Are you looking for a laundress to take the responsibility of cleaning, folding, hanging, altering, and everything associated with garments and linens? That’s exactly what a laundress can do for your estate. Let’s go over exactly what a laundress does and how they fit into your domestic staff.
What is a Laundress?
The estate laundress is a professional whose responsibility it is to care for the laundry and fine garments in an estate home. They also maintain closets and dressers and may do some light cleaning when the housekeeper needs help.
The estate laundress must have an eye for detail to launder clothes correctly and keep them in pristine condition. They should also be able to tackle fresh stains and know how to protect delicate fabrics. Your laundress will work quickly and efficiently to get the job done right so that you have what you need, when you need it.
The Benefits of an Estate Laundress
There may be an understanding to some of what a laundress can assist with, but benefits go well beyond what most expect. Here are some benefits you can expect from your personal laundress.
- Washing and folding all the laundry can be very time consuming, and the laundress can take care of this for you.
- The laundress can also hang and organize your clothes in a way that makes the most sense based on your personal needs.
- If you have delicate fabrics or expensive garments, it is best to have someone specifically take care of them who knows how to handle them properly; the laundress is well equipped to handle this responsibility.
- The laundress will not just clean the garments and linens, but maintain or improve the condition. This extra effort helps to prevent future damage.
- If you have a large family, hiring a laundress may be more affordable than investing your time to do all the laundry yourself.
Once on the job, you will find more benefits to having a laundress when they tailor the service to your family’s needs. Now, let’s look at the role a laundress plays on your estate team.
The Role of a Laundress For Your Estate
A laundress is the perfect addition to your team, not only taking responsibility away from your family but also the domestic staff. The laundress assists cooks by providing them with supplies they need and the housekeeper so that they can focus on more detailed cleaning work.
Washing Clothes
Your laundress understands exactly how they should wash each garment. When needed, they pre-treat any spots on clothing using a specific stain solution for that type of spot. Their expertise expands beyond washing and into laundress products, often making recommendations what you should keep in your estate home.
Since every garment is different, the laundress takes the fabric, color, and weight of the clothing into consideration when deciding on the best washing method.
The temperature of the water, fabric soap, and cycle time are determined based on the type of fabric. After the wash cycle is complete, your laundress will know how to dry the clothing based on the fabric type as well.
Drying Clothes
Having a laundress that understands the best way to dry each garment is key to preventing shrinkage or damage. Different fabrics require different drying times and temperatures. For example, they should dry wool on a low heat setting for a shorter period, while they can dry cotton on a high heat setting for a longer period.
Your laundress will be a specialist in these details so that your clothing appears new even after many washes.
Certain clothing may need dry cleaning. Your laundress is aware of the garments they cannot wash in a washing machine. Here, laundresses set them aside so that the dry cleaner can take care of it for you. Once returned, they can then examine the work and hang the item properly.
Pressing and Ironing
After washing and drying the clothing, your laundress will move on to pressing and ironing. They use a variety of tools to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Once finished, your clothes will look brand new and ready to wear.
Different fabrics require different ironing techniques. For example, they should iron silk in a low heat setting, while they can iron linen in a higher heat setting. Your laundress knows exactly how to press and iron each type of fabric so that it looks its best.
Alterations & Repairs
Keeping a careful eye on your clothing for alterations and repairs is another important duty of a laundress. If a button is missing, they will sew it back on. If a seam is coming undone, they will stitch it back together. And if a hem needs to be taken up, they will do that as well.
By taking care of these smaller details, your favorite clothing will last much longer.
For alterations, a laundress with this skill can let you know if something needs to be taken in or let out. They can also hem pants, skirts, and dresses to the perfect length.
Caring For Linens
Not only does the laundress take care of garments, but they make sure linens are clean and fresh. They wash, dry, and press your sheets, towels, and tablecloths. In addition, with the skill of sewing, they can embroider linens with your initials or family crest. These are the benefits you find once establishing a professional relationship with a laundress.
Bedding
Your laundress takes care of all your bedding. They wash, dry, and press all of your sheets, blankets, and comforters. They set aside any bedding items requiring an industrial washer and give the company detailed instructions on how to best care for this bedding item.
Organizing Your Closet & Dresser
The last step in the cleaning process is organizing your closet and dresser. Your laundress understands how to arrange your clothing, making it easy for you to find what you need. They also take the time to fold and hang everything so that it looks its best.
As you can see, hiring a laundress to take care of your laundry will save yourself time and energy. There is nothing more relieving than walking into a perfectly organized closet, where you can see your clothing, helping to determine your ensemble in advance.
Inventory Management
One of the most important duties of a laundress is inventory management. This includes keeping track of what items need to be washed, what is currently being washed, and what they have already washed.
Not only does a laundress manage the inventory during the cleaning process, but also those items that are not regularly used, such as formal linens and seasonal wardrobes. The laundress makes sure that these items do not present any issues when it comes time for their use.
Estate Laundress Placements in Santa Barbara County
Are you looking for a laundress for your estate? We can help. We have the right laundress for your private home. Like all household staffing services we offer, our laundresses have experience and strong references. Contact us to learn more about our laundress staffing services.