An Rx for drycleaners’ headaches
Many of the latest fashion trends may
look like a dream to consumers, but they can often be a
nightmare for cleaners to service, as IFI Analyst Chris
Allsbrooks demonstrated during her seminar at the Clean Show in
Orlando.
With a bright smile and sunny
disposition, she tried to shed light on problem garments that
are popping up all over the country. Over the course of an
hour, she covered everything from urban wear to urethanes.
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“It’s not just on
coats,” she said. “We’re seeing pants with
polyurethane finishes. The leathers now have a urethane finish.
We’ve seen shirts that have the urethane on the back
side. A lot of garments now have that wind protector, so they
have the urethane on the back part of the garment. You
don’t even see it. You don’t know it’s there
until it comes out of the cleaning process.”
Often, when such garments are cleaned,
the polyurethane separates and/or sticks together, causing the
cleaned item to have a drawn up or blistered look. Allsbrooks
used a Brooks Brothers coat featured in IFI’s Not In
Vogue #51 as a visual example for the audience.
Unfortunately, solving such an
unfashionable faux pas is not always as simple as contacting
the manufacturer.
“I think the company that made this
coat actually made it for six or seven different
manufacturers,” she said. “You used to have a
problem that was specific to one manufacturer. What’s
happening now is one importer is making garments for 20
manufacturers so if this one importer has a problem, their
whole line and ultimately all 20 manufacturers will have the
same problem.”
Allsbrooks also noted that leather
cleaners are going crazy being plagued with a similar scenario.
“This is probably the biggest
problem that we’re seeing in the lab right now,”
she added. “It’s a urethane film, but it’s on
the surface of the leather. It just looks like the painted
leather. So, you’ve got these leather garments that have
this plastic wrap film on them, and if you’re wearing
them, they start to abrade a little bit. But, when you clean
them, they start to come off all over the place.”
For a resolution, Allsbrooks suggested
contacting the local retailer first. Then, if need be, plant
owners can go up to the next level: the manufacturer.
She recommended that cleaners add weight
to their words by using their IFI bulletins and brochures to
help explain why the damage occurred during cleaning.
She also emphasized the importance of
being professional and courteous, instead of confrontational,
so that the retailers and manufacturers will be more willing to
listen to what they are being told.
Colorful headaches
Later in the seminar, Allsbrooks turned
her attention to flashier fashions, including the ever-popular
sports jersey. Though the trend has died down a bit during
football’s off-season, cleaners can still expect them.
“We were getting them in weekly,
several a week,” Allsbrooks noted. “Now,
we’re getting maybe one or two in a week. Look for
the trend to continue maybe another couple of years.”
Because most sports jerseys are
expensive, she stressed that all fabric care specialists test
prior to cleaning. Many jerseys are not authentic, so
double-checking them at a manufacturer’s web site is a
good idea. In many cases of cheaply-made imitations, the
multi-colored dyes/prints may bleed, transfer or crock off and
the inner stabilizing materials can crack, blister or peel.
Another colorful fashion trend that can
lead to headaches is that of urban wear, comprised of such
common brand names as Phat Farm, Baby Phat, Pelle Pelle, Ecko,
Ecko Red, FUBU, Pepe, Rocawear and All Days, among others.
“We’re getting these garments
into the analysis labs,” Allsbrooks explained.
“They have a lot of ornamentation on them and either the
prints pop off, or some of the trim will bleed. ”
Unfortunately, urban wear is often more
expensive than cleaners think and stores may have limited
return policies.
“One of the reasons I put these up
here is because a lot of people say, ‘Oh, it’s just
a $50 to $70 sweatsuit’,” Allsbrooks noted.
“Sorry. It’s a $200 to $300 sweatsuit.”
Tommy Bahama
Another frequent fashion fiasco that
often causes cleaners to spout some colorful words is the old
enemy of color loss. Tommy Bahama shirts are currently one of
the biggest culprits.
“We are getting 30 to 40 calls a
week about Tommy Bahama and color fading,” Allsbrooks
said. “A lot of it is happening during cleaning. Please
read your care labels. I would say 20 to 30 percent of the ones
we get in the lab with color loss have a warning label on
them.”
Start at the counter
In addition to reading care labels,
however, Allsbrooks suggested other things that cleaners should
do to resolve or prevent further problems.
The front counter is always a good place
to inspect for damage… including stains that the
consumers may have not even been aware of because they can
occur in storage and transportation, as well as during regular
use. Sometimes, even stains consumers caused can be
forgotten about.
“If you spill grape juice,
you’re going to see grape juice, but if you spill Sprite,
you’re not going to see it so you’re not going to
think about it,” Allsbrooks pointed out. “But,
after it gets cleaned, that stain appears. That’s why a
lot of people will say it wasn’t there and now it
is.”
According to Allsbrooks, whenever any
garment damage occurs, cleaners should advise them immediately
— before they go home and wear the garment.
“If you think you can help out, ask
for time to perform the magic,” she added. “Ask for
time to correct the damage. Apologize for the inconvenience and
stay in contact with the customer. Don’t let them feel
you are blowing them off. And, if it’s not restorable,
ask them what will make it right. Don’t just offer money
or free cleaning. Then, follow-up with a personal note to let
them know you would like to keep them as a customer.”