be wet cleaned. Zippers, metal buttons and other fabrics with rough surfaces can pill the fibers.

Rinse and then starch if required

After a brief laundering, we rinse your fine shirts in cold water (during the winter months) or cool water (during the summer months). This ensures that your fine shirts are free of any possible irritating chemical residues.

Please remember that we are based in Arizona. The outdoor temperature is cool to warm in the winter and hot in the summer. So the temperature of the incoming water is cold to cool, depending on the time of year.

After a brief laundering, we starch your shirts to your personal preference using the finest, natural wheat starch for a smooth, even application.

Why wheat starch?

Because wheat starch will completely dissolve the moment it comes into contact with water – every time the shirt is subsequently soaked or laundered.

At RAVE FabriCARE, we don’t use cheap synthetic starches (poly vinyl acetate commonly known as PVA) or synthetic blended starches (PVA and vegetable) which adhere to your shirt’s fibers like a coat of paint. Every time your shirts are starched another “coat” is added.

Very soon, they begin to walk by themselves!

A note about starching...
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At RAVE FabriCARE, we offer a choice in starch: No starch or very light starch.

If you ask for medium starch, we'll have a polite conversation during which we'll ask you to reconsider your choice. If you ask for heavy starch, we'll, most likely, refuse to service your shirts.

There is one exception to this "rule": On tuxedo shirts, we'll be happy to apply a medium starch to your pleated front or flat bib, your collar and your cuffs.

Iron to perfection (with NO sleeve creases)

After laundering and starching (ifrequired), we steam them out and hand iron them to perfection, payingparticular attention to the collars, cuffs, front and sleeveplackets, side and sleeve seams, underarms, body to sleeve seams,sleeve to cuff seams, pockets and epaulets.

And we never, ever crease your sleeves from the shoulder to the cuff. Unless, of course, you specifically request us to do so. And then only after we try to convince you otherwise.

BTW, have you ever given any thought to why dry cleaners crease the sleeves of your fine shirts? The answer is simple: It's to disguise the fact that their shirt pressing process is relatively poor and creasing the sleeves of your shirts tends to hide those imperfections.

One more point on creases in sleeves: If you own any “non-iron” shirts and any of those shirts were processed by a cleaner who automatically creases the sleeves of all their laundered shirts, those creases are now permanent and cannot be removed. In such cases, we have no option other than to return those shirts with creased sleeves.

Inspect and package

Finally, they’re carefully inspected and individually packaged. Never more than 1 shirt to an extra-wide bag.

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Summary of our laundered shirt process

That’s the brief low down on what it takes to produce a true quality laundered shirt.

Now that you know some of the things we do, you’ll also want to learn some of the things we don’t do.

A hand-ironed shirt? Not!

Some ordinary cleaners claim that they routinely hand iron all your laundered shirts.

Can this be true?

Of course it’s not true.

For example, there are over 400 cleaners in the metro Phoenix, Arizona area. A handful claim to routinely hand-iron all your laundered shirts – a truly mind-blowing claim given that their laundered shirt prices start at about $2.50.

Show us a cleaner in the metro Phoenix area that routinely hand irons all your laundered shirts, and we’ll show you pigs that fly!

By way of background, here’s what happens to your laundered shirt – even at the so-called “better cleaners” or the self-styled “couture care specialists”…….

Your shirt is laundered using conventional washing techniques – scrubbing, hot water, harsh caustic industrial grade detergents and bleaches.

Then it’s pressed on a series of machines that have all the precision of a sledgehammer: one for the body, one for the sleeves and one for the collar and cuffs. Typically, at the rate of 40 to 50 per hour.

Finally, your shirt is “strategically touched up” by hand … if deemed necessary … if you’re lucky. And then, typically, only on the sleeves and underarms.

This is the shirt that’s passed off to the customers as a hand ironed laundered shirt.

Unfortunately, a 2 to 4 minute machine pressed, touched up laundered shirt (aka a “hand finished laundered shirt”) is not an 10 to 20 minute hand ironed laundered shirt.

To qualify as a hand ironed laundered shirt, the shirt must be PARTIALLY steamed by machine and then COMPLETELY pressed by hand (that’s a hand ironed laundered shirt). Not COMPLETELY pressed by machine and then PARTIALLY touched up by hand (that’s a machine pressed, hand touched up laundered shirt aka a “hand finished laundered shirt”).

At RAVE FabriCARE, every laundered shirt is hand ironed. As a matter of routine. Not machine pressed and then strategically “touched up” … if deemed necessary … if you’re lucky.

At RAVE FabriCARE, we’d never pass off a machine pressed, touched up laundered shirt (aka a “hand finished laundered shirt”) as a hand ironed laundered shirt in the hope that you’d never know the difference between a $2 to $4 machine pressed, touched up laundered shirt or “hand finished laundered shirt” and a $15 to $20 hand ironed laundered shirt

Our folded shirts: say goodbye to the “slept-in” look

If you travel frequently, like to stack your shirts vertically on shelves or are short on closet hanging space, you might ask your cleaner to “box” or “fold” your shirts.

However, when you open the packaging, your shirts look like a rumpled, slept-in mess.

Why?

Because a shirt wrinkles when extreme pressure is applied.

And where does that pressure come from?

• From machine pressing
• From machine folding
• From being stuffed into a thin, narrow poly bag.

Here’s one more reason: the cleaner has prior knowledge that the shirt will be folded. So why bother with a “proper pressing” (as they might define it) when you know that the subsequent folding will destroy the “pressing” anyhow?

Given this situation, how do you maintain the pristine condition of your shirts and avoid that rumpled, slept-in look typically associated with folded shirts from an ordinary cleaner?

The answer is simple: RAVE FabriCARE’s hand-folded, air-cushioned shirt.

• We carefully fold your shirt in half. Not in thirds, like ordinary dry cleaners.
• We fold by hand. Never, ever by machine, like ordinary cleaners.
• We cushion the folds with sheets of acid-free tissue. And support the body and collar with a special shirt board, a plastic collar insert and tissue in the collar.
• Finally, we seal the shirt in a heavy gauge shirt bag with a “built in” cushion of air. We even have different widths of these heavy gauge shirt bags to accommodate shirts owned by clients of every height and build.

We also offer a “short fold” shirt tailored to the depth of your storage cabinetry. Just specify the maximum length of the poly bag and we’ll accommodate your needs. Same folding process; shorter poly bag.

So go ahead. Manhandle your folded shirts. Stuff ’em in that suitcase.

You’ll find that the RAVE FabriCARE folded shirt travels beautifully. With practically no wrinkles or creases when the package is opened up.

Fact is, we'd go so far as to suggest that our folded shirts will arrive at their destination in far better condition than the hangered shirts that you might have personally carried by hand on your travels.

All shirts that are requested to be folded or that arrive at RAVE FabriCARE through our Nationwide Clean By Mail or Worldwide Clean By Mail service are always folded and returned in this manner.

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Our folded shirt challenge

Many of our Nationwide Clean By Mail and Worldwide Clean By Mail clients tell us that our folded shirts -- when opened and hung on a hanger - look far superior than any of the hangered shirts they've personally picked up from their local cleaners.

How can this be?

Because RAVE FabriCARE's commitment to shirt care extends to every facet of our process.

There are no short cuts. No compromises. Just extraordinary care. From starch to finish.