National Clothesline

Let’s start off with buttons (usually backup buttons) that can melt in drycleaning fluid.

This problem is most likely to occur in perc. These buttons can completely dissolve in

drycleaning fluid so that all that is left is the thread that once held the button.

If this is the case, you are lucky and all you have to do is to replace the melted buttons with buttons that are drycleanable.

If you warned the customer that the buttons might melt (and got a release on the buttons), you can replace them and charge the customer for it. If you didn’t, you will have to replace them free of charge and wish you had told the customer.

Some buttons will partially melt and the residue can stick to the surface of the suede or leather. They will stick either where the button was sewn or elsewhere on the garment if the partially melted button pulls loose from its stitching or flops over and comes in contact with another part of the garment.

The problem is compounded if the partially melted button is dark colored and the suede or leather is a light color.

To correct this problem the procedure to follow is to first reclean the item. This further exposure of the buttons to the drycleaning fluid during the rerun should completely dissolve the partially melted buttons and dissolve their stains from the surface of the suede or leather.

The problem will be corrected except for replacing the buttons.

Use the same leather dry-cleaning solution on the rerun as was used initially.

If button residue or pigment from the colored buttons persists, the areas must be reworked with both a surface spotting abrasive and then with special leather spotting agents like Royaltone Spot Wiz Wet, Spot Wiz Dry and Spot Wiz VDS that will safely remove the button residues and pigment stains without adversely affecting the soft texture, color or the integrity of the garment.

These safe leather spot removal products will work well in this application. Spotters made for use on cloth items should be avoided as they are not formulated for use on leather goods and will cause color loss problems and stiffening of the leather skin.

In addition to buttons that melt, there are other potential problems that pertain to buttons used on suede and leather articles.

One such problem is caused by leather buttons that are glued together with glue that is soluble in drycleaning fluid.

When cleaned by acceptable professional leather cleaning methods, the drycleaning fluid dissolves the adhesive and the tops of the buttons come off and float around in the drycleaning fluid, sometimes adhering to the surface of suede or leather garments being cleaned.

If you can find the top of the buttons that came off, they can easily be reglued to the button with a leather glue that is resistant to drycleaning fluid, like the Royaltone Perma Hold permanent solvent resistant glue.

If the top of the buttons come off and stick to the surface of the suede or leather, the best procedure would be to rerun the garment. The glue should again dissolve and the buttons should come loose from the surface of the garment.

They can then be retrieved and reglued to the button top with the drycleaning fluid resistant glue so that they will never come loose in the drycleaning fluid during future cleanings.

Another problem button is the hollow metal button. This is a rather large, bulb-shaped button, usually the size of a quarter. It is covered with the same leather or suede as the coat itself.

This button is made up of two concave pieces of thin metal which are pressed together after the leather is placed over the top of each. These sometimes come apart in cleaning, but if each of the two covering pieces is retrieved, they can be put back together.

The covering pieces of leather can usually be found in the drum or with the leathers or in the button trap.

These hollow metal buttons also present a challenge in the pressing operation. If the head of the press is brought down on the area of the garment containing the button, chances are good that the button will be smashed and become somewhat concave instead of convex, much to the customer’s displeasure.

These buttons should either be bypassed in pressing and the area around them hand-finished with the hand iron or the buttons should be removed and resewn again at customer expense after pressing is completed.

If these buttons are detected at the counter, they can be removed and resewn at customer expense. If they are not detected at the counter, chances are you will have to remove and resew the buttons at no charge when pressing to avoid damage to the leather or the buttons.

Another problem button is the woven leather button. These buttons sometimes tend to chip, peel and abrade in cleaning.

When this occurs, the surface finish will have to be replaced and their color replaced to make them presentable. You can use products like the Royaltone Brit-N dye or Leather Pro* leather finish for that purpose.

However, they may be so badly worn that they will have to be replaced. If the wear is detected at the counter, they can be replaced at customer expense.

If the wear is not detected at the counter, chances are you will have to replace the buttons at no charge when the customer claims that you caused the damage to their buttons.

Still another problem is buttons with elongated eyelets that are used to fasten the button to the garment.

If these buttons are pressed, the eyelets can be pushed through the skin of the garment causing damage and a claim.

At best the eyelet will bend and the button will look peculiar and the customer will be dissatisfied.

When finishing the area of the garment where the eyelet is attached, it should be hand-finished with the hand iron or the buttons should be removed before the garment pressed. Then the buttons can be sewn back after pressing.

Again, if the elongated eyelet buttons are detected at the counter, they can be removed and resewn at customer expense. If they are not detected at the counter, chances are you will have to remove and resew the buttons at no charge when pressing to avoid damage to the leather or the buttons.

When removing and sewing buttons on leather and suede, a regular sewing needle just won’t go through the skin, especially if it is a cowhide or pig skin.

The reason is that the skin is made up of a network of dense, interlocking fibers that resist penetration by a round-shaped needle like you use to hand sew cloth.

To sew buttons or anything else onto suede or leather, you must use a special leather needle. Remember that the leather needle differs from the conventional cloth needle in that the point is not round but triangular in shape and each edge of the triangle is razor sharp.

When the needle is inserted into the skin, the three sharp edges of the point actually slit the skin, allowing the needle to penetrate like a hot knife through butter.

These leather needles are called glovers needles or leather craft needles and they are available at any local leather craft shop.

Of course, a heavy thread should also be used with this needle to fasten buttons or other hardware to the suede or leather item.

An alternate method to fasten buttons is a device that inserts plastic loops through the skin to hold the buttons in place. These devices are available through your drycleaning and laundry supply distributor.