Laundry and dry clean
Laundry and dry clean
Race day dry cleaning in Sydney is best booked twice: once about two weeks before, so the outfit is pressed and ready, and once in the days straight after, before champagne, grass and fake tan have time to set. Sydney runs its spring carnival at Royal Randwick through October, with The Everest on Saturday 17 October 2026, and Melbourne Cup Day follows on Tuesday 3 November. For a quote, email info@washmate.com.au.
Race day is the one outfit in the year that is photographed from every angle and then treated worse than any other garment you own. It spends six hours on grass, in sun, near champagne, in a marquee. Getting it right is mostly about timing, and the people who leave it to the Thursday before are the ones who end up wearing something else.
The Sydney Everest Carnival runs at Royal Randwick across October, with The Everest itself on Saturday 17 October 2026, and the Melbourne Cup carnival follows in the first week of November, with Cup Day on Tuesday 3 November. Between them sit dozens of corporate marquees, office sweeps and Cup lunches across the CBD and the eastern suburbs. That gives Sydney a solid five weeks where the same wardrobe gets worn, marked and worn again.
Anything that has been in storage since last spring, and anything worn once and hung straight back up. A dress that looked clean in April may have oxidised perspiration or an invisible drink mark that has since turned yellow. Silk creases in storage and needs professional pressing rather than a home iron. Linen comes out of the wardrobe looking slept in. Tailored jackets need pressing to sit properly on the shoulder, which is what separates a good race day photo from an average one.
Two weeks is comfortable, and one week is workable. Race day dry cleaning in Sydney gets busy fast. Standard turnaround is 3 to 5 business days, so booking a fortnight out leaves room to fix anything the inspection turns up, such as a mark that needs a second treatment or a seam that needs attention before pressing. Demand climbs across the city in the ten days before The Everest and again before Cup week, so earlier is calmer. Express and same-day options are available subject to availability if your plans change, and you can book online, email, call or drop in.
Millinery is a different craft from garment cleaning, and we will be straight with you about it. Sinamay, straw, feathers and blocked felt each behave differently, and a wet clean will collapse the shape of most of them. Keep headwear dry, store it in a box rather than crushed in a bag, and brush dust off with a soft brush. If something has been marked, send us a photo before you do anything else and we will tell you honestly whether we can help or whether it needs a milliner.
Four things, and they arrive in this order. Fake tan transfers to the lining, the straps and the inside of a hem within the first hour. Sunscreen moves from shoulders and chest to necklines and collars. Champagne, prosecco and cocktails land at eye level and dry clear, so you often cannot see them until the sugar caramelises days later. Then grass and damp soil work into the back hem of anything long, especially after an afternoon on the lawn. Our summer event stain guide covers each one.
Hang it up, do not fold it, and do not put it in a plastic bag. Damp fabric in plastic grows mould within days, and that is a much bigger problem than the original mark. Brush off dry grass and soil once the hem has dried completely. Blot any wet spill with a clean, dry cloth rather than rubbing it. Leave the garment somewhere airy and out of direct sun, then book a pickup. The clock that matters is the one on invisible sugar and oil, not the one on the marks you can see.
Usually, when it arrives before anyone has heat-set the stain. Champagne and wine, grass, fake tan, sunscreen and makeup all respond well to bench treatment on the right chemistry for the fibre, and we clean the whole garment afterwards so there is no ring where the treatment stopped. What we generally cannot reverse is an old oxidised mark that has already yellowed the fibre, dye that has bled from one fabric into another, or damage from a home bleach attempt. We inspect every item and tell you before we start.
Dresses are dry cleaned from $28, two-piece suits from $37, coats and jackets from $29, and silk or embellished pieces are quoted after inspection because the fabric and construction change the work involved. Pickup and delivery runs across Sydney metro seven days from $15 per order, which covers the whole collection rather than each garment. Every figure is a starting price confirmed after inspection. The full list is on our pricing page.
Often, yes. Standard turnaround is 3 to 5 business days, and express and same-day dry cleaning are available subject to availability on pickup and delivery across Sydney metro as well as in store. If your Cup lunch is closer than that, book online, email info@washmate.com.au or call 0403 861 744 and we will tell you honestly what we can do for your timing. Our same-day dry cleaning guide explains how the express service works.
The Everest runs at Royal Randwick on Saturday 17 October 2026, and Melbourne Cup Day is Tuesday 3 November 2026. Sydney marquee and Cup lunch season sits across those five weeks.
Two weeks is comfortable and one week is workable. Standard turnaround is 3 to 5 business days, which leaves room to treat anything the inspection finds. Express options are available subject to availability.
Millinery is a different craft and most headwear will lose its shape in a wet clean. Keep it dry, store it in a box, and send us a photo before doing anything. We will tell you honestly whether we can help or whether it needs a milliner.
Usually, if the dress reaches us before the stain is heat-set. Champagne dries clear and turns brown later as the sugar caramelises, so send it even when you cannot see a mark. Old oxidised stains often cannot be reversed.
Dresses are dry cleaned from $28, two-piece suits from $37 and jackets from $29, with silk and embellished pieces quoted after inspection. Pickup and delivery runs across Sydney metro from $15 per order.
The outfit is the part of race day you keep looking at afterwards, in every photo. Get it pressed before, and cleaned before the champagne sets after. Dresses are dry cleaned from $28, suits from $37, pickup and delivery runs across Sydney metro seven days from $15 per order, and every price is confirmed after inspection. Book online, email info@washmate.com.au or call 0403 861 744.
Follow @washmate.sydney on Instagram for before-and-after garment transformations, care tips and a look behind the scenes at how our Sydney team works.
