Since my husband and I bought our own place, my job has been to do the dry cleaning (among many other of the household chores, but that is another story). My job is flexible and this allows me to take on this responsibility. We find that our average weekly dry cleaning bill is about $18-$20. This mainly consists of my husband’s work shirts and pants, plus my occasional item.

Non Iron Shirts

Recently I had been toying with the idea of the Brooks Brothers non iron shirts. The idea behind them is that you can wash and dry them at home and they come out looking clean and fresh. The main downside of these shirts is that they are $79.50 each! Yes, I agree that it’s ridiculous, and I don’t believe that anyone can even try to make the math work out in favor of these shirts rather than buying less expensive shirts and dry cleaning them. That being said, I bought my husband one of these shirts for Christmas. I must admit that the quality of the shirt is amazing, and my husband, who wrinkles in 2.5 seconds of putting on the shirt made it throughout the day looking like he just put the shirt on! I loved it and so did he, but we both could not even rationalize buying more.

Finding a Good Deal on Non Iron Shirts

During a visit with my mom we were outlet shopping and happened into the Van Heusen outlet. Here they had the Donald Trump brand of the “non iron” shirts for $30! I must admit that the shirts weren’t as thick as the Brooks Brothers ones, but the idea of the non iron was still there. So I bought him two shirts. He wore all of his shirts and it was time for the test….to wash them! It made me a bit nervous since I was always taught to bring these shirts to the dry cleaner, but my nerves were settled the moment I took the shirts from the dryer. You do need to bring them out of the dryer right when they are done, but they came out great! I put them right on the hanger and they were ready to be worn again.

I have heard that on friends and family day at Brooks Brothers the shirts come out to be $50 a piece, and although that is still extravagant I am still thinking that buying some could be worth it. My husband found that they could even be worn a second day (that is if he didn’t spill something on it). Also, I hear that the outlets carry them for a much lower price than $79.50. This could also be an option in the future. The Donald Trump brand doesn’t seem to be as sturdy but definitely serves it’s purpose. These I feel I will buy more of, especially at the $30 price tag!

Non Iron Shirt Success

I just finished wash number 2 with a success! They are on the hanger and ready to wear. Completely unwrinkled, and no ironing necessary! A+ in my book! So what are your thoughts on these shirts? Any secrets to where to find them inexpensively? Any other brands than the above mentioned that have worked for you? As always I am open for suggestions.