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?
The minimum wage increase to $15.00 per hour is not included in the Senate Covid Relief package. Thank you to all who submitted comments to their legislatures. Three items that were included that could directly affect you are:
A study done by scientists at De Montfort University in Leicester found viruses similar to the strain that causes Covid-19 can survive on commonly-worn fabrics for up to three days. The study tested a model coronavirus on polyester, polycotton, and 100% cotton. Study results showed polyester posed the highest transmission risk, with the virus still present after three days and with the ability to transfer to other surfaces.
Photo: Redeposition can cause rings in stain removal.
Redeposition occurs in drycleaning when soils in the solvent resettle or redeposit on clothing instead of being carried off to the filters. Soil redeposition will be minimized if the filtered solvent flow rate is high enough to flush the soil rapidly from the washer and into the filter.
In December 2020, EPA released the final risk evaluation for perchloroethylene (perc) under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Perc which is still used by at least 50% of the industry could face additional regulations by EPA, which may also include a ban on its use as a drycleaning solvent.
Q: What does "fogging" mean?
In the past, the color of suede was a good indicator as to its authenticity. However, many skins are dyed to imitate the range of colors used in the world of imitation suedes.
Natural suede is made by abrading an animal skin to produce a napped, velvet-like surface. Suede skins usually contain inconsistencies in the surface hairs, skin defects from disease and wounds, and a coarser surface texture on the reverse side.
Need help removing milk stains on a garment?
Milk stains contain albumin, a component in many foods of animal origin. Eggs, milk, blood, urine, perspiration, certain types of glue, and gelatin have high contents of albumin. Fresh albumin stains are water-soluble and easily removed with wetside stain removal agents, such as steam. The longer the stain remains on the garment, the more difficult they are to remove.
The following procedure is proven to safely remove albumin stains:
1. Flush thoroughly with steam.
