To wash, iron, and fold a dress shirt will take about 15 to 20 minutes of work, assuming you have many shirts to work on. Your local drycleaner will typically charge $1 to $2 per shirt. So why spend the time to do the work yourself? Will the shirts last longer or look nicer when ironing them by hand compared to having them pressed at a drycleaner? The truth is, if you carefully select a good dry-cleaner, your shirts will last just as long, and will look much nicer than a shirt you ironed yourself.

How to Find the Right Dry-cleaner?
Unless you enjoy ironing dress shirts, you will probably agree that doing this type of work is not worth your time. Don’t just go to the next available dry-cleaner, but consider the points below:

• DistanceYou are using a drycleaner for convenience, and it is important that going to the drycleaner is not a burden. With that in mind, the perfect dry-cleaner should be closely located, and offer convenient parking. If you are driving to work, check if there are any drycleaners on the way. This way you can drop off and pick up shirts and suits on the way to work, during lunch, or on your way home.
• Price If you wear a dress shirt every day, than your dry-cleaning bill can add up. Depending on where you live, drycleaners typically charge between $1 and $2 per dress shirt. If you have a list of a few conveniently located dry-cleaners, than call and check on their pricing on dress s shirts, and 2-piece suits.
• Turn-around time There are times when you will need your suit dry-cleaned within 24 hours. Check with the cleaner how quickly they can work. Are they open on weekends? When do they open in the mornings? Also, ask if delivery and pick-ups are an additional service.
• Cleaning and Pressing Methods Ask how they clean and press a clothing item. What you want to avoid is a place using fabric harming chemical cleaners. Also check on how regularly they use bleach on your white dress shirts. Even though bleach is needed in some cases to get stains out, it should be used only when necessary to prevent damage on fabric and threads. Besides the use of chemicals, check if anything of the shirts is ironed by hand. A good drycleaner will iron your collar and cuffs using a hand held iron.

How Long Will A Shirt Last
As a good rule of thumb a dress shirt can be washed and ironed 50 times before you should sort it out as a shirt worn with a suit and tie. A good indicator is the wear on the collar, the tips of the collar, and the cuffs. But do not throw the shirt away. Striped, checkered, and non-white dress shirts can still be worn for casual attire.

Other Tips
If you travel frequently, then tell your drycleaner that you would like a few of your shirts folded instead of hung on a hanger. This way you will always have a few folded dress shirts in your closet that can easily be packed for travel.