It’s a rainy afternoon on July 18, and Charles MacPherson, former butler and current founder and CEO of Charles MacPherson Associates Inc., is showing a roomful of reporters how to pack freshly ironed clothes without so much as wrinkling a sock. The demonstration was also filmed and aired on their corporate blog, The Butler Speaks.
The dynamic speaker and owner of the butler school, MacPherson converted the loft space in the Corktown District of Toronto twelve years ago. The academy was opened to the press to demonstrate how a polished, luxury residence or hotel makes their clients look good.
The Art of Packing Wrinkle-Proof Luggage
“The main trick to packing to create volume: Use tissue paper. Line the luggage with tissue paper, and always identify which part of the luggage is the bottom. It’s usually the part where the luggage rests when it’s upright. That’s where you put the shoes; then your clothes are folded up on top.”
Once the shoes are wrapped in yet more tissue and placed at the base of the luggage, two jackets go in next. Folded along the length, the sleeves and collar are stuffed with tissue, and then placed in the suitcase. Pants are next, also folded in a length of tissue, and then finally the nooks and crannies are stuffed with T-shirts or underpants, which are rolled like a Yule log and crammed into the spaces between items.
Once you’ve reached your destination, sort your clothes out from light to dark, with your pants and shoes aligned underneath. If your hotel closet does not have a separate pant rank, fold your pants in half over your hanger, with its matching shirt (and jacket, if applicable.) Place the shoes that work with that outfit just underneath. This way, when your big meeting, or date occurs, you’re not caught fumbling through your closet for a matching outfit.
How to Look Like You Have a Butler
Looking like you own a butler doesn’t mean owning expensive luggage or clothes, but it does mean taking care of the items you have. According to MacPherson, “Poor skills and lack of training are the single greatest cause of damage to household surfaces.” Knowing what is in the household, what items are on hand, and how to fix them is what makes for an effective butler.
Be your own butler by organizing your pantry, or storage room so that your cleaning supplies are on hand, along with your favourite stain-removal advice book. A manual of what you need to know about your house keeps things running effectively, such as knowing where your fuse box is, and knowing which switch is where: Keep a box of flashlights, candles and matches near your fuse box for the moment your lights go out.
Good Domestic Help Anticipate and Prepare for Crises
MacPherson states that housekeepers they’ve trained keep a list of emergency numbers on hand: A tip that works in a smaller household as well. Along with the number for your local poison control centre, household doctor, neighbour’s emergency numbers, there are more basic numbers to keep on hand.
Keep a track of your appliances serial numbers and their accompanying toll free assistance numbers in your agenda or file folder. Find out which plumber in your neighbourhood offers the least expensive service and is available twenty-four hours a day. Keep that number on your speed dial for emergencies: A real butler would be able to stem that leak with a neat twist of a handy wrench.
Once you know where to go for help, and what to do in the meanwhile, you’ll be that much cooler and more collected should a crisis occur.
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