To Hand Wash or Dryclean? 5 Secrets to Success when Hand Washing!

I am getting this question regarding "hand wash vs dryclean" more often and the answer is more complicated than you may expect. Some items hand-wash beautifully! But there are risks.

I always recommend you take your items to the drycleaner!


Why? 2 reasons: 1) Cleaning items always involves (at least a small) risk. And a trusted drycleaner has the experience and training to minimize these risks - and - worse case scenario - if something were to go wrong, a reputable drycleaner should help resolve any issues. and 2) How much is your time worth?

Many items people believe are dryclean only, really are not! Cashmere and many silks hand wash beautifully! That said - here are the solutions to the most common issues in hand wash!



RULE #1: NEVER HAND WASH AN ITEM WHEN THE LABEL READS "Dryclean Only" or "Do Not Wash!" They mean it! And beware the trim and other add-ons. Often a label will read . . . excluding trim (watch for this with leather trim!). I recommend not buying garments with labels like that - it means there is no way to clean that garment!

Risks: Water is a harsh solvent. Water may cause fabrics or linings to shrink, colors and trims to bleed, older fabrics, or heavily soiled (old stains) may rinse our with holes. Certain fabrics do not wash well - acetate and velvet come quickly to mind! And I would leave any leathers to the professionals. It is always a good idea to test a garment before committing the entire piece into the bath!

5 factors to consider when Hand Washing:


1) Stains: When you clean with water, BEWARE! If there are stains, and you do not remove them, they are likely set for life!



2) Pilling: Unfortunately, the price you pay for a sweater and whether or not it will pill are unrelated. Expensive garments are often made from poor quality yarn fibers that break easily. You can reduce pilling by turning it inside out before dipping - dry flat. A razor or shaver can do wonders. I do not recommend the stone or tape, both of which can make the problem worse.



3) Wrinkling: Hard wrinkles are normally created in the dryer. Do not overdry clothes - they should be slightly damp when they come out of the dryer AND do not overload the dryer OR your washer! Line drying can cause the same issue - the sun can overdry and/or bleach your clothes. Often these wrinkles become permanent! Wrinkles should be removed promptly - especially in knits - Once set they may become permanent.



4) Color Fading: Natural fibers do not hold color! That is why jeans fade so easily. Silk is also a natural fiber. Today's polyesters are amazing, and I would recommend that if you prefer black or navy shirts, to consider one of the new blended materials. Cold water and light drying (see above) are also recommend!



5) Color Bleeding: This applies to both trims and black (red or any bright color) and white prints. The only way to be sure is to test. And then you still can't be sure! Dyes are supposed to be fixed by the manufacturer - but often this doesn't happen. You can fix the color by soaking it a color fixative, but it is not always possible. I recommend consumers take item that fails back to where you bought it - I never understand why people forgive retailers for selling non-cleanable items. If more people held clothing manufactures accountable - perhaps the problem would lessen.. . . . .

Whoops - guess cleaning is in my blood, and I can't help having a (strong) opinion on the matter!

Save Time & Money, Read Garment Care Labels!

Did you know that in the US, the FCC requires that all wearable garments must have a care label attached, that offers at least one method of cleaning the garment?

There is no law that the method stated need be correct, but that at a minimum, law requires clothing manufacturers to try and give consumers a method to maintain the item. While this may sound odd, it is better than many other countries that require no such thing!

When you go shopping for clothes, take a moment to look at the care label. You can save yourself time, money, aggravation, and disappointment.

Most garments have a written care label, a content, and a symbol. All 3 give valuable information.

A few examples of written care labels:

Do not launder, do not dryclean, spot clean only: These items cannot be cleaned, so be prepared. This is often the case for polypropylene jackets or fancy gowns with lots of ornamentation. There are some cleaners that specialize in these sort of garments, however, it will all be by hand. Don't expect miracles on the stains, but do expect to pay a lot of money for cleaning, if you have that kind of cleaner in town!

Cold water wash, cool iron: This one is fine if you are doing your laundry at home. But if you are buying a shirt that you expect to have laundered for under $2 or $3 dollars, this wont be it. In fact, if you take it to the drycleaner - it most likely (not always) will be considered dryclean. This is one of the many reasons women are charged more for blouses. Does your blouse have this care label? Then the cleaner will likely dryclean it!

Do Not Dryclean: Clear enough, but if you do take it in for cleaning - point it out!

Clean by zirchonian (or wedding gown method): I have no idea what that is (I suppose I shouldn't admit that, but I have never met anyone with a strong explanation!). I think some old time wedding gown manufacturer tried to trade mark his "cleaning method" and got the name on care labels. Genius marketing! I read it the same as wedding gown method, which, I take to mean "BE VERY CAREFUL!" I love cleaning fine gowns, and many people are surprised that I wet clean at least 50% of the gowns, silk included. Beads, and other adornments often make gowns uncleanable in traditional drycleaning and the trains get incredibly dirty when dragged on the floor. Water is a great solvent for food and wine!

How and Why to Read The Material Content

• For labels that say cool water wash, the next step is to look at the fiber content. If the garment is over 50% polyester - well that's plastic and it will melt in commercial laundry



• Spandex (usually 2% to 5%) Also plastic, it needs a "cool" iron. This translates into drycleaning prices. Again, if you do your own shirts at home - its no problem. Home irons are always cool. But cotton blend shirts cannot be cleaned for a commercial laundry price!



• Rayon, tensile, viscose these are all derived from plant materials and considered dryclean only, cool iron materials



• Metallic, This is a new material being used in very fashionable circles that is giving the drycleaning world headaches. Typically the care label is dryclean only. At this point, I would not buy a garment with metallic. The problem is that metal and material shrink and stretch due to temperature in very different ways. This can create a very wrinkled look. Sometimes that is the intention and sometimes it is not. As a drycleaner, metallic is the one material that bothers me, because there is a good chance that the care symbols will be wrong! This is because the manufacturers are still trying to figure it out. They had the same issue with Spandex when it was first introduced, and I know that a lot of angry customers blamed their cleaner for a manufacturing issue!

Let's Get Sweaty!

Here it is, August already. What is a drycleaner to talk about? How about sweat? During the hot sticky summer months (like August and September where I live), going outside means that I am most likely going to sweat. Did you know that sweat can damage your clothes!? And that it is among the most difficult stains to remove from fabrics?

Now, you may be wondering, SO WHAT? It's just sweat, WASH IT OUT!

Most people think perspiration stains are no big deal, and that they can be easily removed in the laundry. Well that may be true some of the time, However perspiration stains are among the most difficult stains to remove from fabrics.

CONSUMER TIP: If you sweat in your clothes, clean them as soon as possible.

Perspiration not only stains fabrics, but the chemicals contained in it can affect dyes resulting in color changes. Although perspiration is mostly water, it contains a vast variety of chemicals all affected by the individuals own body chemistry; diet, medications, ingested, etc. Perspiration also contains fats and cholesterol. Perspiration can permanently stain protein fibers like silk and wool. Although the staining most commonly occurs in the underarm areas, it may also be found around the waist, on the back panel of a garment or inside the neckline.

Tears on the backside of men's shirts are often due to fibers weakened by perspiration - and I am talking all types of shirts here, cotton, rayon, silk, etc. By waiting even just a week before cleaning, your clothes can be damaged by perspiration!

Don't make the same mistake I did!

This is going to be more like a confession. A "do as I say not as I do."
Tonight I am going to a rather formal, rather large birthday party charity event. I was very excited!
So yesterday I went to my closet to get out a beautiful black dress that I only ever wore one time. You know the dress. It makes you look and feel wonderful. The perfect dress that you looked for for years - then found it felt even better when you wore it.

Well I got it out, and to my horror, there were some dirt marks on it.

I had put the dress away last year WITHOUT CLEANING IT.

I know why I did this:

• it looked clean
• I only wore it one evening
• and dry - cleaning is expensive.

The thing is, I know better. I work in drycleaning. If anyone wants their clothes to last - they need to clean them before storing:

• Soils left in material attract insects that can damage material.
• soils left in material oxidize over time and become more noticeable and harder to remove.
• soils left in material can pull color over time.

So now, as I mourn my perfect dress and prepare to go out and buy a new dress for tonight, I share this story so that you can learn from my mistake. Buying a new dress is much more expensive than the cleaning cost would have been - and that doesn't include the time or stress of running around last minute. . . . . OK well the last minute part may be a different problem.
The moral of the story: Clean your clothes before putting them away for storage!

What you should know about the Clean Show!

I just got back from New Orleans and am so excited about all I saw and heard about. I had never been to New Orleans and loved the chance to see the city (and the swamp, which I highly recommend seeing if you get the chance!).

It took me 2 days to walk the entire show - and I am going to present the few things that the general public may be interested in:-)

I thought the entrance to the show was very striking this year, so I included a photo for you!

The number one theme that ran through this show (besides clean of course) was a move to be more environmental. In an industry that is constantly under attack for toxic chemicals, detergents, plastics, etc. I loved seeing everyone trying to be green!

From green detergents for use by the cleaners to green detergents to sell to the drycleaners customer. The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists was touting their ZeroCarbon wedding gown preservation. There were two degradable plastic vendors and at least 4 reusable garment bag companies. I think the Green Garmento is a marketing warrior. They managed to get their bags as part of the Swag bag given to the stars at the Oscars!

However, I thought the Green Earth people took the prize for the best display. They provide an alternative solvent to drycleaners from the traditional perc (perchloroethylene) or hydrocarbon drycleaning solvents. It is a silicone solvent (D5), similar to the chemical used in many hand lotions and beauty products. Check out the Green Earth booth:

Green earth also is working on a laundry method that would use 90% less water! Check out this article http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=74090

Finally, I want to share with you that I was on a panel at the show talking about automation. I was one of two cleaners selected because of using so much automation in our plant. There were also 3 vendors there provided these sorts of solutions. I found it interesting that the main sales pitch seemed to be reducing labor and cost - understandable. But I tell you what. . . . Automation allows a drycleaner to track garments and customer preferences better. AUTOMATION ALLOWS THE DRYCLEANER TO PROVIDE A BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE!

Thanks for reading:-)

How do you choose a good drycleaner?

One excellent way to find a cleaner is to look for one that is a member of industry groups and participates in both community (for example the BBB or Chamber of Commerce) and industry (Drycleaning and Laundry Institute, California Cleaners association) groups.

These groups share information and best practices so everyone who participates is a winner! On-going training is a must!

Like any industry, there are constant changes that conscientious drycleaner will keep up with; new types of garments, new and better equipment and techniques and better methods of communication.

This month is the Drycleaning Industries largest event. The CLEAN SHOW! Read more about this at http://www.cleanshow.com/.

I will be there - and I am presenting on a panel along with other respected cleaners.

It is both an honor and a responsibility:-)

The Truth About Green Cleaning!

Lets talk about green. I hear again and again from consumers that want "green" cleaning.

I often hear consumers wanting to avoid the toxic and carcinogenic dryclean solvent that is profiled in the news every few years. If your cleaner is conscientious - rest assured, no matter what solvent they are using, that drycleaning process is gentler on the environment than when you use your washer at home.

Over 99% of the solvent, soils and detergents are recaptured in the drycleaning process. These are disposed of in proper facilities. Solvent is added to the system on a monthly (or less frequent) basis. Compare that to the water and detergents that go into our sewer systems every time someone runs a washing machine. . . . what type of soils are in the clothes? Are the loads full? Normal detergents are full of phosphates that are very damaging to the environment.

YOU CAN HELP your drycleaner help the environment:

According to Green is Sexy http://www.greenissexy.org/2009/05/30/go-wireless-4/, 3.5 billion wire hangers go into U.S. landfills every year, and they sit in there for over a hundred years; reduce that number by returning your hangers (Gently Used!) to the drycleaners. The next time your non-washables travel to the drycleaner, BYOH – your drycleaner will thank you (hangers are expensive) and so will the Earth!

And by the way, take the plastic back to your cleaner, or to your grocery store. It cannot be recycled in most home recycling programs!

Thanks!

How to get smoke out of your garments

It has been a while since my last post. As you may have seen on the news, Santa Barbara had a devastating fire called the Jesusita fire. Over 30,000 people were evacuated and 80 homes were lost. This event touched the lives of everyone in Santa Barbara.

Now the cleanup process is underway. One aspect of the cleanup is textile restoration services. What is that? Well, if your home survives but was in close proximity to a fire, you will most likely have an insurance claim. And your claim will likely include smoke damaged clothing and linens.

When you call your insurance company and place a claim, you will be assigned an adjuster. Normally the adjuster will come out to take a look. The adjuster will then hire several contractors to clean up and repair your house. Typically the adjuster will hire what is known as a "contents remediation company." That would be a Service Master, Serve Pro, Qwik Response or one of many other company's.

Then there is the contents. There are 2 options for cleaning up your textiles (linens, clothing, curtains, rugs, etc). They can be written off (total loss) or taken to the cleaners. This decision can be made by the homeowner, adjuster or remediation company. Sometimes the adjuster calls a restoration drycleaner, and sometimes they call it a total loss. Other times the remediation company (Service Master, etc.) will call a drycleaner or take the clothes to a drycleaner.

It is good for homeowner to understand, your insurance can recommend vendors - BUT HOMEOWNERS CAN CHOOSE THE VENDORS THEY WANT!

So now, how do we restore fire damaged clothes?

Smoke Smell: Often, because the entire house smells of smoke, the homeowner is unaware of the smoke smell until they are removed from the location. They may not believe they have smoke odor that requires remediation until weeks or even months later. Let your adjuster be your guide in this case. Usually their recommendations are based on experience.

Smoke odor (actually, any odors) do not come out in regular drycleaning. The items must be treated with special chemicals, washed with special detergents or put into an OZONE chamber before (and sometimes after) cleaning. This process is more time consuming than your normal drycleaning, and since there is normally a large volume of clothes, can take considerable time.

Fire Damage: Houses in close proximity to fire not only are inundated with smoke, but the temperatures go way up too. Often a garment looks like it has soot on it that should come out in cleaning. After cleaning, the garment is shredded - and the garment is ruined. What happened? The extended period of high temperature caused a slow burn, the clothes did not catch fire, but the fibers did turn into carbon during the extended period of heat. No drycleaner can prevent this damage. It was already there

NonCleanable: There are items that are not cleanable - or at least cleaning is not recommended. You may have brand new items in your home that had not yet been used, items that had prior damage from use, or items with card board or special embellishments that do not clean well - drapes, chenille blankets, pillows, etc.

We typically clean 2000 pcs a day - last week we had calls for over 140,000 pieces!

If you have a fire restoration drycleaner to your home you will be asked to select a RUSH order. That is enough items to keep you comfortably clothed for a month! This order should be returned to you in a week or less. Many times, people want the items back sooner - but the smoke removal usually requires multiple cleaning and 24-48 hours in the ozone. 3 day turn around may lead to the smoke odor still in the clothes.

Also, because of the amount of work created in a general disaster, vendors come in from miles away. In SB I know that drycleaners came from San Diego to San Francisco. They fill trucks with textiles and drive them back to their plant - often 5 hours away! This sort of service is necessary to process the huge amount of work. If you are in this situation Please Ask where your clothes are going to be cleaned and how you can contact them. I have found that since I am business aquaintence of most of these drycleaners - they use my name. Unfortunately, the homeowner is under the mistaken impression that my cleaners is doing the work.

The rest of your items will be returned several months later - or even over 6 months later. Often delivery is dependent on the repairs of your home. Because of the size of the catastrophe and the amount of people and textiles involved - there is no way to process in a faster way.

Communication, as always, is key in these situations. The restoration companies should be sensitive to your needs and work with you in every way. They should be asking the right questions and helping you select the rush order, etc.

Happy Earth Day!

I believe that everyday is Earth Day. Today I want to express my opinions about drycleaning and the environment. These are my opinions from working in the industry for many years and being interested in protecting our environment most of my life.

The most frequent questions I get from the general public are normally related to drycleaning and the environment. Drycleaners get a lot of bad press in this area. And really that is too bad. However, the industry has brought this upon themselves through poor practices. Today this industry is heavily regulated. Drycleaners, like any business, respond to what their customers want. So the biggest thing you as a consumer can do is voice your opinions!

Here are some things you can think about when considering environmental concerns:

1. Ask your cleaner what they are doing to be environmentally conscious. The answer should be a list - not just the type of solvent
2. Be aware that operating in an environmentally conscious way is more expensive - beware of the "cheap eco-cleaner"
3. Take back your plastic
4. Take back your hangers for reuse - please be gentle with them! Reuse saves tremendous resources. Often the fatigue strength of hangers (due to the extrusion process) is such that the metal can no longer be recycled. Hangers are the last stop for metal on the way to a landfill - so be gentle and re-use them.
5. Voice your willingness to pay extra for environmental bags
6. Be aware that using less chemicals, or less harsh chemicals increases the labor necessary to remove stains. More time must be spent doing hand removal by a specialist - this increases the cost (Harsh chemicals in the machine removes more stains). Something that use to be removed without comment may need more time and effort.
7. Solvent types include: perc, petroleum (often called organic, however perc is organic by definition also), green earth (silicone based, and not organic), water, CO2. ----

Perc and Petroleum have been around pretty much since drycleaning started. So any cleaner that uses something other than these 2 solvents, is probably working to minimize their environment impact.

Drycleaning uses very special chemicals and solvents that are not fully understood. The majority of publicized environmental concerns are about the solvent. While it is true that if a drycleaner does not maintain their equipment, or operate it correctly, they may release toxins into the atmosphere and into the ground, careful use of any equipment results in 95% or better recycling of the solvent. The remainder should be disposed of properly.

The 2 most "environmental" forms of drycleaning are considered to be "wet cleaning" or CO2 cleaning. Wet cleaning uses water instead of a chemical solvent and CO2 uses liquid Carbon Dioxide.

Wet Cleaning is promoted by our local EPA as environmentally superior. However I question this, at least where I live, where water shortages occur more frequently than I would like. Drycleaners (as opposed to industrial laundries) are still allowed (and really have no other choice) to discharge the water, soap, etc., down the drain. NONE of the water is recycled by the cleaner. Even if the cleaner is conscientious and uses only full loads - there is still an impact on the environment.

Thanks for your time, and remember to tread lightly!

What do you Wear to a Recession?

The fastest growing clothing retailer in that area is Goodwill Industries!
This is from an article in The National Clothesline (http://www.natclo.com/0904/content.htm) that cites the Chicago Tribune.

The article also stated that Americans own more clothes than any people on the planet!

Contrary to the trend among other retailers who are scaling back and even closing stores, Goodwill plans on opening 5 new stores in the area this year. Breaking from the mold of its appeal to edgy art students and hard-luck hobo's. And it appears to be working. While sales at major chain stores fell 2% during the last three months of 2008, Goodwill store sales in southeastern Wisconsin and metropolitan Chicago rose 8%!

I googled the head line "What do you wear to a recession?" and to my surprise, there were at least 5 news articles with this headline (including: http://www.observer.com/2008/arts-culture/crashion-what-wear-recession). Perhaps one silver lining of our current economic turmoil will be the acceptance of second hand purchases! Not only is it easier on our pocketbooks, it is good for the planet - in my opinion, new items always impact our planet more than reusing items. After all, where does your old clothing go if no one buys second hand? By giving clothes a 2nd life, we are promoting sustainable living.

Consignment shops come in many varieties - you can find couture used clothing or typical thrift store fare. Often, when you donate, they will give you a receipt for tax purposes.

I have a few thoughts on this trend:

1. When you buy 2nd hand clothing, send it to your cleaner before wearing. Many thrift stores cannot afford to clean clothes before putting them for sale.
2. If you are donating - please send clean items (see #1)
3. If you are uneasy about going to a 2nd hand shop, consider having a clothing swap party. Everyone can bring items from their closet they no longer wear (I know I have lots), and make a party out of it!

Some cleaners will accept clothing donations, clean them at no charge and then distribute the clothing to different organizations. Ask your current cleaner for advise.
They say that difficult economic times foster creativity and new business models. I hope that this trend will continue after our recovery:-)

Why you should read Garment Care Labels

Ever wonder what those strange symbols are in the labels of your garments?

Well you should! Taking just a minute to review that label may make the difference between a favorite peice and a nightmare at your drycleaners!

One of the best tips I can give you is ALWAYS look at the label before you make a purchase . . . For example; Prada has just come out with several gorgeous pieces - if you look at the label it says "do not dryclean, do not wash, no steam." If you get any soil or spills on this item, it very likely may be the end of the garments life.

$500 is a lot to spend for a garment you will only be able to wear a handful of times. You may still want to purchase the item (they are gorgeous!). And now you are making a fully informed decision.

In the US, garment care labeling is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. They REQUIRE manufacturers to list at least one acceptable means of care for the garment. NOTE: There is NO requirement that the label needs to be correct, there is NO requirement to indicate what should not be done to clean the item ("Do no dryclean" for example). However, even with these shortcomings, at least in the US, we have care labels. Other countries often have no care/content label at all.

Better dryceaners will always read care labels. However, because of the shortcomings listed above, they may not always follow them exactly. They are really used as a guideline. For example, many silk and some cashmere sweaters can be cleaned with water. They feel and look wonderful when cleaned that way properly. However the label may have said "dryclean". BEWARE - the water temp, agitation and detergents must be carefully controlled. I am not suggesting you throw your cashmere sweater in the washer with some Woolite!

So now onto explaining how to read those little labels.
A circle typically indicates drycleaning. Letters inside the circle represent the type of drycleaning solvent. Tub shaped symbols are often a form of machine or hand washing.
Numbers within the tub represent temperature in degrees Celsius. The iron symbol of course relates to ironing and the dots inside the iron correlate to temperature. An "X" over any of these symbols prohibits the use of that process.
There are some fabrics that tend to be difficult to care for regardless of the care label and require special precaution. These include:

1. Sueded or Sand washed Silk (think Tommy Bahama)
2. Appliqued, beaded or otherwise embellished garments (I once had a metal piece that melted in the dryclean machine! I still wonder what that "metal" was made of!)
3. Brightly died pigskin sued (it cannot be repainted like leather)
4. Printed fabrics that only have print on on side

Better drycleaners use creative cleaning methods not normally in use by conventional drycleaners. They also have considerable ongoing training for new materials and experience. There is no substitute for desire and experience

Save Money On Your Wardrobe

It seems that everyone is feeling the pinch of our downward economy. Talk of doom and gloom is all around. It looks like 2009 will be a bad year for most of us financially.

So it is natural that we are all watching our spending. I have noticed that there are fewer people out at the restaurants during the week and stores seem to be closing daily. If you are watching your finances, you probably want to make all your investments last, including your clothing investment.

I have noticed a significant drop in clothes going to the drycleaners. I have talked with cleaners around the country and the trend is everywhere. While I understand why many people have no choice but to reduce spending, cleaning clothing after use is still the best investment for your clothes. As long as you are conscientious, and follow care labels and detergent directions cleaning your clothes yourself is a much better option than just wearing them more frequently between cleaning, or not cleaning them and putting them in their closet.

If you want your garments to last and look sharp like when you bought them, ALWAYS clean them after wearing. When you store soiled garments, many things can happen. Also keep in mind that just because a garment looks clean, it may not be.

Please, if you want your garments to last, the important thing to remember is you will almost always clean garments after you wear them. How you clean them is up to you.

3 Common Types of Damage Caused by NOT Cleaning After Wear:

1. Body oils are often not readily visible, but perspiration and other things that we exude from our pores are often acidic and damage fibers over time. This can create holes or color loss. Men's shirt collars can be especially problematic. Those oils around the neck may be nearly invisible, but if they have time to oxidize, the shirt may not recover!
2. Some spills like white whine or 7up dry completely clear. However, if they are not removed they will oxidize and turn brown the same way an apple turns brown after you take a bite and leave it out. Once these stains turn brown they are very difficult, and sometimes impossible to remove.
3. Insects such as moths are really after the soils in the cloths, and they will cause damage.

What to do if your cleaners says "that can't be cleaned"!

Like many of you, I watched the Oscars recently. I love looking at the gowns! But not for the usual fashion do's and don'ts. I check them out and try and figure out if they can be cleaned, how they can be cleaned, and how much it would cost to clean them (yes, I am that dull!). Last year, People magazine had an article that had three popular stars in gowns, with the drycleaning bill next to it. Cleaning prices ranged from $400 to a little more than $1000!

I heard several comments that the high cleaning price are because of the status of the star or the designer. I'm here to tell you -- the price of a garment has no bearing on its ability to be cleaned.

What these stars wear are really pieces of art! The artist gives ZERO thought to how it would be cleaned or maintained. They only care about how it fits, falls, reflects the light and looks on that one special day! Garments may have metallic components, bias cuts, very delicate weaves, embellishments and a host of things that just won't survive "drycleaning".

I recently had the privilege to clean a beautiful and unique Justin Avery wedding gown. It was a very delicate silk chiffon, with ribbons of silk that had unfinished edges. The gown had been custom made and then sent to an artist for hand painting.

This gown was a piece of art (I wish my photo did it justice).
This gown is not drycleanable. The artist did not give a thought to the fact that no cleaning machine can tell the difference between that paint and dirt!

And I'm glad he didn't - great art is shouldn't be practical.

I will guess that less than 5% of cleaners could clean this type of gown successfully. Most would (I hope) refuse to clean it - the others wouldn't clean it well - or worse case, ruin it!

Here are 3 pieces of must have advice:

1. Get recommendations
2. Talk to people who have used the service you are considering and
3. Tell the drycleaner what kind of risk you are willing or not willing to take.

Remember, once something is cleaned it cannot be uncleaned!

So the next time you are wanting to have something cleaned and are told that it can't be done, realize that you need to find a drycleaner who is also an artist, and be willing to pay a fair price for the time and expertise. So how do these 5% of cleaners do it? Hard work, a lot of time (15 hours in this case), constant training and a lot of experience. Im not saying that the gown was the same as new, but it was back 95% of new. Thank goodness the bride didn't spill red wine!

Maximize your drycleaning buck

By Zak Stambor
January 25, 2009
The simple process of getting your clothes dry-cleaned can be simply overwhelming.

Should you take your clothes to a giant chain dry cleaner that sends clothes to a "new state-of-the-art, centrally located plant"? Maybe drop them off at a discount outlet that offers limited services but charges only $2.29 a garment (and $1.19 for a laundered shirt)? Or should you frequent the mom and pop dry cleaner just around the corner or in your high-rise?

It seems almost impossible to make sense of all the options.

And the question for many families feeling the pinch of recession: Should you be spending money on dry cleaning at all?



We asked a few experts for smart tips on using the various dry cleaning options.

Find a reputable cleaner

"If you want your clothes to last a long time, you want to go to a dry cleaner that is knowledgeable and has experience," said Tom Barnett, vice president of the Illinois State Fabricare Association, a professional association of dry cleaners affiliated with the international Drycleaning & Laundry Institute.

Cleaners that are members of the Illinois State Fabricare Association are kept abreast of the industry's ever-evolving technologies and garment-care advancements. But the association only represents about 10 percent of all cleaners, and you can verify if yours is a member by looking for an association sticker on-site, simply asking your cleaner or searching on the association's Web site, www.ifi.org/consumer/search/index.php.

If you don't have a member cleaner nearby—or those in the neighborhood are too expensive—ask friends and neighbors where they take their clothes. Or, turn to user-review sites such as Yelp that allow people to post their experiences.

Evaluate your needs

Cleaning a men's button-down shirt is more straightforward than cleaning a leather jacket, said Barnett. Many discount cleaners offer limited services that cater to more common cleaning needs.

Most men's shirts don't need to be professionally laundered; most men simply don't want to press their own shirts.

When men's shirts are taken in, they're simple to clean and routine to press. Cleaning leather, however, requires a specialized method of wet cleaning, which is not a "dry" clean, but a technique using water and biodegradable soap

Think about what you need your cleaner to do, said Barnett. Discount cleaners often don't have a tailor on-site so they can't hem jeans or repair buttons, and some don't hand-spot garments for difficult stains. Before dropping off your clothes, ask what services the cleaner does and doesn't offer.

Divide and conquer

Most garments that end up at the dry cleaner are simple to clean—they're not stained, and they're not a difficult material to clean like suede or leather, said Yale Gordon, chief executive of DryClean Direct. His local chain of stores, like many cleaners that offer discounted prices, are able to handle most garments, such as slacks, button-down shirts and dresses.

To cut costs, divide your garments into those that require special care and those that don't, said Barnett. Discount cleaners such as DryClean Direct clean most garments for around $2.49 an item, sometimes significantly less than mom and pop cleaners. For the clothes that you don't take to the discount place, a smaller shop can provide more customized service or refer you to a couture cleaner.



Wear things twice

If a garment isn't soiled or smelly, you can probably wear it another time without hurting its longevity, said Darrell New, vice president of Michigan-based 1-800-DryClean, a national chain that picks up and delivers dry cleaning twice a week to customers' homes or offices.

"If you wear a pair of pants, and salt didn't splatter on it, and it's otherwise clean, there's no reason you can't wear the pants twice or three times," he said. "Just don't push it too much."

Be informative

The best way to rid your clothes of stains and get back clean clothes is to give your cleaner as much information as possible, said New. Where is the stain? What caused the stain? How old is it?

"The more information you give them, the better service you'll get," he said.

smart@tribune.com

Common chemicals in YOUR home that can cause garment damage!

The NCA’s Center for Garment Analysis has seen an increasing number of garments with chemical damage due to use or storage. Many common household and personal care products can cause color loss or fabric damage. In many cases, the color loss may not reveal itself until cleaning. Often discoloration is not visible until the heat of drying or finishing the garment catalyzes or oxidizes the affected area. Often, when color loss or discoloration appears after cleaning, consumers blame the dry cleaner for the damage.

Alcohol

Many products that contain alcohol may discolor or completely remove the color from may fabrics. Alcohol can be found in perfume, colognes, hairspray, topical medications, as well as hard drinks and food-stuffs. Since many alcoholic substances may contain a coloring matter or oil, the discoloration caused by this type of stain may not be visible until the stain is removed.

Oxidizing Agents

Products such as laundry, detergents and bleaches, cleaning agents, disinfectants, hair care products, topical medication as well as some oral care products (toothpaste and tooth whitening formulas) contain oxidizing agents. Contact with oxidizing agents. Contact with oxidizing agents may result in the gradual discoloration of the fabric or in a complete color loss. All too often, the heat produced during the reclamation and drying cycles or during the finishing process may accelerate the oxidation, causing the affected area to discolor. This type of damage is often impossible to detect prior to the drycleaning, wetcleaning or laundering of the garment.

Damage from Acids

Contact with acidic substances can cause discolorations as well as fabric degeneration. Many substances such as fresh perspiration, deodorants, and hair care products, fruit juices and other foods and beverages may be acidic, or become acidic with age. Many household, masonry or automotive products contain acid (such as battery acid) that may degrade the fibers in fabrics. The affects of this type of staining agent may be immediate, or may reveal itself after processing.

Damage from Alkalis

The fibers and dyes used in many fabrics, especially those found in protein- based fibers such as wool and silk, will easily discolor from their contact with alkalis. Alkalis are found in many house-hold products such as detergents, bleaches, shampoos, soaps, hair care products, tooth paste and many topical medication. As with acid based staining substances, the damage may be immediately visible or may develop over time or when exposed to heat.

Fading From Light

Many dyes are affected from their exposure to natural or artificial light. This type of color loss may occur with normal use (draperies or slipcovers) or when garments are stored. In severe cases, a fabric will degenerate when exposed to direct or indirect sunlight for a period or time. If a fabric is damp, and exposed to light, the fading will be more intense in this area. Common soil may camouflage this type of damage until the soil is removed during cleaning. When the soil is removed, the damage becomes apparent. If the item is hanging for a period of time, discoloration often follows the contour.

Fume Fading

Fume fading is a color change or color loss caused by the action of airborne gases (pollutants). The action of these airborne gases combined with humidity, form an acid condition that deteriorates the dyestuffs in fabrics. The lack of sufficient air flow or air change promotes the build-up of these pollutants in closets and drawers. The discolorations caused by fume fading may appear after the drycleaning or wetcleaning processes, or after finishing, since heat often accelerates the chemical deterioration caused by the airborne pollutants. This type of damage is often seen in lengthwise streaks, and may be more apparent in the folds of the garment.

Damage From Chloride Salts

A variety of foods, beverages, topical medication, perfumes, colognes as well as perspiration and antiperspirants contain chloride salts. Chloride salts not only discolor fabrics, but have a degeneration affect on protein based fabrics such as silk. Contact with chloride salts often causes the weakening and eventual disintegration of the fibers within the fabric.

Damage From Plastic Bags

Long term storage in plastic bags should be avoided. The plastic bag can trap humidity and airborne pollutants, causing color loss, discolorations, fume fading as well as providing a breeding ground for mildew growth.

Damage From Perspiration

It is a well known fact that acids and chloride salts in perspiration may discolor dyes and eventually degenerate fabrics (see chloride salt damage). If a fabric is adversely affected by contact with perspiration, the extent of damage depends largely on the physical chemistry of the individual, the condition of wear, the type of antiperspirant used, as well as the characteristics of the fabric and dyestuffs. Silk garments will often discolor in the underarm areas. If the damage is severe, these areas will disintegrate. Garments that contain cotton (especially golf shirts) are often sulfur dyed. Sulfur dyed garments often develop orange discolorations form the affects of the acids contained in perspiration.

13 Secrets About Drycleaning

I LOVE this article - it is a no BS, reality of drycleaning. If you take this advice - your drycleaning experience will improve!

1. Lots of "dry" cleaning isn't. "We do about 24 percent of garments in water," says Chuck Horst, president of Margaret's Cleaners in La Jolla, California. Perspiration doesn't come out otherwise. ----Sasha's note: "we do closer to 40% wetcleaning - Dockers, polo's, shorts, fleece - are all often better cleaned in water - but it is NOT the same as "WASHING!"


2. It's not your gender, it's your clothes. Women's clothes—silk, special trims, buttons, slacks without a crease—can take more work and cost more too.

3. Yes, we use perchloroethylene (perc), and it's a probable carcinogen. But it's the best thing we have right now. If you can smell it on your clothes, they weren't cleaned correctly.

4. Most green cleaning is more green than clean. "Green Earth, a silicone-based cleaner, is safer and friendlier," says Steve Boorstein of clothingdoctor.com, "but it doesn't remove the multitude of stains that hydrocarbon and perc do."

5. People never remember to pick up their comforters. That's why this place sometimes looks like a Bed Bath & Beyond.

6. You blame us for damage, we blame your clothes. Instead of court or the Better Business Bureau, we'll suggest the International Textile Analysis Laboratory (SASHA's NOTE: Now called DLI, http://www.ifi.org/), run by our trade association. It's independent (honest!), and both sides get a report.

7. We've got our own definition of replace. We follow the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute's Fair Claims Guide. For a dress shirt that's a year old, that means 40 percent of the actual replacement cost. Sasha's Note: And 2 years/45 cleanings is the gaments full life!

8. Your lost clothes are probably in someone else's closet. We'd really prefer not to write you a check. (And if we say we have to get in touch with our insurance company, we could be stalling, hoping the clothes will turn up.)

9. Many of us will reuse your intact hangers and clean shirt cardboards. (Thanks.)

10. If we're charging you premium rates, please … let us sew that button on.

11. We're not raking it in. The machinery is expensive. The people who press your silk shirt get up to $20 an hour. It's a skill.

12. We've heard stories about dry cleaners who borrow a customer's dress for a weekend. But we're sure they return it clean.

13. The best clothing store in town can recommend the best dry cleaner in town.


From Reader's Digest - February 2009

Home Stain Removal Techniques

People often call asking how to remove a stain. Drycleaners do not like answering that question. We want to be helpful. However, there are so many variables. What follows is a quick list of the most common home remedies - THESE ARE FOR MACHINE WASHABLE, COLORFAST GARMENTS ONLY!

*Trade names are used for illustrative purposes only. Other similar product may perform as well.

WISK*: for pre-treating ring around the collar and not-so-difficult stains. Be sure and let the garment sit for about 20 minutes before washing, and follow all manufacturer's instructions.

BIZ*: I love this product. It is for pre-soaking difficult stains. Be careful as it is easy to pull colors and bleed a garment. A couple of hours soak is generally enough. Warm water can make this a much more aggressive technique.

Ammonia: Use at 50% strength diluted with water to flush out fresh blood stains on a shirt. Be patient and blot thoroughly then wash. BLOOD: If you are going to get blood out, be sure you are prepared to work at it. Use COLD water and DO NOT GIVE UP. Once you have worked on the stain - if it is still there, and you wash and dry the garment - it will be a permanent stain

Bleach: I do not recommend bleach. If you must, be sure to rinse MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK IS NECESSARY. Bleach will eat the stains and the fabric - resulting in holes and other damage.

Pet Stains: Blot with a vinegar/water mixture - one quart warm water to 1/2 cup white vinegar.

Fabreze*: Another product I love. It is excellent for removing odor. A light spray and some sunshine can do wonders to restore a musty, smoky or smelly item.

"Old Wives' Tales" (that do not work); CLUB SODA - considered by many as a "cure all" for practically every mishap, it usually just spreads out the stain and can make removal of oily stains like butter and gravy almost impossible. Then there is WHITE WINE to remove red wine (please don't try it!). HAIR SPRAY to remove ink and WATER to remove almost anything. But when a spill happens in a social situation and a napkin dipped in water or club soda is used and rubbed, it breaks fibers and causes color loss ("crocking").

These remedies often appear to be helping, when in fact the majority of the time, a very expensive piece of you clothing investment is being ruined.

Quick Tips to Make Laundry Easy

This is a short list of do's and don'ts that will make it easy for you to improve the results you get using your home washing machine.

DO wash new colored garments separately, colors can and do often bleed (especially the first few washes)!

DON'T over dry. Use a dryer with an automatic sensing feature, or be sure to set the timer so as not to over dry. Over drying set wrinkles, causes shrinkage, and unnecessary fabric damage.

DON'T leave damp clothes in the washer for an extended period of time. Mold, mildew and just a bad odor will often result.

DO remove clothes from the dryer promptly and shake them out. This minimizes wrinkles and the need to iron. Even an ironless shirt will be wrinkled if over dried and left in the dryer for an extended period!

DO use plastic hangers when line drying.

DON'T use chlorine bleach. Even 100% cotton men's shirts are generally not receptive to chlorine bleach. It will shorten the life of the shirt, possibly cause holes and can destroy the interfacing in the placket and collars - this is because the interfacing if often polyester (even in a 100% cotton shirt).

Laundry/Handwash/Wetclean: Whats the difference?

A common customer complaint is - "why did you charge dryclean prices when I asked for these items to be washed?" (For a look at the best deal at the cleaners check out "Shirt Laundry" in a previous blog.)

The answer lies in the finishing (as we have touched on before). 80% of a drycleaners cost is due to the labor and time consuming process of finishing. The price category "Drycleaning" does not necessarily mean an item was cleaned in drycleaning solvent. For example, most drycleaners define "wetcleaning" as "drycleaning with a little water".

Laundry/Machine Wash/Hand Wash/Wetclean . . . all terms apply to the cleaning of garments in water. So why are there so many terms? There are subtle differences you should be aware of.

Laundry is the most general of the terms. A textile is cleaned using water as the solvent

Machine Wash, as defined by the Federal Trade commission, is a process by which soil may be removed from items with water, detergent, soap, agitation, and a machine designed for the purpose. When no temperature is given, hot water up to 150F is used.

Hand Wash is defined the same as machine wash with the exception that a gentle squeezing action is used in place of a machine.

Wetcleaning is a term used to describe the extension of the range of hand washing for the purpose of restoring a garment. The majority of these techniques involve soaking for extended periods, tightly controlled chemicals, temperature and agitation. This technique is not readily available to the general public and require extensive experience to avoid garment damage.