National Clothesline

In my last article we went back to the basics of spotting for several reasons. The counter people should know what garments need pre-spotting and what ones do not need pre-spotting. They should be able to talk to a customer with professional knowledge.

The experienced spotter

sometimes loses the concept of basic spotting causing some problems in their spotting procedures.

I will explain the basics of spotting as I teach it in my spotting sessions.

This is the concept of using a liquid to dissolve a stain. Water dissolves sugar, salt and starch.

Water cannot dissolve dry side staining such as oil. Dry solvents are liquids with no water. They dissolve oil, grease and wax.

The ability of a solvent to dissolve a stain means the stain is a soluble stain. If that sounds simple, why do we have garments with grease sent for wetcleaning and water-based stained garments sent for drycleaning?

How many times have you heard your spotter say “I drycleaned this silk blouse with perspiration stains several times and the stain did not come out.”

Some spotters still apply wetside chemicals to fabrics and think that the drycleaning solvent will remove the chemical. Many spotters still apply dryside agents and attempt to flush it out with water. I see many spotters use paint removers to pre-spot perspiration and other wetside stains.

These spotters have lost the basic and elementary concept of spotting. Water is the only wet solvent that a cleaner uses. Cleaners have several dryside solvents which include drycleaning solvent, amyl acetate and volatile dry solvent.

This is the action of using a lubricant to break up, emulsify and lift the stain from the fabric. Lubrication is used with mechanical action, which is tamping and brushing to aid in breaking up the stain.

Lubrication also reduces friction, which protects the fabric from damage when applying mechanical action.

I have often seen spotters attempt to remove stains using mechanical action without applying a lubricant. This often results in a damaged fabric. Many spotters still apply dry solvents and lubricants using the steam gun to flush it out.

Proper lubrication will also prevent bleeding and spreading of stains. Ink stains frequently spread because proper lubrication was not used.

The following is a breakdown of the lubricants you can use. Wetside lubricants are used on insoluble stains that mix with water. Dryside lubricants work on insoluble stains that have a plastic, grease or wax base.

Wetside lubricants: neutral lubricant, glycerine; spray spotter

Dryside lubricants: oily-type paint remover; drycleaning detergent.

This is forming a new substance or making a stain invisible by the addition of a chemical. It is often confused with making stains soluble using solvent action.

For example, if I put sugar in water, it is still a mixture of sugar and water even though I removed the stain. I changed the physical state of the sugar but nothing else.

A chemical action forms an entirely new and different compound. For example when I apply a bleach to a stain I change the chemical composition of the stain, making it invisible. When an alkali is applied to perspiration, I chemically convert the perspiration to a soluble soap. This occurs because the fatty acids in perspiration combine with the alkali making a soluble soap.

Different stains react to specific chemicals. Tannin stains react to acids while protein stains react to alkalis. Chemicals also involve the use of bleaches.

The advanced spotter may use many chemicals in his arsenal, including acids, alkali, oxidizing and reducing bleaches.

The concept of chemicals requires a careful study of each chemical and how it should be used. Chemicals can react adversely on a fabric and it is important to know what neutralizes it.

Remember that drycleaning solvent does not remove wetside chemicals from fabric. This is due to the fact that solvents and water do not mix.

The secret of how the liquid got inside the liquid filled chocolate cherries is almost as much a mystery as how the cleaner took out perspiration and similar protein or albuminous stains on a red silk beaded gown without losing color.

The process by which chocolate-covered cherries with liquid centers are created is by an enzyme action that actually takes place after the candy is made. The cherries are put in a solid mold which contains an enzyme. The cherries are then dipped in chocolate. They are then stored for a period of time under controlled heat.

During this period, the enzymes start a digesting reaction in the solid candy center. The enzyme converts the portion of the center to a soluble sugar. This explains how the liquid is made without affecting the covering.

The drycleaner who knows how to use enzymes can also change similar protein and albuminous stains to sugar without using protein formulas, lubricants, alkali and mechanical action, which may affect some delicate fabrics or weak sensitive dyes. Refer to the website www.daneisen.com for a detailed explanation on how to use enzymes.