Here at Dry Clean City of Vestavia Hills, we post information on our blog that will help educate you about your clothing and household care. This post answers some questions you may have regarding dry cleaning.

What causes yellowing and/or fabric damage? Exposure to heat or the passage of time can cause stains from food, beverages and other oily substances to oxidize and turn yellow or brown. Once stains become yellow or brown, they are much more difficult to treat and often cannot be removed. Some fabrics react negatively to common chemicals such as antiperspirant, perfume and aftershave.

Applying these common chemicals before you dress can help avoid fabric breakdown or discoloration, but over a period of time damage can take place. Repeated contact to perspiration will eventually lead to permanent yellowing that is commonly seen on shirts and blouses.

Why do spots sometimes show up after dry cleaning that weren’t visible before? One of the dry cleaner’s worst enemies is the “invisible stain” like spray from grapefruit, hair spray or perfume. These stains surface after dry cleaning and become very visible after processing. It is actually the heat associated with the dry cleaning cycle or pressing that makes the stains visible. Dry cleaning itself will not remove these and depending on the material, some can be removed by a technician. Some may never be removed. If you know of any such invisible stains, please point them out so that we may pre-treat the stain before dry cleaning.

White wine spilled on the jacket of my best suit. It doesn’t show because I immediately mopped it up. Should I worry about a spot? You should note any spills on fabrics before the garment is cleaned professionally. For example, if not pre-spotted, sugar residue will darken (caramelize) when heat is applied at pressing. The more information you can provide, the better your suit will look after cleaning and pressing.

I have a professional suit jacket and slacks in summer white linen. I took the slacks to the cleaners but not the jacket. Now the two pieces are different colors of white! Today’s “summer” whites may contain fluorescent brighteners that can be damaged by prolonged natural sunlight. If you own matching sets of clothing such as suits, sweater sets, or dresses with matching jackets, always have them cleaned at the same time, whether or not they appear to be soiled. Dyes and fabrics finishes will change over time and with repeated wearing. To keep your matching sets looking as new as possible and clean them together.

What is spot cleaning? Some labels state “Spot Clean Only.” Spot cleaning is basically what the title implies. A garment is hand cleaned only in the areas where spots are noticeable. Spot cleaning is performed when portions of the garment are not capable of withstanding normal cleaning methods. Some of today’s fashions include various trims that are unserviceable whether dry cleaned or wet cleaned.

We Are Easy On The Environment & On Your Wallet!

www.inthehamper.com

205-823-1265

Here at Dry Clean City of Vestavia Hills, we post information on our blog that will help educate you about your clothing and household care. This post answers some questions you may have regarding dry cleaning.

What causes yellowing and/or fabric damage? Exposure to heat or the passage of time can cause stains from food, beverages and other oily substances to oxidize and turn yellow or brown. Once stains become yellow or brown, they are much more difficult to treat and often cannot be removed. Some fabrics react negatively to common chemicals such as antiperspirant, perfume and aftershave.

Applying these common chemicals before you dress can help avoid fabric breakdown or discoloration, but over a period of time damage can take place. Repeated contact to perspiration will eventually lead to permanent yellowing that is commonly seen on shirts and blouses.

Why do spots sometimes show up after dry cleaning that weren’t visible before? One of the dry cleaner’s worst enemies is the “invisible stain” like spray from grapefruit, hair spray or perfume. These stains surface after dry cleaning and become very visible after processing. It is actually the heat associated with the dry cleaning cycle or pressing that makes the stains visible. Dry cleaning itself will not remove these and depending on the material, some can be removed by a technician. Some may never be removed. If you know of any such invisible stains, please point them out so that we may pre-treat the stain before dry cleaning.

White wine spilled on the jacket of my best suit. It doesn’t show because I immediately mopped it up. Should I worry about a spot? You should note any spills on fabrics before the garment is cleaned professionally. For example, if not pre-spotted, sugar residue will darken (caramelize) when heat is applied at pressing. The more information you can provide, the better your suit will look after cleaning and pressing.

I have a professional suit jacket and slacks in summer white linen. I took the slacks to the cleaners but not the jacket. Now the two pieces are different colors of white! Today’s “summer” whites may contain fluorescent brighteners that can be damaged by prolonged natural sunlight. If you own matching sets of clothing such as suits, sweater sets, or dresses with matching jackets, always have them cleaned at the same time, whether or not they appear to be soiled. Dyes and fabrics finishes will change over time and with repeated wearing. To keep your matching sets looking as new as possible and clean them together.

What is spot cleaning? Some labels state “Spot Clean Only.” Spot cleaning is basically what the title implies. A garment is hand cleaned only in the areas where spots are noticeable. Spot cleaning is performed when portions of the garment are not capable of withstanding normal cleaning methods. Some of today’s fashions include various trims that are unserviceable whether dry cleaned or wet cleaned.

We Are Easy On The Environment & On Your Wallet!

www.inthehamper.com

205-823-1265