Invisible Stains

That stain wasn't there when I brought it in! What did you do to it? The fact is that many yellow and brown stains that appear after drycleaning were really there before the item was brought in. Common stains such as fruit juice, coffee, tea, soft drinks or just about anything with sugar in it dry invisibly soon after they occur. They are still there, you just can't see them. Heat or prolonged exposure to the air will make them appear again. A good example is an apple that turns yellow before your eyes after you take a bite out of it. The heat affected the sugar and turned it yellow or brown. The same principle applies to a sugar spot in clothing. Because the stain quickly turns invisible the customer usually forgets about it (out of sight, out of mind). Then, when he brings the item in for drycleaning, the heat used as part of the process brings out the stain making it look like the drycleaner caused it. Unfortunately the stain is now set and is very difficult to remove. The best defense is to take note of stains when they occur so that you can inform the cleaner when you bring the items in. This greatly increases the chance of successfully removing the stain.

Spot Removal Tips

People are always asking me if they can safely remove certain stains using a wide variety of items such as hairspray, alcohol, water, etc... The answer is yes.......and no. In some cases you can easily remove spots and stains using items found around the house but the question is are you willing to take the chance. I can't tell you how many times customers will ask us to try and remove a stain that they made much worse by trying to remove it at home. Unfortunately the damage is usually not reversible. So the first question before attempting home stain removal is "Am I willing to take a chance?" If it's an expensive item take it to your local drycleaner. If it's an inexpensive item and you are willing to take a chance then my best advice is to test it first. What ever you may be using to remove the stain should be put on an area of the garment that is hidden to check for dye bleeding. Secondly you should never rub the fabric but rather "dab" it and try to soak up the stain. Try to "feather" the stain reducing the chances of leaving a larger stain. Let it air dry. Do not wash until you are sure the stain has been completely removed, otherwise you could permanantly set the stain.

What is drycleaning?

Drycleaning most simply said is cleaning garments without water. This is where the word "dry" comes into play, as the opposite is "wet" which means with water. The process is not really "dry" at all, because the garments are wetted with solvents that clean the garments. After this "washing in solvents", the garments are then "dried" where the solvent is reclaimed and used over again. The solvent is filtered and more than likely distilled to make it pure.

Drycleaning is said to have started back in the 1700's when a person tipped over an oil lamp with kerosene in it, and saw how when it dried, the cloth was clean. In the early 1900's all drycleaning was done in petroleum solvents which had a high fire risk. Later benzene and carbon tetrachloride were used. In the late 1940's a synthetic solvent was developed that is used today by over 85% of the drycleaners.

In the drycleaning solvent, there are usually detergents that help to suspend the soil off the garment and to carry a small amount of moisture to aid in the removal of "sweet" stains. The cleaning process itself (not counting finishing (pressing) can take between 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the cleaning equipment, solvent used and a few other factors.