National Clothesline

The economic crisis should be incentive enough for cleaners to make a strong effort to prevent and avoid garment problems for the new year. A complaint against a cleaner not handled properly is a lost customer and a reduction of profit.

Cleaners can not just randomly accept garments and not expect some problems. The magic part of preventing problems is knowing how to accept garments and use proper spotting and cleaning procedures.

It is not necessary to scrutinize every garment received, but there are obvious potential problems. We have received for analysis many problems that are repeated year after year.

As a consultant, I deal with live garments and, because of careful checking, do not have problems. I consult with and accept garments from museums and curators as well.

Here is a list the most common problems received for analysis, what to look for and preventive measures to take.

Fabrics most affected: silk and acetate.

Fume fading is a color loss caused by airborne gases in the atmosphere. It can occur on any garment, but most garments affected are silk and acetate.

In consultations, I have shown cleaners that many of the garments received for cleaning have some degree of fading. It is only a matter of time before the customer may file a claim. The damage should be pointed out to the customer at the counter.

Fabrics most affected: silk and rayon.

Chloride salts are found in perspiration, food and beverages. The salt reacts with the dye and can also weaken the fabric. Chloride salts will also damage suedes and leathers.

When accepting garments examine carefully the underarm and collar area for perspiration contact.

As a preventive measure, garments should be flushed with a water or steam gun to remove the salt. Chloride salts are not removed in drycleaning. Once chloride salts have affected the dye, it can not be corrected.

Fabrics most affected: silk and acetate.

Contact with alcohol can damage the dye on many fabrics, but most readily on silk and acetate.

Alcohol may not be readily noticeable upon contact, but age, moisture in the atmosphere and subsequent cleaning will cause oxidation making the damage noticeable.

Acetate and silk are used for many gowns and evening wear, making it more susceptible to contact from alcohol.

Affects all fabrics.

There are many substances that contain oxidizing agents that can damage the dye on fabrics. They include household bleach, some medicines, skin cleaners and hair preparations.

Some customers who home-wash shirts use household bleach which can discolor the fabric. When brought in for professional laundering the customer sometimes makes a claim against the cleaner for discoloration.

Our laboratory has been able to ascertain a household bleach rather than an oxidizing bleach used by professional cleaners.

We solved a customer’s complaint of bleach marks on their clothes after cleaning. In speaking to the customer we have ascertained that they use skin cleaners which contain benzol peroxide. This is an oxidizing agent capable of removing dye on most fabrics.

Most shrinkage in garments received was due to improper pre-shrinkage treatment. Some shrinkage problems received resulted from improper cleaning due to excessive heat, moisture and mechanical action.

Some cleaners opted to wetclean viscose rayons which are not pre-shrunk and will shrink in wetcleaning. That is why these garments are labeled “Dryclean only.”

Pigment dye. This is color held to the surface of the fabric by an adhesive binder. This can be in the form of a print or an entire fabric dyed. In drycleaning, the adhesive binder partially dissolves, which causes color loss.

Examine pigment dye by looking for dye crocking for color loss due to friction. Compare the outer fabric with unexposed areas and notify the customer of color limitations.

Beading. Manufacturers are still producing solvent-soluble beading, but it is not as prevalent as in the past. They are often mislabeled as drycleanable, so look to wetclean the item.

Manufacturers use a lot of high-fashion polyester trimmed with beading, so wetcleaning is possible. Check solvent-soluble beading by placing a drop of amyl acetate on your fingertips and then touching the beading. Note if the beading becomes sticky or tacky.

Leather trimming. A black leather trimming on a white garment is always a potential problem. This can not be safely drycleaned even in petroleum solvent. Obtain a customer’s release if cleaning is performed.

If you are having a problem explaining a garment problem to your customer, obtain the aid of the garment analyst at the laboratory that you use. I talk to many customers and the third-party and objective view is beneficial to solving disputes. I also speak to store managers and manufacturers who do not entirely understand the problem at hand.