Q: Over the past year, I have had trouble with zippers that won’t go up. While a few of them are made of metal, most of them are constructed of nylon. I have replaced several zippers but feel there can’t be that many defective zippers. Can you please help me find a solution as I cannot continue to replace these zippers?

A: Most zipper problems can be traced back to solvent charge and crushed slides approximately 95 percent of the time.

Lice are small insects that live on the hair and scalp of humans and feed on blood. Lice can spread as long as lice or eggs remain alive on the infested person or clothing, but they are unable to survive off the body for more than 48 hours. Items that have been infected with lice should be contained in a plastic bag for 48 hours before cleaning.

Q: I just finished drycleaning a blue down-filled ski parka and now it looks like it has oil splotches all over the fabric. What happened and what can I do to fix it?