Guide to Knit Care

Living next to the ocean, there is often a crisp cool feel in the air and knits are popular here all year around.  Knit is a practical, yet stylish fabric that provides warmth, comfort, and durability; however, knit fabric has the potential to overstretch and distort if cared for improperly.

 

Purchasing

When purchasing knitwear, ask the sales representative for extra buttons. If the buttons fall off, it can be nearly impossible for the seamstress to find a perfect match, which can alter the appearance of the garment.

Unique Buttons

St John Knits is one of my favorite brands for knit wear.  Besides looking great, they have a spectacular repair facility in Irvine California.  I have had the opportunity to go there several times.  Odds are if you have any trouble at all with a St John Knit less than five years old, including missing buttons, they will take care of it for you!

Purchase knit separates together within the same season to ensure perfectly matched items. Dye lots can vary—often dramatically—from season to season.

Storing

Avoid hanging knits because gravity can distort the garment’s shape. Store knit folded in a drawer.  Always CLEAN items before storage.  Invisible stains can't be seen and may attract insects - which is where holes often begin!  If you had them drycleaned - there should be tissue in between the folds of the sweater.  This tissue should be left there during storage.  It will absorb out-gassing and help preserve your knits.  Also, for long term storage, try wrapping them in a clean white sheet or pillow case (not NEW sheets - wash sheets a couple times before using them for garment storage) to help them retain their shape and keep them clean.

After the winter, store knit garments in a cedar chest or in a cedar-lined closet to keep them fresh and free from insect damage.  Please do not put any garment in direct contact with the wood.  Resin or sap can cause discoloration and deterioration.

Beware the Care Label!

Beware of The FTC Care Label

In the US, garments are required to have a care label indicating a method of cleaning.  While most garment manufacturers take great pains to give you reasonable care label instructions, there is no law stating that the care label has to be correct.

That said, these are a few care label instructions where I would avoid buying an item if I saw it on the label:

• Spot Clean Only- this means the garment must be cleaned inch by inch, by hand! It is time consuming and costly. This instruction works best for a dark color garment and one that you plan on wearing only once on special occasion.

• Dry Clean Exclusive of Ornamentation- this means your cleaner must remove all the trim, buttons, bows and other ornaments BEFORE the garment is processed, and then sew them back on again. Another time intensive and expensive process, and at times, not even possible.

• Two Distinctly Different Label Instructions- if the care label on the garment’s lining calls for washing and there is another label on the face fabric that suggests dry cleaning, your cleaner will have to remove the lining in order to process in accordance with the Care Label instructions. You don’t want to know how much that would cost.

• DRYCLEAN ONLY. DO NOT TUMBLE. AIR DRY AT 100º it is virtually impossible for an environmentally friendly drycleaner to follow this instruction.

• And for men's shirts - avoid any thing that says cold water, or cool iron.

For those of you who want the details behind the FTC. . . here you go http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/textile/carelbl.shtm

Comparing Dry Cleaners: Price Does Not Equal Cost

I just read this fabulous article by my friends at Bibentucker and had to share!
Choosing the wrong cleaner can be costly.  And not just in money. The time wasted, frustration and even emotional drain caused by some cleaners is not something I want you to experience.

 Choose your cleaner carefully.  And here are some tips on how to do it:

http://www.bibbentuckers.com/articles/dry-cleaning-pricing

How Long Does it Take for a Stain to Set?

So you are out to dinner with friends the day before a trip.  

You look great in your favorite creme crepe silk blouse.  

Then the unthinkable!

So the question is, how long can safely you wait to take it to your trusted cleaners?  Or . . . would you be better off to pack it and take it to an unknown cleaners at (gasp) the hotel where you are staying rather than let it set?

The answer to this question is the same as the answer to so many questions.  The unsatisfying "It Depends. . . "

The good news is it probably isn't as urgent as many people believe.

It takes anywhere from 4-6 months before sugar stain caramelize.  Think about biting into an apple, the apple turns brown due to the sugar oxidizing when exposed to oxygen.  The same happens when you spill clear soda, juice, white wine on your clothes.  It dries clear.  However, if not removed it will take several months for the stain to turn brown.  And once it does, it will be VERY hard to remove, if not impossible.  Oil stains (body oil, butter, grease) can also oxidize and they are even more difficult to remove that oxidized sugar stains.

So the question is, How Long Can You Safely Wait?

I always recommend that you clean a garment as quickly as possible.  However, stains don't set immediately.

Specific Tips:

• Try not to put water on the stain at the scene of a stain.  Do not put water on any stain if you don't plan on finishing the job.  Almost getting a stain out can be worse than not doing anything.  Blot don't rub, and avoid using water unless you are prepared to finish the job.  This is especially true with blood and wine.  As for ink - please don't ever put water on ink.  It will set it immediately.

• Leaving your clothes in the car.   The heat that can build up in a car can cook your clothes and set a stain in the matter of an hour.  Once that is done, your clothes may be done for.

• Taking a cotton shirt off after sweating and leaving it in your closet for a week.  I see this from guys again and again.  Men (sorry for the generalization guys, I do love you) finish a hard days work with out noticing they had been perspiring.  they leave their shirts in the back of the closet for over a week.  Perspiration creates a chemical reaction and weakens the fibers quickly.  Especially a natural fiber such as cotton or silk.  When the shirt is cleaned, the shirt tears. . . typically in the area where the shirt came in contact with the person, the underarm or the back. 

In closing, I believe you will be better off waiting (storing the clothes in a cool place with little sunlight), than taking any prized item to an unknown cleaners.  Dry Cleaners are not all made equally.  There are no requirements that make someone qualified to be a cleaner.  And because cleaners are so dependent on humans (it is more of an art than a science), a cleaners reputation and history will be key!

5 things you must know so you wil not be "Taken to the Cleaners!"

Choosing a Dry Cleaner. 

Many people do this without a second thought, picking the guy with the lowest rates or the store on the way home. This can be a costly mistake though. Choosing the wrong dry cleaner can "send you to the cleaners" when you favorite, expensive clothing items are lost, damaged, or worse. Today we are going to tell you five things to consider when choosing a dry cleaner.

1. Customer Service. I would have to rate this as the most important thing to consider in your dry cleaner search. Note the staff. Are they friendly? Helpful? Knowledgeable? Do they acknowledge you with a smile when you walk in the door? You want to find an establishment that actually cares about their customers, because they will be the ones, if something bad actually does happen, to make it right.

2. Experience. You don't want a "just out of the box" dry cleaner. What you do want is someone who has been in the business a long time, who knows all the in's and outs. This is very important! You want a dry cleaner who takes pride in their work, and not someone who is just worried about getting you in and out and taking your money. So definitely, look for someone experienced!
 
3. Cheapest Is Not Always Best. People often forget this point. Most people are only out to find the cheapest dry cleaner, and then they are disappointed when the quality of the work is not up to par. The fact of the matter is, there is no dry cleaner that can have the best employees, the best equipment, the best customer service, the fastest turn around, AND the cheapest rates. It is just impossible. So, remember, you have to sacrifice somewhere. I would rather pay a little more for better service.

4. Guarantees. A good dry cleaner should guarantee their work, no question about it. If you are not happy with their service, they should be willing to do whatever it takes to make it right. If that means a refund, if that means replacing your clothing, or cleaning your garment a second, or third, time. You want to make sure that you find a dry cleaner that stands behind their work.

5. Extra Services. This is not a requirement, but it can be very convenient to choose a cleaner who offers extra services. Some of these can include "green" dry cleaning, wedding gowns, leather cleaning, same day pickup, drop off and pickup services, repairs and alterations, etc. Like previously stated, these services are not a requirement of a good dry cleaner, but should be considered in your choice, if you will need these sorts of services.

Hopefully these tips will help your search for a dry cleaner to be an easy and rewarding one!

Please reconsider the sniff test! (or "How often should you dryclean your clothes?")

Studies have shown that 93 percent of what is believed about people in business is based upon visual messages, not on credentials or on the content of conversation. 

An invaluable resource for today's job market, How to Gain the Professional Edge, Second Edition helps readers answer a multitude of questions about behavior, attitude, and image to improve professionalism and open doors to advancement and career success. According to Susan Morem, the author, "your clothing is the first thing others notice about you. Make sure your clothes are clean, pressed, mended and fit well.

Look sloppy and you are sloppy. 

Look like a pro and you are one. 

It's that simple. 

You are what you wear! I was listening to NPR the other day, and they cited a study where over 50 percent of men use the Sniff Test to determine if a garment can be worn another time. If it doesn't smell bad, wear it again! Sounds reasonable.

However there are potential pitfalls to the sniff test . . . - I is true that perspiration can air out over time, so the odor may dissipate. But just because you can't smell it, doesn't mean you should where it! The alkalinity of the perspiration can greatly weaken a shirt to the point of tearing. Washing a shirt after every wear, or a hot day, may actually increase the life of your garments. - even if you can't see the soil, it will attract insects. That will end in holes and a shorter life for your garments - after a time stains can set making the garment unwearable - just because you don't smell anything, doesn't mean it doesn't smell. We are accustom to our own smells, and stop smelling them after less than a minute. Others, can still smell them! So what to do?

First, drycleaned clothes should be cleaned with the same frequency as washable garments. After all, they are subject to the same soils, and odors as the washable items. Second, run through this checklist to see if the garment is ready to wear;

is it:

• Odor free? 
• Stain free? 
• Lint free? 
• Fit properly? 
• Well pressed? 
• No tears or seems open? 

The moral of this story?  Preventative maintenance is a requirement for extending the life of most consumer products . . . and your wardrobe is no different!

How to Remove a Blood Stain at Home

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First thing:  Is your stained garment silk, rayon, wool, or some other dryclean only fabric? Then I recommend taking it to a well trusted drycleaner!

If you have a polyester or cotton and the label says launder or wash, then you are wise to follow my advice!

1) Best chance to remove a blood stain is to treat it as quickly as possible before it has a chance to set.  

2) ALWAYS TRY COLD WATER FIRST , since harsher chemicals may damage more delicate fabrics and/or pull color.

3) Let the item soak a little - then scrub - with a fingernail scrub brush, your fingernail.

Here is the most important tip: If the blood doesn't come out all the way, DO NOT GIVE UP!  Keep scrubbing.  If you need to take a break, that's fine.   - Leave the item soaking.  Scrubbing for 10-15 minutes or longer of is not uncalled for for a large stain, or if the stain has been sitting a little while.  Do be careful not to scrub a whole in the garment.

4) If you must - you can add a little soap.  The soap acts as a lubricant making it easier to remove the soils.  Using too much soap DOES NOT increase the chances of a stain coming out!

5) If soap doesn't do the job completely, try pouring ammonia straight over the stain and scrub again.

6) EXTREME MEASURES: Hydrogen Peroxide is another method - soak the entire stain in straight Hydrogen Peroxide 10-15 minutes and rinse with water.  Watch for color loss with this one. If the stains are all over - I would dilute the Hydrogen Peroxide in water - and soak the entire garment.  Watch it carefully - as soon as the stains start to move rinse and then wash the item completely!