| Frequently
Asked Questions:
1. Why is it called drycleaning
when the garments do get wet in a solvent?
2. The care label gives only
washing instructions, can it be drycleaned?
3. I got back my garment
and there is now a spot on it that wasn't there
when I took it in, why?
4. The sign says Next Day....
what does that mean?
5. Isn't all drycleaning
the same?
6. I have something I want
cleaned, when do you get new solvent?
7. I got back a garment from
another cleaners and the stain is still on there,
can you remove it?
8. I have a silk garment
that I got a spot on and I took some water and
rubbed it and now I have a light spot, can you
fix it?
9. My kids put crayons in
the dryer and they are all over my garments, can
you help?
10. I got ink on a garment
of mine, I have tried hair spray, gasoline, and
20 different other things and can't remove it,
can you get it out?
11. I brought drapes into
a cleaners and they asked me to sign a drapery
consent/release, why?
12. I took a garment to
a drycleaners, and they pointed out a potential
problem and asked me to sign a consent or release,
why?
13. I picked up clothes;
they are clean, but they don't smell; are you
sure you cleaned them?
14. Can you handle my machine
washable and hand wash lay flat to dry garments?
15. What does all those
"IFI, IDLA, CPD, CED, CPW, etc." really
mean to me as a consumer?
1. Why is it called drycleaning when
the garments do get wet in a solvent?
It is called drycleaning because of little or
no water (moisture) present. (top)
2. The care label gives only washing
instructions, can it be drycleaned?
It depends. The garment maker is only required
to list one method of cleaning, not all, under
the FTC Care Labeling Act of 1984. If you take
your garment to a professional, they can professionally
clean the garment, whether it is via drycleaning
or wetcleaning. (top)
3. I got back my garment and there is
now a spot on it that wasn't there when I took
it in, why?
The spot is probably yellow/brown and yes it was
there when you brought it to the cleaners, but
it was invisible. In the cleaning and pressing
process, it was exposed to heat, which took the
sugars in the stain and caramelized them, turning
them dark. Think about what happens to an apple
after you take a bite out of and let it sit a
few minutes. That darkening is carmelization of
the sugar. Many times folks will spill "colorless"
drinks onto their garments, and drycleaning alone
will not remove these sugar stains. Sometimes,
these stains don't show up until some time after
pressing, so when this happens, point out the
stains to the cleaners, and they will make an
effort to remove them. Sometimes that is not possible.
Children play a game where they take lemon juice
and write on a piece of paper, invisible ink they
call it. Then they go iron it or place it on a
light bulb and the words appear. Same thing with
your garment. (top)
4. The sign says Next Day.... what does
that mean?
Each cleaners sets the hours a day that they run
their cleaning dept. Keeping the boiler and equipment
on all day, along with having help to do anything
required would become very expensive, which would
mean the cost of cleaning would have to be substantially
higher. Years ago before polyester, many cleaners
cleaned all day. Now most cleaners in the area
clean in the morning hours only. We offer our
same day drycleaning service Monday through Friday
on items received before 9:00 am. on MOST garments.
Same day service should not be requested on garments
that require extensive spot removal, as time is
needed to return to you the garment in the best
possible shape. (top)
5. Isn't all drycleaning the same?
No, it is not. There are three (3) quality standards
for each garment: Classic, Deluxe, and Economy.
We have chosen the Classic standard because we
believe your wardrobe is an investment and should
be treated as such. This adds to the quality of
our service. (top)
6. I have something I want cleaned, when
do you get new solvent?
We occasionally hear that today; it goes back
to the days when cleaners cleaned with petroleum
and the only real solvent purification was when
they added new solvent. You see, as garments are
cleaned, the solvent picks up greases and oils.
These are called non-volatile residue (or NVR
for short). The only way to remove all NVR is
to distill the solvent. Because of the flammability
and difficulty of distilling petroleum solvent,
many petroleum cleaners do not distill but use
other methods to try to remove NVR. We don't use
a petroleum solvent but clean with a synthetic
solvent that we distill after each
load. This keeps our solvent crystal clear (and
free of impurities) at all times. This is very
expensive to do because, while distillation does
remove the unwanted stuff in the solvent, it also
removes the detergents and sizings, which we have
to replenish. (top)
7. I got back a garment from another
cleaners and the stain is still on there, can
you remove it?
We hear this one a lot. Bring it in, and we will
try, but can't guarantee it. You see, it could
have very well be set in the previous cleaning
process or attempt to remove it. But our stain
removal expert is IFI trained and a Certified
Professional Drycleaner, and if it can be removed
SAFELY, we can do it. But not all stains can be
removed, and some dyes are very fragile and will
not withstand stain removal methods. (top)
8. I have a silk garment that I got a
spot on and I took some water and rubbed it and
now I have a light spot, can you fix it?
First, NEVER rub silk. The old tricks of applying
water or ginger ale or club soda really can do
more damage than good. Bring it in, we have a
special treatment that we can try on it to restore
it, but the best tip is never rub silk! (Blot
only) (top)
9. My kids put crayons in the dryer and
they are all over my garments, can you help?
We have a pretty good track record on removing
crayons; it requires us to dryclean and/or hand
work each garment. Some garments will not withstand
this treatment and the results will not be as
good.... (top)
10. I got ink on a garment of mine, I
have tried hair spray, gasoline, and 20 different
other things and can't remove it, can you get
it out?
We can't guarantee it and, depending on the garment
color, might be able to try some specialized agents
we have. But on an ink stain, your best bet is
to let us try first, because ink is made up of
two main elements, one being the "carrier"
and the other the "dye", and if you
remove the carrier of the dye without removing
the dye, it can be very difficult, next to impossible
to remove. And ink garments take time; we need
at least 4 to 5 days minimum. (top)
11. I brought drapes into a cleaners
and they asked me to sign a drapery consent/release,
why?
Draperies can because of the effects of the sun,
age, etc. be damaged while hanging that is not
evident until after cleaning. The release points
out to the consumer the possible problems that
could occur and gets your permission to proceed.
While the cleaner will apply careful care in cleaning,
they cannot guarantee the results. (top)
12. I took a garment to a drycleaners,
and they pointed out a potential problem and asked
me to sign a consent or release, why?
The problem that was pointed out indicated a possible
problem in cleaning, and they wanted to inform
you prior to the cleaning. This shows that the
staff is up to date on potential problems (of
course, there are always new ones!). The consent
says you agree to have it cleaned and realize
that the results may be less than perfect (or
they could be disastrous). This prevents possible
surprise when you pick up the garment. In our
case, very few of the garments we get consents
on come out less than perfect, but we can't guarantee
it. (top)
13. I picked up clothes; they are clean,
but they don't smell; are you sure you cleaned
them?
Properly drycleaned garments should exhibit no
odor of their own. This happens through proper
solvent maintenance and operation of the machinery.
They are not supposed to smell. (top)
14. Can you handle my machine washable
and hand wash lay flat to dry garments?
YES, we can. In addition to drycleaning, we also
do wetcleaning, which is ideal for those garments
that cannot be drycleaned. (top)
15. What does all those "IFI, IDLA,
CPD, CED, CPW, etc." really mean to me as
a consumer?
This is a good question, and the answer can help
the consumer greatly. They are usually signs of
a plant and person who has a desire to give their
customers the best possible in fabricare and have
invested there time and finances to do such.
First, IFI
stands for the International Fabricare Institute,
the worldwide institute for drycleaners, launderers
and wetcleaners. IDLA
stands for the Indiana Drycleaning and Laundry
Association. Both of these are educational and
trade associations. Member Plants belonging to
these types of organizations get tips, techniques,
training and other valuable information to provide
you, the consumer, with the best possible job.
IFI operates a laboratory where they do testing
for many major manufacturers. So you need to ask
yourself, do you want to choose a drycleaner who
tries to keep up on the latest in fabricare or
not? Only about 1/4 of all drycleaners belong
to a national trade association. Do you really
want to trust your garments to a cleaners who
won't spend about $1/day to have all this information
at their fingertips?
Secondly, the CPD, CED and CPW are certification
programs that are administered by Professional
Testing Corp. You have probably heard of ASE certified
mechanics; well, CPD stands for Certified Professional
Drycleaner, CED stands for Certified Environmental
Drycleaner and CPW stands for Certified Professional
Wetcleaner. These are individuals who have invested
in their career and job by taking this very difficult
4-hour test. (top)
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