Content about Ask the Expert

Q: I recently had a “lipstick load.” Since I had to work on each piece, it took me hours to restore the entire load. Is there an easier way to handle the mess that results when accidentally running a load with ink or lipstick?

Q: Khaki pants seem to be a good candidate for wetcleaning, but I often have trouble removing grease and oils without drycleaning them. What’s the best, most efficient way to get them clean?

A: It isn't necessary to dryclean khaki slacks before wetcleaning them. Almost every manufacturer of wetcleaning and laundry detergents has a degreasing agent that can be added to a wetcleaning or laundry formula. Have your representative set up a “khaki program” that includes this type of degreasing agent.

Q: After laundering and pressing a shirt several times, sometimes a dark spot appears along the seams where the glue is showing. It’s more noticeable on colored shirts than on white. Is this a manufacturer’s problem, or is there something I can do?

Q: Is there any way to restore sizing damage or color loss in acetate fabrics once it has occurred?

A: If part of an acetate fabric suffers discoloration, it’s sometimes possible to correct the damage. There are two methods a drycleaner can use.

For the first method, dissolve five ounces of mineral oil in one gallon of solvent. Soak the acetate fabric in the solution for about 15 minutes. Extract lightly and reclaim the solvent.

Q: Easter is always the time I get lots of frilly, child-sized dresses with smudgy pastel stains on their sleeves and bodices, which I can only assume resulted from these girls dying eggs or eating dyed eggs in their Sunday best. I’ve had good luck and bad removing these stains, and every time I can’t remove the stains, the parents complain that they can’t pass these special dresses on to other kids. What’s the secret to getting rid of these stains completely, every time?

Q: With all of the snowstorms this year, we’ve been getting a lot of garments with salt stains. What’s the best way to remove them?

A: Rock salt (sodium chloride) and calcium chloride are both used to melt ice and snow. While it’s fairly easy to remove these salts when they’re fresh, they may damage dyes and disintegrate fabrics, especially silk and wool, when left in garments for a period of time.

Q: How do I stretch out and soften a sweater vest that has “tightened up?” It hasn’t shrunk too badly.

A: From your description, it sounds like the garment is a woolen. If the sweater has hardened, the yarns have felted.

Q: I recently installed a hydrocarbon drycleaning machine after using perc for more than 20 years. When garments had a stain that was both oil- and water-based (such as spaghetti sauce or salad dressing), we used to dryclean the garment first to remove the oil and then post-spot the remainder of the stain. For some reason, with the new hydrocarbon machine, after we post-spot the garment, there is still a yellow discoloration from the oil. Am I doing something wrong?

Q: We have a problem with shrinkage when drycleaning household items such as draperies and slipcovers, although we don’t normally have these kinds of problems when drycleaning regular garments. What causes this, and how can we deal with the problem?

A: Custom-made draperies and slipcovers in people’s homes are often fabricated from bulk fabric, which can shrink more easily than other fabrics when drycleaned.

Q: I received a white silk blouse that had a foul, “skunky” odor prior to the drycleaning process. After drycleaning, the odor was noticeably worse. I tried an odor-removing agent, but was not successful. What is the cause of this odor?

Q: A smaller fire station near me asked if I could clean their turnout gear on an as-needed basis. Do you have any washing guidelines for turnout gear?

A: Turnout gear, which is used by firefighters and other emergency workers, must be processed in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. These standards not only ensure that the gear will not be damaged by processing, they also deal with specific guidelines for decontamination and other maintenance issues.

Q: I own a promotional products company in Cincinnati. One of my corporate accounts is a large moving company, and I have golf shirts made in Guatemala for its apparel program. The shirts are a 50/50 poly/cotton blend, and the color is a dark heather — similar to charcoal. After the movers wear and wash them a couple of times, the fabric turns a brown or rust color on the high-sweat areas. The strange thing is that the inside of the shirts look brand-new and don't discolor at all. Do you have any idea why this is happening?