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If a dry cleaner claims they do “all work done onsite,” they’re either lying or incompetent

Only 10-15 percent of dry cleaners have the equipment and expertise necessary to handle everything that comes in for cleaning. Smaller dry cleaners often outsource work on leather and handbags, and sometimes wedding gown and upholstered items, to specialists. Or at least they should, says Chuck Horst, president of Margaret’s Cleaners in La Jolla, California. “If you only do 50 handbags a year, you will never learn how to do it properly.” He recommends looking for a cleaner that at least does dry cleaning and shirt laundering onsite or at a facility they own, rather than sending it off to a wholesaler. That way, Horst says, “They own the whole process and can’t lay blame on someone else.” And here are the 10 laundry mistakes you never knew you were making until now.