Anyone have suggestions on making/keeping dry cleaning affordable? My dh wears slacks and sportcoats that have to be drycleaned, but it really gets costly to do so.

Dryel- you use your home dryer as dry cleaning. I think this works good as long as you don't have to worry about stains. I don't know about removing smoke smell (if you are a smoker) since we don't smoke but whenever we go out, which is never, I always let it air out first and have not had any problems.

http://www.dryel.com/

there's a coupon also.

allgirls

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allgirls, mom to 3 girls

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time

Thanks for the link, I requested the coupon. I really need to save $ on dry cleaning too.

Definitely shop around. We were so unhappy with our cleaners but kept using them because they were so close. The owner was a purebred jerk. Finally, after losing two of dh's very expensive shirts just before an important business trip (given to another client, and the owner wouldn't reimburse the cost of the shirts), we got an ad on our doorstep (perfect timing) about a service that picks up and delivers, plus they are loads cheaper. The quality has been better, too. I've never had luck with the $1.50 places,though. They throw everything together in one batch as much as possible and don't change their perk enough.

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Make someone's heart smile today.

of the dry cleaning products like Dryell. Real dry cleaning is not a dry process. A dry cleaner uses dry cleaning solvent (which is still a liquid) instead of water; that's why it's called dry cleaning, because they don't use water. When using products like Dryell, the heat from the dryer will set in the dirt that is on your clothes. The Dryell sheets may freshen them up a bit, but they cannot remove dirt or skin particles or whatever gets on your clothes from wearing them. Your clothes still need to be cleaned with dry cleaning solvent to get them clean.

Also, when manufacturers put care labels on clothing, they typically only list one care method, even when another method could be suitable. There are a few fibers that should never be washed in water, but several that are listed as dry clean only can be washed in water, only carefully. Check the internet for a website that lists water washable fibers and use that as your guide to cleaning. I have a BS in Applied Science (Apparel, Textiles, Merchandising & Design), so that's where I found all this out. Repeated use of only Dryell (and never having the garment professionally dry cleaned) will eventually ruin your clothes.

Most dry clean only slacks dont really have to be dry cleaned. The jackets can be worn several times. and you can freshen them up in the dryer. Buy at home dry cleaning kits to use inbetween.

Thanks for the info!!!!!

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Parker, Wyndser, and Carson....................Wyndser (in blue) with her cousin

Most of the people I know who use Dryell wear the clothes, then use Dryell once on them, wear them again, then have them professionally dry cleaned. As long as the dirt doesn't have a huge amount of wearing to set-in the dirt, etc. using Dryell probably won't kill your clothes.

Here's another tip: My husband also wears suits and dress shirts to work. These all state "Dry Clean Only". Our tax advisor told us that if my husband had a printed dress code at work, that the cost to purchase these clothes as well as dry clean them would qualify as a tax write off. My husband requested a copy of the dress code from his Human Resources dept. We have written off the cost of his work clothes and the dry cleaning of these items for two years now. Last year, we wrote off over $1500 this way.

I just wanted to let everyone know that this is NOT a legitimate tax write-off. The IRS is very clear on this point. This item often makes Top Five Tax Myth articles. For instance, here is an article from CNN: http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/29/pf/t...yths/index.htm

Basically, the IRS has two requirements that must be met and you only satisfy one of the items. I've included the relevant passages from the tax code below and bolded the requirement that has not been met.

Work Clothes and Uniforms
You can deduct the cost and upkeep of work clothes if the following two requirements are met.

• You must wear them as a condition of your employment.
• The clothes are not suitable for everyday wear.

The clothing must not be suitable for taking the place of your regular clothing. Examples of workers who may be able to deduct the cost and upkeep of work clothes are: delivery workers, firefighters, health care workers, law enforcement officers, letter carriers, professional athletes, and transportation workers (air, rail, bus, etc.). Musicians and entertainers can deduct the cost of theatrical clothing and accessories if they are not suitable for everyday wear.


By the way, the IRS was very careful to say 'suitable for everyday wear' so that you cannot say that you don't wear suits outside of work. You can go to a formal function wearing a suit; you aren't expected by the IRS to go to a wedding wearing a chicken costume. This issue has already gone to court and its not a grey area.

The basic IRS rules can be found in Publication 17. The link to this particular item can be found on the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch28.html

What should you do once you find out that you have errors on your tax return?

First, prevent the error from occuring in the future. The error that your tax preparer made was such a rookie error that I really think you should find a company with better credentials. This error is inexcusable. This wasn't an error regarding depreciation of assets of a foreign owned business; this is Tax Preparer 101 stuff.

Second, consider your options for repairing what was done in the past. This is your problem; you signed off on your tax return. The IRS will come after you, not the tax preparer.

When you find that you have submitted an incorrect tax return, you can file a 1040X to amend the return. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040x.pdf

Many tax companies will review old tax returns for free or for a nominal fee in the hopes of getting future business. I would take yout returns for the last two years to one of these companies and have a qualified professional review them and make any recomendations concerning amended returns. Any preparer who would make this kind of mistake would have likely made other mistakes as well. The good news is that legitimate deductions may have been missed as well!

I would definitely recommend finding out what errors were made regardless of whether or not you plan to file an amended return. The tax preparer will not force you to file an amended return nor will they notify the IRS.

To sum up:

1. Get rid of your current tax preparer
2. Find a competant tax preparer
3. Find out the extent of the damage your current preparer has caused
4. Consider filing a 1040X if appropriate