April 2021

Q: How do you remove wax shoe polish from the cuffs of a pair of pants?

A: Test the color of a garment before starting any stain removal procedure. Place the garment on the spotting board over a white towel. Apply volatile dry solvent, apply oily type paint remover and tamp the stain with spotting brush. A bone spatula may be used to work the agents into the fabric. Flush the area with volatile dry solvent. You may have to repeat this process until the staining substance stops bleeding from the fabric.

Q: We received a silk dress with a light area in the front of the dress where a customer wiped up a spilled drink. Can this be improved or restored?
 

Q: What is causing the discoloration on this drapery panel?
 

Q: I cleaned a very full “ dryclean only” skirt. I noticed that the hemline of the skirt was uneven because some portions were stretched. My presser could not fix the skirt. What caused it? 

Q: After drycleaning a light blue blouse I noticed small areas of color loss on the lower right front panel. The blouse was not treated for stain removal while in the plant. What could have caused the color loss?

Q: I pre-spotted a dress with a little acetone to remove either a glue or nail polish plastic-type stain. The stain dissolved, with no noticeable damage to the dress, but the satin lining lost color and dissolved. What happened?