Booking and pickup
Everything starts with a call or WhatsApp to 9836233354. For orders above ₹1,000, we collect from your address across 30+ areas of Kolkata. The driver arrives at the confirmed time, checks the garment count at the door, and issues a pickup receipt with individual garment codes.
Each garment gets a unique tag at the point of pickup. This tag stays with the garment through every subsequent stage and is the reference point for the quality check at the end. It ensures that your Banarasi saree and your neighbour's Banarasi saree — picked up on the same day — do not get confused at any point.
Intake and inspection
At the facility, each garment is inspected before anything else happens. The inspector checks: fabric type and composition (to determine the correct solvent and temperature for pressing), existing stains (type, location, approximate age), any existing damage that predates this cleaning (to document and protect against dispute), special embellishments that need particular care (zari, sequins, mirrors, beaded work), and any care label instructions that override standard process.
This inspection typically takes 2–3 minutes per garment. For a heavily embroidered lehenga or a complex wool suit, it can take 5–10 minutes. The inspection record travels with the garment.
When a garment arrives with pre-existing damage — a small tear, a previous stain that has oxidised, a loose embellishment — the intake inspection protects both you and us. It means the damage is documented before we touch it, not discovered when we return the garment.
Pre-spotting stains — the most skill-intensive step
Individual stains are treated by hand before the garment enters the machine. This is the step that most determines whether a stain comes out — not the machine cycle itself.
Each stain type requires a different pre-spotting agent. Oil-based stains (ghee, cooking oil, makeup) need a different solvent treatment than protein-based stains (blood, sweat, food). Tannin stains (tea, coffee, wine) need a different approach again. Metallic stains (ink, rust) need specific chelating agents.
Why garments should be brought in promptly: The pre-spotting success rate drops significantly for stains older than 48–72 hours. A fresh food stain that arrives the day after it occurred has a much higher removal probability than the same stain presented three weeks later.
The machine cycle — what actually happens
Pre-spotted garments are loaded into the drum, placed in mesh bags where needed. The drum is loaded to a fraction of its capacity — overcrowding reduces cleaning effectiveness and increases the risk of mechanical damage to delicate fabrics. The cycle runs for 8–15 minutes.
Inside the drum: solvent is pumped in from the recovery tank, the drum rotates slowly, the solvent penetrates the fibres and dissolves oils and particulates, the drum continues rotating to ensure complete solvent contact. The solvent is then extracted at high speed — centrifuged out of the fabric — then pumped back to the recovery tank for filtration and reuse.
The drum then transitions to the drying phase: warm air circulates through the drum, evaporating the small residual amount of solvent from the fibres. The garment is completely dry when it exits.
Pressing and finishing
Every garment is pressed individually with boiler-generated steam. This is the step that takes the most time for complex garments — and the step most visible in the final result. A well-pressed Banarasi saree and a poorly pressed one look immediately different.
Steam temperature is set by fabric type. Silk is pressed at 110°C maximum — higher temperatures cause permanent sheen marks. Wool at 120–130°C. Cotton and linen at up to 180°C. Each fabric type has a specific temperature and pressure combination.
For embroidered garments, each embellishment requires individual attention — pressing around zardozi work, not over it; using a needle board for velvet pile sections; protecting mirror work with a pressing cloth.
A simple shirt takes 5–6 minutes to press well. A heavily embroidered lehenga can take 30–45 minutes. This is why the 48-hour standard turnaround exists — the pressing queue, not the machine cycle, is the time constraint for large complex orders.
Quality check and return
Every garment is checked against its intake record before being packaged. Stains noted at intake are checked again — if a stain has not been removed, this is flagged and either a second treatment is applied or the limitation is noted on the return record. Any pre-existing damage is confirmed unchanged.
Garments are hung on padded hangers, covered with breathable cloth garment bags (not polythene — polythene traps moisture), and grouped by customer order. Returned to your address on the confirmed delivery date.
Remove your garments from the polythene transport bags within a few hours of collection and hang in a ventilated space. The polythene is for transport protection, not storage. Silk and wool stored in polythene long-term can develop moisture damage.
Every garment entering The Swiss Laundry is inspected individually, assigned to the correct cleaning programme, and returned to the same person who booked it. Our 9-stage process from pickup to doorstep return has been refined over 13 years at Kasba, Kolkata. Call 9836233354 for a pickup.