Author: Laundry Point

Ready to dive into the treasure trove of thrift shopping that exists in Melbourne? It’s not just about saving a few bucks—it’s a full-on quest for unique, sustainable fashion gems that can totally revamp your wardrobe. Whether you’re a deal hunter, a vintage aficionado, or a green warrior fighting fashion waste, we’ve got some insider tips to help you pick the best pieces without getting overwhelmed. And hey, if you’re in Melbourne, you’re in luck—places like Camberwell markets are a goldmine for thrifty treasures.

1. The Basics: What to Snag:

• Feel the Fabric: Trust your touch—natural fibers like cotton, wool, and silk often outlast synthetics and just get better with age. Polyester on the other hand may make you sweat but the good news is that its incredibly sturdy and can usuallly be dry cleaned or washed. Pretty handy when it comes to cleaning.
• Sturdy Stitches: Peek inside the clothes. Good construction means even, strong seams that won’t give up on you after a few wears. Alternatively, some vintage garments are ready to fall apart as soon as you clean them for the first time in years so take care.
• Brand Buzz: Yep, you can totally find designer labels. Keep your eyes peeled for those high-end tags at low-end prices, especially at bustling spots like Camberwell markets.

2. Check for Boo-Boos:

• Quick Fixes: Missing a button? No biggie. Zipper off track? Easy fix. Minor repairs such as these can be fixed at home if you’re handy with a needle and thread. Alterations businesses like Looksmart have tons of locations around Australia and are reasonably priced too. Something minor like this should not stop you from purchasing the vintage piece of your dreams.
• Know When to Fold ‘em: Some issues are beyond a quick DIY, like serious rips or shrunken sizes. Significant tailoring like altering the fit can be expensive too. If it feels like too much hassle, let it go.

3. Stains: The Deal Breakers or Makers:

• Small Spots: A tiny stain on a killer piece? Often, a good wash or a trip to the dry cleaner does the trick. A good dry cleaner can usually get out oil stains too. Might be worth taking a chance. Just don’t take it to a so-called organic dry cleaner who is really just washing, they’ll never get it out.
• Tough Stains to Skip: Watch out for nightmares like paint or scuff marks. These can be heartbreakers that stick around. Yellowing under the armpits or the collar is not going to come out either. Best to let them go.
• Where’s the Stain?: If it’s tucked away inside a seam or under a collar, you might not sweat it. A stain in the middle of a pattern is rarely noticed even if it doesn’t come out. But front and center in the middle of a non-patterned piece of fabric? Pass!

4. A Little Help from the Dry Cleaner:

• Pro Tip: Unsure about a stain? Give your local dry cleaner a quick call before you buy. They’ll give you the lowdown on whether that spot’s going anywhere.
• Value It Right: If a piece is really special (like, “where have you been all my life?” special), factor in the purchase price + the cleaning cost + remaining life of the garment. It could still be a steal!

5. Timing is Everything:

• End-of-Season Scoops: Hit the racks as seasons change. Shops clear out old stock, and that’s when you find the real bargains.
• Deal Days: Know your store’s sale schedule. Some thrift shops have tag sales or student days with extra discounts.

6. Local Hotspots:

• Camberwell Markets: Often hailed as the very best place to find one of a kind vintage pieces in Melbourne, Camberwell Markets offer a vibrant mix of vintage clothing, accessories, and much more. It’s a perfect spot to practice these thrift shopping tips and find your next standout piece.

Thrift shopping is more than just picking up pre-loved clothes—it’s about strategy, savvy, and sometimes, a bit of serendipity. And when you find that perfect vintage piece that needs a little TLC, we’re here to help. Here at Laundry Point we work solely with highly experienced, DIA-affiliated dry cleaners who are experts at removing tough stains from vintage fabrics. So, with these tips and resources like Laundry Point at your disposal, you’re all set to make smart, stylish choices that are kind to your wallet and the planet. So, grab a friend, explore local markets, and have fun hunting for those standout pieces. Who knows what amazing finds you’ll come across?

Got a thrift tip of your own or scored an amazing find recently at Camberwell or elsewhere that has a stain? We use the best, most experienced dry cleaners in Melbourne so download our app today because if we can’t get the stain out, nobody can. Otherwise hit us up on social media and show us what you got. We love hearing from our thrifty community.

Happy thrifting!

When it comes to the maintenance of our professional wardrobe, who we entrust with our garments is critical. Choosing the right dry cleaners for suits is as essential as buying quality suits in the first place. A well-chosen dry cleaning service can extend the lifespan of your suit, maintain its pristine appearance, and ensure you always look your best when it matters most.

Dry Cleaners for Suits: More Than Just Cleaning

One might question, why is the selection of dry cleaners for suits so important? Suits are fairly robust items, aren’t they? Dry cleaning is not just about removing stains and dirt, but also about preserving the suit’s form and texture.

You see, one of the most important aspects of dry cleaning which is often overlooked is the pressing. Poor pressing can result in a sharp crease down your lapels which immediately cheapens the look of the suit. Or, if the pressing has caused the interior fabric to show through, or created a button outline. Worst of all is ironing at home which can cause the fabric to shine. A suit that’s been correctly pressed will hold it’s shape while you wear it, not drape off you like a used car salesman. It will also reduce the appearance of bubbling and fraying which spell disaster for any suit.

Extending the Lifespan of Your Suit

Whilst suits do change fashion from time to time, they do not change fashion often. Therefore, suits are investments that can last for years, if properly maintained. Selecting a good dry cleaner can significantly extend the lifespan of your suits. Good dry cleaners understand the fabric and structure of your suits and can ensure that they maintain their form and color over time.

For instance, dry cleaners use solvents that are gentler on the structure of the suit than water and laundry detergent. Dry cleaning helps to preserve the delicate fibers of your suit, keeping them looking as good as new for longer. Indeed, if you’ve ever accidentally washed your suit at home you’ll know that the fabric will go fuzzy and the suit will lose its form completely, among other things.

Dry cleaning will reduce colour fade, both overall and along the seams. Still, imperceptible fading will occur even with dry cleaning, which is why you should always dry clean your blazer as often as your pants; to ensure they fade at the same rate. Because nothing ruins a suit faster than the pants looking a slightly different colour than the blazer! This is why many people purchase their suits with two pants as the pants need cleaning about twice as often as the blazer.

Dry Cleaners for Suits: The Convenience Factor

As time-poor professionals, we often juggle between work commitments and maintaining a polished appearance. A service that offers pickup and delivery, like Laundry Point, comes in very handy in such situations. Our service provides a seamless and convenient way to ensure your suits are always ready and waiting for your next big meeting or event and gives you one less thing to worry about in your hectic schedule. We handle the logistics so you can focus on the more important things in your professional life.

Conclusion

Choosing the right dry cleaners for suits can impact not just how you present yourself, but also the longevity and durability of your professional wardrobe. By selecting a service that understands the importance of careful pressing and has the knowledge to extend the lifespan of your suit, you are ensuring you make the most of your investment.

Moreover, thanks to our pick-up and delivery service, maintaining your professional appearance need not come at the expense of your valuable time. For time-poor professionals, this is undoubtedly a game-changer.

Choosing the right dry cleaners for suits, therefore, is a decision that should not be taken lightly. Do your research, consider your options, and make a choice that will keep you looking your best for years to come.

Looking for the best dry cleaning near me? Consider leveraging a dry cleaner delivery service. It’s clearly superior to traditional stores in every way. Here’s why:

Accessibility

The further away from the city you live the harder it is to find a good dry cleaner. A delivery service extends the reach of the best dry cleaners in Melbourne so that more people can access them than ever before, regardless of where they live.

The Time-Saver

Traditionally, you’d search for your local dry cleaner, load up your car, and make the trip. The process is repeated all over again when picking up your cleaned clothes. With a delivery service, that time is saved, not to mention the mental load. Your dry cleaning is picked up and delivered without you leaving your home or office, freeing up your valuable time.

The Comfort Factor

With a dry cleaner delivery service there’s no battling traffic, hunting for parking, or waiting in line. It’s about creating a comfortable, hassle-free dry cleaning experience right from your doorstep.

Reliability and Consistency

Laundry Point’s professional dry cleaners offer a delivery service providing reliable and consistent results. They follow a strict schedule, ensuring your clothes are cleaned and delivered on time. A service this reliable and consistent can become part of your routine, providing peace of mind which means you’ll always have your favourite suit ready when you need it most.

Quality Service & Professional Care

Laundry Point prides itself on offering a higher level of care for your garments. In fact, Laundry Point’s Dry Cleaners are even contracted to follow industry best practice. All of Laundry Point’s Launderers are DIA Affiliated Dry Cleaners with at least 10 years experience. Can your local Dry Cleaner provide that kind of assurance?

Saving Money

When considering the costs associated with dry cleaning, we must factor in more than just the price of the dry cleaning itself. There’s also the cost of fuel or public transport to get to and from the dry cleaner, not to mention the value of your time.

By contrast, Laundry Point’s pickup and delivery service is genuinely free, operated at their Launderer’s expense. This arrangement saves you the expense and effort associated with transporting your clothes. Moreover, by freeing up your time, these services let you focus on more important aspects of your life, be it work, family, or leisure. Even so, Laundry Point’s dry cleaning prices are even lower than most local Dry Cleaners, and certainly lower than the high quality ones with which they deserve to be compared.

Conclusion: The Future of Dry Cleaning is Delivery

The reasons to choose a delivery dry cleaning service over traditional shopfronts are compelling. With increased convenience, superior care for your garments, savings in time and money, and a quality guaranteed approach, the choice seems clear. The future of dry cleaning is here, and it’s delivered right to your door.

So next time you’re thinking about searching for ‘dry cleaning near me,’ remember the benefits of a delivery service. Give it a try and experience the convenience, quality, and efficiency that this modern approach to dry cleaning offers.

Whether you’re a busy professional, a parent juggling multiple responsibilities, or simply someone who values their time and the environment, a dry cleaning delivery service could be the perfect solution for you.

Find out more about Laundry Point‘s apps that make using the best free service in Melbourne a breeze.

Many people don’t understand what it is that dry cleaners even do.

For example, did you know that dry cleaning was once a two- or three-year apprenticeship?  So few people are getting into the industry today that they can no longer provide the TAFE level course that a true apprenticeship requires.  With the best dry cleaners in the industry retiring and no longer getting replaced it really is an aging artform.  That is why it is getting harder and harder to find a truly skilled Dry Cleaner.

But why would anyone need to study dry cleaning in the first place?  Surely it’s just cleaning clothes, right?  There is a whole lot more to it than that.

This article gives you six things to look for in order to find the best dry cleaners in Melbourne. 

1 – Affiliated Members of the Dry Cleaning Institute of Australia

The Dry Cleaning Institute of Australia (DIA) is the governing body for this industry here in Australia.  Affiliation entitles any customer that uses a DIA member to free garment appraisal should anything go wrong.  This is particularly useful if the dry cleaner denies responsibility.  The DIA can’t force a dry cleaner to pay out compensation. However, the Small Claims Court would almost certainly agree with the DIA’s findings on the matter.  That is why only the best dry cleaners in Melbourne put their hand up to offer their appraisal service free of charge. All of Laundry Point’s dry-cleaning partners are DIA affiliated.

2 – Free Pickup & Delivery

Let’s get real.  It’s 2022.  Dry cleaning work is very labour intensive so it is understandable that the local store barely stays open past office hours.  That’s not ideal for time poor professionals though.  This is where Laundry Point comes in.  It helps bring the best dry cleaners in Melbourne into the modern age.  It even provides them with apps to help them stay organised.  So, it’s fair to say that our Dry Cleaner business partners love Laundry Point as much as our customers do.

3 – Pre-Examination of Garments

All garments should be checked for damage or stains prior to cleaning.  They also need to be checked for items such as pens left in pockets. These can bleed onto garments if they get put through a dry-cleaning machine. 

The fashion industry is always changing. So, the best dry cleaners always check the Care Label attached to every garment as well, no matter how experienced they are.  These labels act as a warranty. If garments are processed contrary to those instructions and the garment gets damaged you are no longer covered.  Worse, the dry cleaner is now liable but who needs the headache when all you wanted was a clean garment?  The good news is that Laundry Point’s dry cleaners are contractually obligated to stay within the Care Label instructions.

4 – Pre Treatment

Now that garments have been checked and significant staining found those stains need to be pre-treated. Failure to pre-treat will result in less stains being removed but some still skip this step.  This usually occurs when the dry cleaner is a paid member of staff rather than an owner operator.  Staff tend to cut corners as they are not beholden to repeat business, they get paid regardless. 

5 – Processing

A dry-cleaning machine is a lot like a washing machine.  It even has different cycles such as “delicate” like a washing machine. And, without getting too technical, whites are also treated differently to darks. 

In addition, these days there a couple of alternatives that your dry cleaner might use for the actual dry-cleaning process.  These are usually traditional Perc drycleaning or so-called organic dry cleaning.  It is true that Perc is not as good for the environment.  It is also true that it is far superior in removing stains and is safer for many fabrics.  The safe use and disposal of this solvent is highly regulated. So, you don’t need to be any more alarmed than you might be when using bleach to clean your bathroom.  Sometimes necessary & certainly not the end of the world. 

Organic dry cleaning on the other hand is actually not dry cleaning at all. In fact, the DIA insists its members refer to it only as wet cleaning as garments using this technique are essentially washed.  It smells a lot better than dry cleaning and is more environmentally friendly so certainly has its uses.  We have both kinds of dry cleaners at Laundry Point and can bring them to bear as required.

6 – The Most Important Part – Quality Control

After pressing, the best dry cleaners will have one more step in the process, the all-important Dispatcher role.  The Dispatcher may touch up the pressing as required and remove any lint or pilling from the garments.  Stubborn stains that still need work are also returned to the dry cleaner for spot cleaning by hand.  This is where the Dry Cleaner’s experience really counts. 

Dry cleaning apprentices used to study the nature of fabric and stains in order to know what solvent is best used to remove the latter.  For example, dairy stains are protein based so require an alkaline based spotting agent to remove them.  Red wine stains include tannins, so an acid-based spotting agent is required there.  These solvents are commercial grade strength and need to be handled correctly. This is why you won’t find them in the supermarket. Some stains may be impossible for even the very best dry cleaners to remove. Nonetheless, you may be surprised when a stain described as immovable by one dry cleaner is suddenly removed by another, more experienced operator. 

7 – Next Level Know How

Lastly, don’t be alarmed if a good dry cleaner asks to go outside the Care Label instructions.  If a stain hasn’t come out, then the best ones may have the know how to break the rules and add years to the life of your garment.  They should always, always ask your permission first though as there is always some risk involved when breaking rules.  Only you will know if a risk is worth taking. 

Perhaps now you see that there is a lot more to dry cleaning than meets the eye.  Laundry Point was started by a second-generation dry cleaner and his wife and yes, he did the apprenticeship.  That’s why they know so much about the dry-cleaning process and how to choose the best dry cleaners.  Best of all they’ve gone out and done all the hard work for you to bring them to your door. 

To book one of the best Dry Cleaners in Melbourne download the app here. Alternatively please visit our Pricing page for more information.

Look in any wardrobe and you will find the most expensive garments in there are probably labelled “dry clean only”. This is why the drycleaning company you choose to clean them matters. 

Your sharpest suits and delicate beaded silk dresses cost a lot of money to purchase. Therefore, it is extremely important to find someone you can trust to maintain them. But, with one or more dry cleaners in virtually every suburb how do you know who you can trust? Dry cleaning is a highly specialised trade. It involves solvents, procedures and techniques that can vary greatly depending on the garment.

Thankfully, Laundry Point has taken all the trial and error of finding a good dry cleaner away. We only partner with DIA affiliated dry cleaners with a proven track record and contract them to adhere to our quality standards.

Here we outline our process to show you just how much who you choose to take care of your drycleaning matters.  

Why The Care Label Matters

Did you know that the Care Label attached to every garment acts as a warranty? Let’s say that the Care Label attached to your black and white striped tshirt says “wash in cold water. If you do as instructed but the black bleeds onto the white did you know you can take it back to the shop that you purchased it from and demand a refund? However, if you washed it in warm water you have effectively voided the warranty and there is nothing you can do about it.

This works in exactly the same way for dry clean only garments. We have contracted our dry cleaners to follow the care instructions on every garment you put in for dry cleaning unless they have your express permission to do otherwise. Why would you give such permission? Years of experience can provide a seasoned professional with an array of tips & tricks. If our dry cleaners have tried everything within the Care Label Instructions to get a stain out but it still won’t budge, they may offer to try something else. At that point, what have you got lose? 

Why Experience Matters

Laundry Point drycleaners have access to a vast amount of industry experience. Laundry Point’s founders are extremely experienced, second generation dry cleaners who work hand in glove with their suppliers. They also provide their suppliers with the combined know how of an extensive dry cleaning community. So you’ve taken your garment elsewhere but they can’t get that stain out? You’ve come to the right place. If we can’t get it out, no one can.

Why Industry Affiliation Matters

All Laundry Point dry cleaners are members of the governing body for the drycleaning industry, the Drycleaning Institute of Australia (DIA). Why should that matter? The DIA literally wrote the book on industry best practices which the courts use to establish fault and compensation. Our suppliers are contractually obligated to adhere to these best practices.

So relax. Your investment in your wardrobe is more protected than with any other dry cleaning service. We literally guarantee it.

Click here to find out more about our Dry Cleaning services, including pricing.