Your Dry Cleaner?s Double Standard


Women are charged more for dry cleaning services. Don't fume, find a better way. While it is true that the practice is unfair it is also true that we have options for keeping our clothes clean and holding onto more of our cash. Try some of these tactics to stem or stop the unfair flow of your dry cleaning dollars.

? Examine labels before you make a clothing purchase. Go for easy care (read machine washable) items whenever possible.

? Determine if dry cleaning is a suggestion or a mandate before you shell out big bucks. If dry cleaning is not necessary for the care of your fabric, consider gentle hand or machine washing.

? Investigate home dry cleaning products such as Dryel. These products work with a special bag and fabric-softener like cleaning sheet, and your dryer to freshen your clothing. You can find home dry cleaning products in the laundry aisle of your grocer or local discount store. Dryel and similar products typically run around $10.00 and clean 6-9 pieces, a significant savings over dry cleaning costs.

? Negotiate with your dry cleaner for better prices. Politely mention your concerns around gender price differentials and ask that your cleaner offer comparable prices for comparable fabrics.

? Invest in a steamer. They are now widely available and priced affordably.

? Take advantage of savings and discount programs. Some dry cleaners offer discounts with pre-payment or a particular number of items.

? Pay cash. Unless you pay your credit card balance in full each month you incur additional costs in interest on top of your already exorbitant dry cleaning costs.

? Wear clothing items twice, instead of once before making a trip to the cleaner.

Dry cleaning costs can run as high as several hundreds of dollars each year. These costs are inflated by gender bias. Fight back and keep more of your cash with a few of the suggestions listed above.

Enjoyed this article? Read similar ones here.

Nicole Soltau is the President and Founder of http://CreditUnionRate.com - The Leading Credit Union Directory Search, Find Join.







Related News



Compound Interest - Personal Finance Fundamentals - SavingAdvice.com

Compound Interest - Personal Finance Fundamentals
SavingAdvice.com, WA -Sep 7, 2008
At this point, my dad taught me a simple formula in finance known as The Rule of 72. This formula is used to determine how long it will take for an ...

DEMOfall 08: Rudder offers an effortless personal finance snapshot - VentureBeat

DEMOfall 08: Rudder offers an effortless personal finance snapshot
VentureBeat, CA -16 minutes ago
Rudder addresses this problem with a web-based personal finance solution that lets you look ahead. The Houston, Texas-based company, debuting at DEMOfall 08 ...

One year after Mint wins TechCrunch40, Green Sherpa enters the ... - VentureBeat

One year after Mint wins TechCrunch40, Green Sherpa enters the ...
VentureBeat, CA -16 minutes ago
The company says that the market is big enough, but I’m not so sure. After all, how many desktop-based personal finance management products actually matter? ...

Mutual Funds & Personal Finance - Investor's Business Daily (subscription)

Mutual Funds & Personal Finance
Investor's Business Daily (subscription) -Sep 5, 2008
BY DONALD JAY KORN In the past year, the credit crunch has spread from mortgages to student loans and other types of debt. Home equity lines of credit have ...

More Personal Finance Daily stories - MarketWatch

More Personal Finance Daily stories
MarketWatch -Sep 3, 2008
Gee, you mean I shouldn't treat unrealized profits as actual profits, thereby exacting real moentary value from an asset that has yet to transfer? ...

The week's top Personal Finance stories - MarketWatch

The week's top Personal Finance stories
MarketWatch -Sep 6, 2008
By MarketWatch In case you missed them, here are the top 10 Personal Finance stories from MarketWatch for the week of Sept. 1-5: As investors, they fly solo ...

Personal Finance: Leaving a detailed legacy for the living - The Daily Advertiser

Personal Finance: Leaving a detailed legacy for the living
The Daily Advertiser, LA -3 hours ago
Organization has become a very popular theme over the past few years. From the way we organize our closets, to how we manage our workflow at the office, ...

Rudder Reinvents Personal Finance Management and Unveils ... - Earthtimes (press release)

Rudder Reinvents Personal Finance Management and Unveils ...
Earthtimes (press release), UK -15 minutes ago
"Rudder has the potential to be a disruptive force in the personal finance space." "Because we understand that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to ...

Bill Mandating Personal Finance Passes LeadAR General Assembly - PR Web (press release)

Bill Mandating Personal Finance Passes LeadAR General Assembly
PR Web (press release), WA -3 hours ago
... real change in legislation in order to see college students and the next generation make more responsible choices when it comes to personal finance. ...

Personal Finance: Ask bank questions when depositing foreign currency - Sacramento Bee

Personal Finance: Ask bank questions when depositing foreign currency
Sacramento Bee,  USA -Sep 7, 2008
(For a handy conversion calculator, go to www.finance. yahoo.com/currency.) Because fees vary, the California Bankers Association recommends getting at ...