Pratesi pieces cleaned and hand-finished by Alex's Dry Cleaning Valet.
Heritage & Expertise
Pratesi, Cared For by Alex's Team
Founded in Florence in 1906 by wine merchant Remigio Pratesi — inspired, as the house tells it, by a love story — Pratesi grew from heirloom Tuscan tablecloths into what the world came to call the "Chanel of bedding." Its devotees have included Coco Chanel — who commissioned the now-iconic Tre Righe three-line motif in 1927 for her Paris apartment — along with Yves Saint Laurent, Ernest Hemingway, Lee Radziwill, and Elizabeth Taylor.
What makes Pratesi exceptional also makes it fragile: the celebrated triple-Baratta stitch, the hand-rolled hems, and the embroidery on featherweight Egyptian cotton can be permanently flattened, puckered, or yellowed by harsh detergents, agitation, and high heat. Alex's specializes in exactly this — the gentle, hand-finished care these linens demand.
Specialist Care
How Alex's Cares for Pratesi
We launder Pratesi by hand and on the gentlest settings, using pH-balanced agents and careful pressing that protect the embroidery, the stitchwork, and the supple Egyptian-cotton hand these linens are prized for.
Triple-Baratta stitch
Pratesi's signature three-cord satin-stitch border defines the look of the piece, and aggressive washing crushes its raised relief flat. We hand-treat each edge and press around — never over — the stitchwork so it keeps its dimension.
Egyptian cotton & Angel Luxe
The long-staple Egyptian cotton and Angel Luxe sateen behind Pratesi's softness scorch and pill under high heat. We wash cool with pH-balanced, residue-free agents and air- or low-heat dry to preserve the fiber's silky drape and lucence.
Hand-rolled hems & scalloped edges
Hand-rolled hems and scalloped finishes (as on the Treccia collection) distort and fray when machine-tumbled hard. We support and reshape these edges by hand through cleaning and finishing.
Embroidery & appliqué
Coco Chanel's Tre Righe lines, monograms, and appliqué details bleed, pucker, or lift in ordinary cleaning. We pre-test for colorfastness, clean gently, and press embroidered areas face-down on padding so the relief stays crisp.
Cashmere & cotton throws
Pratesi throws blend delicate fibers that felt and lose loft if mishandled. We clean them by the fiber, not the label, blocking each piece back to its true dimensions so it drapes as it should.
Pickup & Delivery
Door-to-Door Across the Bay Area
The same white-glove standard travels everywhere we serve. Pickup from your front door, doorman, or garage — returned cleaned, pressed, and ready to wear.
San Francisco
Monday – Saturday
Next-business-day return; Saturday pickups return Tuesday morning.
Peninsula & South Bay
Monday · Wednesday · Friday
Returned on the next scheduled service day.
Marin County
Every Day
Same-day return is the standard — morning pickups come back the same afternoon.
East Bay
Thursday & Saturday
Returned on the next service day.
Wine Country
Monday & Thursday
Sonoma & the Napa Valley — $300 service minimum, or a $75 delivery charge each way.
$75 minimum per pickup with free pickup and delivery across San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and the East Bay. Wine Country (Napa, Sonoma & St. Helena): $300 service minimum, or a $75 delivery charge each way. Same-day service available in most areas for an additional fee.
Common Questions
Pratesi Garment Care FAQ
How do you clean Pratesi linens without ruining the embroidery and triple-Baratta stitch?
We treat every Pratesi piece by hand. The triple-Baratta border and Tre Righe embroidery are pressed around and face-down on padded surfaces — never crushed flat under direct heat — and we wash cool with pH-balanced, residue-free agents to protect the long-staple Egyptian cotton. Spots are tested for colorfastness before any treatment so embroidery and appliqué never bleed or pucker.
Do you pick up Pratesi linens in San Francisco, or do I have to bring them somewhere?
We come to you. Alex's Dry Cleaning Valet is door-to-door across San Francisco and the Bay Area — there's. Simply text 415-338-9318 to schedule a pickup and we'll collect your Pratesi bed and table linens from your home and return them hand-finished and ready to use.
Will dry cleaning yellow or stiffen my fine Pratesi sheets over time?
Not the way we do it. Yellowing and stiffness come from harsh detergents, optical brighteners, and high-heat drying that build up residue and break down cotton fibers. We use gentle, residue-free agents and low-heat or air finishing, which keeps the Egyptian-cotton hand soft and the white grounds bright — preserving Pratesi linens as the heirlooms they're meant to be.