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Published 07/21/2010 - 8:00 a.m. CT
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| iStockPhoto/milosluz |
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CHICAGO — Effective stain removal is now a multi-solution process. Garments are getting so sophisticated that you must follow the care label. Choosing to go against care-label instructions puts garments at risk, and you assume all risk should anything go wrong.
Chemical tools have reached the point at which it is safer, less expensive and more effective to immerse garments in water than it is to stand at the spotting board working on a garment that has a water-soluble stain and a water-based care label.
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Published 06/04/2010 - 8:00 a.m. CT
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| Photo: iStockphoto.com/Shelly Perry |
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CHICAGO — I usually devote my time to explaining what should be done in order to achieve effective stain removal. This month’s column is devoted to spotting don’ts — the no-nos I see and the results I am asked to correct. Some may seem like no-brainers, but they happen every day in plants across the country.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when another cleaner opened a bag at my counter. What was once a lovely “candlelight” silk wedding dress in a satin weave was now a mess of limp, chafed cloth. The cleaner explained that since the dress arrived extremely soiled, he decided to “wetclean” it, thinking that any water process qualifies as wetcleaning.
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Published 04/23/2010 - 8:00 a.m. CT
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| iStockPhoto/Silberkorn |
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The Clothing Care Council (CCC) offers every drycleaner an opportunity to distinguish himself or herself with the voluntary Award of Excellence (AOE) certification program. This month, I’ll cover the second half of AOE’s stain-removal test, which features egg, red wine and spaghetti-sauce stains on swatches of plain white silk.
Egg is a wet-side stain, and a classic protein stain. Place the stained area over the vacuum nose of the spotting board and flush with steam until the stain stops breaking down. Apply neutral synthetic detergent (NSD) and flush the area with steam. Move it to the solid part of the board and apply a digester. Set the garment aside with a warm, wet towel over the stain to keep the digester activated. NSD will help keep the area moist.
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Published 04/14/2010 - 9:00 a.m. CT
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| Photo: iStockphoto.com/Betsy Dupuis |
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Drycleaners must make difficult decisions about what to do with the suedes and leathers customers bring in for cleaning. You have four options, each with benefits and drawbacks.
If you refuse to take in suede and leather items, you’ll lose the income and profits you could realize from some of the highest-profit items that come across your counter. However, you won’t have responsibility for them, either, or any problems that occur.
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Published 04/02/2010 - 8:00 a.m. CT
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| Photo: iStockphoto.com/Carmen Martínez Banús |
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I just finished the last stain-removal test necessary to requalify for the Award of Excellence (AOE), a voluntary certification that helps cleaners distinguish themselves while demonstrating a commitment to the industry, the community and continuing education.
This year, the swatches — on white silk with a plain weave — were stained with nail polish, coffee with cream, ink, egg, spaghetti sauce, and red wine. These are stains every cleaner should be able to remove.
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