Shrinkage

[Jaddy]

We are in Venice now. By the time we get on Connie on Nov.5 we will have been traveling in Italy for more than 2 weeks. That means lots of dirty clothes. Last year while we were aboard Eqinox for a shorter cruise I sent a shirt out for laundering and it came back horribly shrunk. Is that common aboard ship? If so, is there anything I can do to escape the shrinkage problem?

 

Also, if I send my suit out for pressing do you think they will do a good job with that?

 

Thanks.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Personally, we have had decent experiences with Pressing & Drcleaning Services aboard both M & S Class Ships.

 

Due to the experiences we have read here on CC about Celebrity's Laundry (you are but one) we have not risked it. We bring enough clothes to last us... Or we rinse out a few things in the cabin's bathroom sink. Much safer

 

Thing is we are admittedly picker about our laundry... At home most clothes items go in the washer (Cold or Warm Water Settings) and then are hung up to dry. Our drier is mostly used for household items likes Sheets, Towels etc... And heavy duty stuff like jeans.

 

Onboard ship it is my understanding that most things sent to the laundry are going to end up with less than ideal conditions... Warm or Hot Water, and Machine Dried.

 

Not sure how one would address this with Laundry Services... Another Poster recently wondered if they might be able to get their clothes back wet and on hangers ?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2119173

 

Most figured that would not happen... But I suppose you could always ask.

 

Cheers!

Edited October 30, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I first thought this was about swimming in Coldwater ;-)

Pressing and dry cleaning work just fine

Washed clothes are not ironed, and probably done in hot water

It was OK for the clothes I had brought on our 2 week cruise

Edited October 30, 2014 by Airbalancer

[jveevers]

I sent about a dozen t-shirts to Equinox laundry and most shrunk, some more than others and that included some more costly (and therefore hopefully better quality) ones.

[DebbieMacG]

I've sent a lot,of laundry on the ship BUT I am careful what I send and only send what I would tumble dry myself at home.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Yes, for laundry they use HOT water and a Hot dryer. If the material is cotton or shrinkable material, it will shrink. That being said, we always use the laundry service for our underwear and T shirts and have never had a problem. They are pre-shrink, so we know what to expect.

[jelayne]

Send out a pair of DH's slacks for Dry Cleaning although they can be washed. Apparently someone determined that we must have wanted them washed not dry cleaned & they came back shrunk & not pressed!

 

We have had good luck with things we get dry cleaned. I would only use the laundry for socks, undies, jeans, work out clothes, pj's and the like.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Send out a pair of DH's slacks for Dry Cleaning although they can be washed. Apparently someone determined that we must have wanted them washed not dry cleaned & they came back shrunk & not pressed!

 

I would have taken that up with Guest Relations. If you specified dry cleaning on the ticket, that is what you should have received. I've learned over the years to be very careful with what I send to the laundry. Only things that have been previously washed and dried many times. Good clothes are sent to be dry cleaned, even though at home I wash them.

[Sailawaytoday]

My clothes always shrink, the closer to the end of the cruise it is. :)

[CRUZBUDS]

[4774Papa]

We have used M and S class laundry for our clothes, including slacks, shirts of all kinds and of course undergarments and socks. Never had a problem. Some may need ironing, but you can request that as well.

[capecodder2]

We only bring every-day clothes that have been washed and dried at home many times, not fussy stuff. We don't buy new things for a cruise. That said, we have never had a problem with using the laundry service on Celebrity. I prefer that to having to carry more clothes and luggage.

[phoenix_dream]

We have used the laundry service many times. There is no question in my mind that they use hot water and hot dryers. Keep in mind that they wash more than one person's clothes in the same load - would you really want your laundry back knowing it was washed in cold or lukewarm water with other's?? Not me. Will your clothes shrink? Depends on the material and how often (and how) they have been washed before. We will only send underwear, pj's, and t-shirts and shorts that we know can stand the temps.

[sunlovingirl]

I know we did a behind the fun tour on Carnival, and they do wash on hot and dry with machines all clothes, but they only wash your clothes by themselves. I'm really careful with what I send, because I'm not super skinny and finding new clothes in a foreign country for anyone bigger than a M is difficult enough!

 

That being said, I have lost and gained *eek* one pair of underwear on separate trips. I never got my pair of undies back, and I did return the other pair I received... LOL someone must have forgotten to check the drum!

 

:)

[ABCruiser]

I have wondered how they sort all the laundry out...do they put one person's laundry in a big laundry first before they throw it in the load with other people's laundry? How do they know whos underwear is whos?

[rockdoctor]

My clothes always shrink, the closer to the end of the cruise it is. :)

 

Wow, I noticed the same thing. I wonder why it happens. Seriously, I rarely take new clothes on cruises - my old friends fit better and they are "pre-shrunk".

[Sloop-JohnB]

I have wondered how they sort all the laundry out...do they put one person's laundry in a big laundry first before they throw it in the load with other people's laundry? How do they know whos underwear is whos?

 

They tag everything (same as commercial laundries / drycleaners do on land). And as others have said it all gets combined into bigger loads, and with hot water (sanitation).

 

Then at the end someone has to sort it all, so it can be returned to the owners.

 

Cheers!

Edited October 30, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[griffy116]

Your laundry in put in a mesh bag that is labeled. Then it goes in the laundry with everyone else's mesh bag. They use to put a tiny little sticky label in the wasit/neck of each piece of laundry. I still have a few pieces of clothing with the little sticky label. It does NOT come out.

[chamima]

We send everything except for underwear to be Dry Cleaned, even if I wash it at home.

It's an expensive solution but if your clothes need cleaning .......

The other solution that someone we know had was to spend a day in port at a local laundromat doing their own clothes. I personally wouldn't spend my precious vacation time doing laundry but it is another option.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I don't send anything new or expensive to the laundry.

 

Even if they don't shrink, they look "washed out"!

[Gracie115]

I don't send anything new !

 

THIS is the key....if you've washed the shirt/pants, whatever, several times at home it should be fine even in the SUPER hot water they use.....never had a shirt shrink that had been washed before and I never send out stuff that can't stand up to the LITERAL beating they take in the ships equipment....these are HUGE washing machines they use and they don't wash on "delicate" cycles.......so don't send delicate panties or blouses .... hand wash in your room or take them home dirty....:eek:

[coldweathergirl]

If it's something that has room to spare and I'm not worried about shrinkage I'll send it out to laundry but if I'm concerned about the item possibly shrinking I send it to be dry cleaned or hand wash it in the bathroom sink.

 

Just a word of caution. I sent a very expensive white dress to get dry cleaned on board last year. (We don't have a dry cleaners where we live so often use hotels or ship services before heading home). Unfortunately because I wasn't planning to wear the dress anymore on the cruise I didn't examine it upon return and just packed it to come home. When I unpacked the dress at home I found it to have a really dingy appearance and it didn't have the same feel to the fabric. It almost felt very dirty. Loss of a dress and an expensive lesson learned for me.

 

 

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[varoo]

We only pack and bring along clothing that we are willing to send out to be laundered or dry cleaned.

 

Any clothing that we have doubts about gets left behind at home, along with the expensive jewelry. It makes for a happy, worry free vacation.

[Can'tstopcruising]

We only pack and bring along clothing that we are willing to send out to be laundered or dry cleaned.

 

Any clothing that we have doubts about gets left behind at home, along with the expensive jewelry. It makes for a happy, worry free vacation.

 

I feel the exact same way! Oh! and clothes we won't cry about if our luggage gets lost for good!!!!!

Edited October 30, 2014 by Can'tstopcruising

[ajaxup]

We usually send out one load every cruise that's usually underwear and t-shirts and shorts. I've always written on the laundry ticket in LARGE letters "WASH COLD". Also write it in spanish to be safe. Never had anything come back shrunk even though some of the items are all cotton. Hope our luck holds up in the future.:D