10 Things Your Drycleaner Wants you to Know! Here is a GREAT article!

Usually when there is a dry cleaning article in the general press, it is very negative. However in this case I want to show everyone I meet the article.

The only downside is the name. Rather than "10 things your dry cleaner won't tell you" I would call it "10 things your dry cleaner wants you to know!


http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Shelter/Organizing-Cleaning/10-Things-Your-Dry-Cleaner-Won-t-Tell-You.html

Shopping Know-How for Men: Greater Rewards in Less Time!

Since this is a blog about drycleaning, I am going to focus on those most common garments that must be drycleaned: A sport coat and dress slacks.

Identifying issues before you buy, can save you a lot of grief at the drycleaners and save you money in the long run!

SPORT COATS: There are 6 (or 7 depending on how you count) major issues you should address before you buy a sport coat (and that does not include how it looks and feels when you try it on)!

1. Lapel Roll

• Lapels are meant to be rolled, not pressed with a crease.
• ALL jackets are meant to have the lapel roll to about one inch above the top button.
• Gabardine and soft wools are hard to train to roll, do not buy if it does not roll properly!
• If you wear your jacket open frequently, you should also avoid these fabrics, the material will gain a new "memory" over time and likely not roll properly after a while.

2. Back Collar Felt

• The back collar of the jacket should always cover the felt below it.
• Before buying a jacket. check to ensure this is the case! It usually appears fine when hanging on the hanger, however it may be different when you try on the jacket (a good reason to bring a companion when you shop).
• If the felt has been cut or fitted poorly, it will show below the collar.
• Posture may also create this unfortunate condition.
• If you see progressive shrinkage with drycleaning, ask your cleaner to steam, stretch, and reblock the collar to cover the felt.

3. Fusible vs. Sewn Construction

• The fusing process usually uses an interfacing, an adhesive, and material.
• This process gives the jacket a clean, smooth line and is commonly used with gabardine and tropical-weight fabrics.
• Adhesive will ALWAYS break down eventually. In time or after several years, the glues just give up.
• This results in a bubbling or puckering most commonly in the front area.
• There is some debate over what causes this - but I am certain it is just the chemical nature of adhesives!
• Price does not dictate the quality of fused construction. However fused construction is typically less expensive than a sewn construction jacket.
• If you want your jacket to last over 5 years, I recommend not purchasing a fused jacket
• The Problem with Sewn Construction? The lining is typically made of a different material from the jacket. So after several cleanings, different rates of shrinkage cause a rippled effect.
• -- A decent tailor can normally correct this problem.

4. Two-Button vs. Three Button Jackets

• ALWAYS keep the extra buttons that come with your jacket!
• The traditional 3 button jacket (made famous by Brooks Brothers) presents a special problem: the top button is usually hidden under the lapel roll. However, since most cleaners machine press the lapel, you will be left with a circular button impression! That is quite unsatisfactory! (if you have any 3 button jackets, go check and see if you have that ugly button impression).
• I recommend removing the top button if this is the case. You can's see it anyway, so why not avoid having your cleaners mess it up?
• If you want to wear a three-button as a three button, please get a designer jacket that was designed to be a three-button jacket.

5. Single Breasted or Double Breasted

• Single-breasted jackets are easy to wear and have less material than double-breasted jackets.
• A single-breasted jacket can be worn unbuttoned and still look neat.
• Double-breasted jackets may not be the best choice for a shorter man with a full build.
• Double-breasted jackets are designed to be worn buttoned at all times! Wearing them unbuttoned not only looks bad, but it can damage the lapel roll.

6. Fabrics: The fabric you select will have a tremendous impact on the life, wear and cleanablity of you clothes!

LOW MAINTENANCE: 100% Wool wears longer than blends. Fall and Winter weaves (flannel, tweed, herringbone, etc) are the easiest to maintain because they are 100% wool, wrinkle resistant, and respond to brushing after wearing (you should always brush your wool jackets after wearing!)

Blended Fabrics that contain some polyester are wrinkle resistant but tend to shine faster. Fabrics with a nap or texture show less soil and tend to press well.

Of the cotton fabrics, seersucker is the most durable and least labor-intensive. Some seersucker can be washed, although drycleaning is more gentle.

HIGH MAINTENANCE: Thin, summer cotton may feel great, but it wrinkles easily. And frequent pressings of a light color will cause the jacket to wear more quickly.

Lighter fabrics also show perspiration and may have more damage due to perspiration - be sure your jacket is lined if you have a summer jacket!

Natural fibers do not hold color! So a brightly colored linen, or cotton jacket, besides needing to be pressed frequently and damaged by perspiration, will fade. And if you get a stain, there is a high likely hood it will not be removable without pulling a little color. This leave a light spot where the stain used to be! NEVER RUB A STAIN ON THIS MATERIAL - You will be left with a damaged area!

Gabardine - can shine easily, and if it is heavy weight - often has fusing issues.

Superfine Wool - also known as Super 100, Super 120 and even Super 180. This is very delicate material and not a good idea for an everyday suit. It wears easily and most quickly at the elbows.

Camel, cashmere and silk blends - not for everyday wear. These materials should be cleaned on MANUAL drycleaning cycle and are therefore expensive to clean. If your cleaner is not charging for these items, beware!

Raw "nubby" Silk - Pill easily, Difficult to clean (fading and stain removal - this is also a natural fiber),

Suit and Dress Slacks: Pants take more abuse than the jacket does, and they are typically drycleaned more often than the jacket. Consider the fabric (discussed above) when you are purchasing your pants!

GOOD IDEA: When you buy a suit, purchase an extra pair of slacks at the same time!

Whew! This is already longer than I intended. Now you know why none of my friends take me shopping! Take my advise, and you will be enjoying your purchase for years to come.

Did You Know . . . Drycleaning is Actually Wet!

Drycleaning actually uses solvent instead of water for the cleaning process. The solvent contains little or no water, hence the term “dry cleaning.”

Drycleaning (by one story) was discovered in 1825 when a Frenchman named Jean-Babptist Jolly knocked over a lamp, spilling a petroleum-type fluid onto his tablecloth. Jolly noted that the fluid removed a stain on the fabric. Dating back to mid-1800’s, past drycleaning solvents have included naptha, kerosene, benzene and other flammable, dangerous chemicals. Advanced petroleum-based solvent was developed as an alteternative in the early 1900s, and in the 1930’s perchloroethylene (“perc”) was introduced as a nonflammable solvent. Today, perc is one of the most common solvents in drycleaning.

I refer to “perc” as traditional drycleaning. Because of spills and environmental and health concerns, perc has recently come under EPA scrutiny. Alternative solvent are now becoming more common, such as Green Earth (a silicone solvent) or new versions of petroleum solvents.

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!