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Q.
My husband buys all 100% cotton oxford, button-down shirts.
I am starting to notice some tiny holes here and there. What
is causing this?
A.
The oxford cloth weave consists of two, thin warp yarns to
every soft, thicker yarn in the filling direction. The unbalanced
construction causes the thin yarns to break, leaving tiny
holes. Manufactures could use a high twist in the yarn to
retard the development of holes, but eventually any oxford
weave will develop tiny pinholes.
Remember
all the yarns in an oxford shirt receive the same care, but
the constant abrasion in wear cause only the thin yarns to
weaken and tear.
Q.
I like to have all of my clothes drycleaned. If the care label
says "washable" can it be drycleaned?
A.
Not necessarily. The dyes and/or sizing may be solvent suitable
and may require wet cleaning for best results. Yet again there
may be other safe methods of processing a garment. The manufacturer
is required to list only one safe method. Rely on your professional
drycleaner! With the experience, training and expertise of
our drycleaning technicians we can properly test each of these
garments to ensure that your clothing wardrobe is properly
cared for.
Q.
Does drycleaning shorten the life of a garment?
A.
On the contrary, drycleaning prolongs a garments life. Not
only do stains set with age, making the garment unwearable,
but ground-in dirt and soil act as abrasives, causing rapid
wear of fibers. Insects are attracted to soiled clothes and
cause further damage.
Q.
Should I have all matching pieces together?
A.
Absolutely! As professional drycleaners, we can never be sure
of what types of dyes and or sizing the manufacturer or importer
has used. Quality standards in foreign countries are not the
same as we've come to expect here in the U.S. If all pieces
are cleaned together, the color and sheen will always match.
This applies not only to garments, but to bedroom ensembles
and drapery treatments as well.
Q.
Should I store my clothes in the bags my cleaned clothes are
returned in?
A.
The bags we provide are intended to protect your garments
until you get them home. Fabric needs to breathe. It's best
to store clothing uncovered or in fabric garment bags.
Q.
I recently purchased a dress with a care label that says,
"French Clean Only" what does this mean?
A.
A firm in Paris, France was credited with being the first
to use an organic solvent in drycleaning garments. This process
became known as "French Cleaning". Some garment
manufactures are using the term to suggest that the garment
be hand cleaned in solvent. The term may also imply that the
garment can only be spot cleaned because no immersion methods
are acceptable. This instruction does not meet the FTC Care
Label Rule, nor is it practical because it would not produce
a clean garment. As a consumer you should be aware of the
risks of cleaning such a garment. Often there is no safe way
to care for these garments.
Q.
What causes a "puckering" and excess fabric in shirt
collars and cuffs?
A.
This is caused by excessive shrinkage of the interfacing within
the collar and cuffs. The manufacturer must select an interfacing,
which is compatible with the shirt fabric.
Q.
Why do shirt buttons crack or break as often as they do?
A.
Buttons may crack during the pressing process, even though
we keep our press padding in excellent condition. The majority
of buttons are made from a polyester resin. The strength of
the buttons depends on the amount of polyester in the resin;
some importers use off-quality buttons.
Off
quality buttons do not meet the requirements in one or all
of the following criteria; color, visual inclusions, chips
or cracks, and uniformity of size. Manufactures use these
off-quality buttons to save money, but this results in higher
than average breakage. We do our utmost to replace all missing
and cracked buttons.
Q.
I purchased an expensive Tommy Hilfiger multi-colored shirt
and the colors have bled. Should this have happened?
A.
If the dyes in a multi-colored shirt are not colorfast to
water, bleeding will occur. This migration of the dye into
the surrounding areas is not acceptable unless the fabric
is madras (plaid or stripe that is guaranteed to bleed). The
FTC Care Label Rule states that the color in a garment must
withstand the recommended care procedure. Our experience in
laundering Tommy Hilfiger shirts has been exceptionally good.
As
an aside, in March of this year, Tommy Hilfiger was fined
$300,000.00 for violations of the Care Label Rule. His company
has since joined the International Fabricare Institute (IFI)
with hopes to avoid future problems by working with the industry
to address customer complaints, solve cleaning problems and
test garment construction to ensure appropriate care labeling.
Q.
How long can I expect a shirt to last?
A.
Industry experience shows that, on average, shirts have a
two-year wear life expectancy. However the number of laundering
is a better measuring method. The average shirt should have
a wear life of 35 to 50 washings. This can vary depending
on the amount of abrasions and strain placed on a shirt during
wear, the fiber content, the type of fabric, and the laundering
procedure.
Q.
I think my shirts are shrinking. Other than how they feel
when I wear them, how can I be sure?
A.
Industry standards allow for a normal shrinkage of two percent.
This is usually not enough to notice. Shrinkage beyond this
is usually due to poorly stabilized materials. To be sure,
measure the collar and sleeve length. Measure the collar from
the beginning of the button hole to the center of the button.
Measure the sleeve length in a straight line from the center
of the back of the collar to the end of the cuff. If these
measurements correspond to the shirt size, it has not shrunk.
Q.
When a care label says "Machine Wash Warm" what
temperature of water is considered warm?
A.
"Warm" water should be 90-110 degrees Fahrenheit,.
"Hot" water should be 120-150 degrees Fahrenheit.
"Cold" water should be 85 degrees Fahrenheit or
water for a cold tap. In our shirt laundry, the washing machines
are computer controlled, to bring the water temperature to
the exact temperature required for the specific type of garment
being laundered.
Q.
Does drycleaning shrink clothes?
A.
No, not if the drycleaning process has been carefully controlled.
We have the latest in drycleaning equipment in each of our
operations. They are all computer controlled with specific
programs for each different garment and fabric type. Our drycleaning
technicians have been fully trained and have years of experience
in handling even the most problematic and difficult fabrics
and garments… You can have confidence when you leave
your clothes in our care.
Q.
Will my drycleaned garments be odor-free and ready to wear?
A.
Most definitely! We are professional drycleaners and are skilled
in keeping the drycleaning solvent clean and pure. We are
also intent on using proper drying procedures.
Q.
It seems most of my blouses and dresses are either rayon or
silk. Should they be drycleaned or washed?
A.
Both silk and rayon fibers clean very well. However once the
fiber has been woven into fabric and it is dyed and treated
with various sizing, it becomes a whole different ballgame.
It is important that the care label instruction on the garment
be followed. This is where we, as your professional drycleaner,
are best in making that decision. We’re the drycleaner
you can trust!
Q.
My friends keep telling me that club soda and hair spray are
two of the best things for me to use in trying to get spots
out. It that true?
A.
I see trouble! Even water can cause problems on certain fabrics,
dyes and sizing. If you want to try anything, please pre-test
an unexposed seam. Wet the fabric and blot it with a white
cloth. Rubbing while wet during home spotting can distort
the yarns, causing light areas or chafing. Allow the area
to air dry to determine if the dye or sizing have been disturbed.
Q.
I’ve noticed some "dark spots", almost like
raindrops on the shoulder area of my favorite silk blouse.
What can they be?
A.
Some silk dyes bleed or change color when exposed to solutions
containing alcohol. Use deodorant, perfume and hair spray
before you dress. If you need to pull your blouse over your
head before using hair spray, protect your garment with a
towel around your shoulders. Here’s another silk tip:
Never leave a silk garment exposed to sunlight or high wattage
artificial light. When transporting your silks to and from
the cleaners, keep them in a bag or lay them in your trunk.
Q.
Why did the beads on my silk sweater lose color when I had
it cleaned?
A.
The dyes used to color beads, buttons, and sequins, do not
always perform the same way as the dyes used in the fabric
of a garment. Some dyes are not resistant to drycleaning fluid.
General fading, dulling of the finish or even entire color
loss can occur. Worse yet, in some cases, the color transfers
from the trim and permanently stains the garment. The Care
Label Rule clearly states that the care instructions must
apply to all component parts of the garment, including any
attached decorative trim. Do not hesitate to return this garment
to the retailer for an adjustment. The retailer should likewise
return it to the manufacturer.
Q.
How long should I expect my draperies to last?
A.
Experts tell us three years for unlined draperies and five
years for lined draperies. There are several things you can
do to extend the life expectancy, however. Dryclean draperies
regularly to keep soil and grease from damaging fabrics. Rotate
draperies, if possible, so that exposure to intense sunlight
is varied. Guard carefully against water damage from open
windows. Water rings develop and are almost impossible to
remove, unless the fabric can be wetcleaned. This is usually
not the case.
Q.
My son got bubble gum all over his jeans. How can I get it
out?
A.
Kids do have a way of getting gum stuck to themselves and
their clothing! Try this cure: put the jeans into a plastic
bag and place in the freezer for 24 hours. Next, carefully
scrape the gum from the fabric. Should traces remain, rub
a little egg white on the stain before you launder them. As
always, try this home remedy only on durable, everyday clothing.
Your finer garments should come to us for professional cleaning
care. We’re the drycleaner you can trust!
Q.
Can I wash my wool blanket?
A.
It’s always best to follow the manufactures instruction.
Although the FTC does not require labels on blankets, care
instructions are usually provided on permanent labels or temporary
hang tags. Wool blankets can be made of either a woven or
knit fabric construction and they require special precaution
when cleaning. Hot water or hot drying temperatures can cause
wool blankets to shrink and feel harsh and stiff. Wool blankets
can be drycleaned successfully, or they can be machine washed
in cold water on a gentle cycle with mild detergent, then
line dried or tumble dried on low heat. Even thought you may
follow the recommend care instructions, some wool blankets
may still experience shrinkage. Industry standards allow for
as much as 6% after five laundering! For example, a wool blanket
that measures 81 x 108 can shrink as much as 4 ½"
in the width and 6 ½" in the length. For ease
in caring for your wool blankets, just bring them into us.
Remember: We’re the drycleaner you can trust.
Q.
HELP! I have a garment without care instructions. It has a
tag with a number "4" in a triangle. Am I suppose
to know what the "4" stands for?
A.
Who says garment care is easy?!!! Most home-sewn garments
will carry a tag like that, a numbered code in a triangle
to signify specific care instructions. Manufactures and importers
of fabrics sold by the piece from bolts of fabric for the
purpose of making home-sewn textile apparel are required to
provide both care information and/or this numbered code on
the end of each bolt. Let’s demystify the code to keep
you from pulling your hair out. It’d be a good idea to
print this and tape it to the inside of a cabinet door in
your laundry area. Here goes:
Machine
Wash Warm
Machine Wash Warm; Line Dry
Machine Wash Warm; Tumble Dry: Remove promptly
Machine Wash Warm; Delicate Cycle; Tumble Dry Low; Use Cool
Iron
Machine Wash Warm; Do not Dryclean
Hand Wash Separately; Use Cool Iron
Dryclean only
Dryclean Pile Fabric Method Only
Wipe With Damp Cloth Only
Q.
A dress of mine was drycleaned and after cleaning, the shoulders
were a lighter shade than the rest of the dress, what happened?
A.
The dyes on acetate and other blends of fabric are sensitive
to the effects of nitrogen oxide gas found in the air. These
gases are formed when air comes in contact with a heated surface,
such as a furnace in the home. The gases collect on the fabric
as it is stored in a closet. This type of color change may
not be noticed until the garment has undergone the cleaning
process. This color change cannot be reversed.
Q.
I've been seeing commercials on TV about a product called
Dryel. They make it sound like I can dryclean all my clothes
at home in my clothes dryer. Is that possible?
A.
Oh, if it were only that simple! That depends on what the
word "clean" means! When you launder your clothes
at home, you immerse them in water containing agents to aid
in soil removal and retention of whiteness and brightness.
You choose hot or cold water, normal or delicate cycle, and
also select the length of agitation time, and decide whether
to rinse once or twice. When your garments are professionally
drycleaned they also are totally immersed not in water but
in solvents with the addition of detergent, brighteners and
sizing. The drycleaning cycle is computer controlled to ensure
that each type of fiber, fabric, garment or household item
receives the proper amount cleaning time, "rinsing"
extraction, and just the right amount of drying time at the
right temperature.
Dryel
offers you spotting solutions and a bag to put your garments
in and then instructs you to put it in the dryer for a specific
amount of time .. Your garments are not totally immersed in
a solution containing cleaning agents, they are not rinsed.
We have found that the spotting solution can be effective
on many water soluble stains. It is not effective on solvent
soluble stains or combination stains. Dryel will give your
garments a "fresh" odor after they have been tumbled.
If that's what you're looking for, I would suggest to you
that a fabric softener sheet would have the same effect!
Q.
I have a pair of pants I want to be hemmed. Should I pin them
myself or do you have someone to do it for me?
A.
We have expert fitters at all of our locations to ensure you
get the proper fit.
Q.
My favorite pair of jeans have a in tear in the knee, what
can you do and how will it look?
A.
We will patch the hole for you by inserting a similar fabric
on the backside and sewing neatly matching stitches in matching
thread on the front. This process secures the hole and prevents
it from getting larger.
Q.
My friend gave me one of her old dresses which is a size 12,
can you take it in to fit me (I'm a size 6)
A.
The most any garment can usually be taken in is 1 to 2 sizes.
Trying to take in garments any more will distort the line
and style of the piece.
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