A crisp and clean shirt conveys a sense of professionalism and is a staple for any business wardrobe. Starch has been used for centuries to help keep fabrics crisp and wrinkle-free. While some people love starch for the look it gives their shirt, some people feel like it makes the fabric too uncomfortable to bear. There’s good and bad to using starch on your shirts.
The good:
Starch is a natural compound in plants. It’s useful, especially for all-cotton or linen garments, for giving a garment body and shape. It creates a stiffness in the fabrics that makes it easier to iron and harder to wrinkle. Regular starching can help a shirt hold its fresh-pressed shape longer.
Starch can also help prevent stains or make stains easier to clean when they happen.
The bad:
Clothes wear out naturally but the use of starch may cause shirts to wear out even quicker. The firmness starch adds to fibers may cause them to snap rather than bend and this eventually results in frayed collars and cuffs.
Some people feel like starch causes their shirts to feel itchy or uncomfortable. For a busy executive who wears business shirts all day every day, this can be a problem.
Our process:
At Prestige our experienced staff will help you find a solution you can live with. Based on the care of your business shirt we will launder or dry clean and press your shirt according to your preference. You can also request starch in your laundry or sizing on your dry-clean-only shirts which will help keep the garment looking fresh for longer.
If overuse of starch is causing your business shirts to fray, a professional seamstress may be able to “turn” the collar. We have expert seamstresses who are able to carry out this request. Just ask about this service the next time you come in.
We’re committed to excellence and take the extra time to address imperfections, replace buttons, or hand iron a seam. For the busy executive who travels for business, upon request, we can also starch, (and for an extra charge) individually fold and pack each shirt into a recyclable carrying tote.
