Cleaning Tips from Our Professionals
Help Us Care for Your Garments
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Point out stains, coloured areas and invisible spills to your dry cleaner. Hidden stains containing sugar from food and beverages may caramelize and turn brown with heat if not flushed prior to cleaning.
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Clean your garment as soon as possible after staining occurs. Leaving soiled garments untreated can cause stains to oxidize, making them impossible to remove.
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Clean your garments regularly as soils and stains can cause abrasions weakening the fibres and prematurely wearing down the fabric.
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Never put a garment away for the season without it being cleaned. Residual chemicals in perspiration, body oils, lotions and other skin preparations; or invisible stains such as animal proteins, tannins and sugars found in foods and beverages can weaken fibres causing colour loss which may only show up after cleaning.
Stain Emergency Basic Tips
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When a stain emergency arises first relax and count to ten. Knowing “what not to do” is just as important as knowing “what to do”. Resist the urge to quickly rub the stain with water or club soda.
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Then, identify the stain. There are two basic types of stains, water-based stains (i.e. food and beverage) and oil-based stains (i.e. lipstick, grease and ink).
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Damage may occur despite your best intentions. For water-based stains, you may use water and a clean towel, dab and blot, never rub a stain. Fragile fabrics like linen, rayon and silk will be easily damaged by rubbing. Also, water may spread stains and cause dyes to run making the problem much worse. For oil-based stains, water alone may not penetrate the stain but can cause it to spread. A very small amount of dish liquid and water may help. Again, dab and blot, never rub.
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Always limit your garments from extended exposure to sunlight. Sunlight will weaken fibres causing fabrics to deteriorate and yellow.
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Never dry or iron a stained garment, the heat can permanently set the stain.
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Avoid letting your garments come into contact with products that contain alcohol such as perfumes, hair sprays, colognes and lotions. These products can damage fabrics and dyes which may not show up until after the cleaning process.
Whatever it is, we have the tools and knowledge to fix the issue. Just stop by one of our locations!
