Blood, human or from an animal, as in from a steak, should be treated quickly. If it is diluted quickly with water and a touch of soap or detergent it will usually wash out completely. If it is left to dry for several days the blood will have time to react with oxygen in the air and will much more difficult or even impossible to remove. Overall it is important to wash the garment within a day or two or get it to us to take care of.

Understanding Fiber Content:

Getting out stains is highly dependent on the types of fibers that make up the garment. I am not speaking about satin, or chenille or gabardine, these are types of weave. It is the actually fibers that should be denoted on a garments label. Man-made fibers such as polyester, nylon, acetate require different care as opposed to silk, wool, cotton, linen which are natural fibers from plants or animals. To make matters more complicated within these two groups there are restrictions too. For example you need extreme caution when using any ammonia on a silk or wool but it is fine for cotton and linen. Also a velvet made from cotton or polyester will not be damaged by water but get caught in the rain with a rayon or acetate velvet and nap is ruined where the raindrops hit.

Cleaning One Item of a Suit:

It is never a good idea to clean only one part of a suit. In the cleaning process subtle changes can occur with the feel of a fabric or a slight loss of dye, especially in silks or linens that would not  be obvious when a suit is cleaned together but become glaringly obvious if the pieces are cleaned separately.

Remove Our Plastic Wrap Fast :

You want to protect your stored clothes from airborne dust and particulate, but NO, you do not want to use the plastic covers that dry cleaners place over your garments. That plastic is strictly designed for short term, in transit protection! Long term use of these plastic covers will suffocate the garment, trapping harmful gases and moisture and very possibly causing staining, mildew or other mishaps.

Perfume Is Harmful to the Health of Your Clothes:

Perfumes, colognes and other scented products often contain alcohol and other ingredients, which can discolor your garment. A little dab on the wrist and there goes a slight color change at the cuff. A light spray at the neck and the collar become a problem. So much as you may be tempted to test out the newest scent, do it with care for your clothes. When you’re dressing at home, apply your fragrance well before getting dressed and give it plenty of time to dry.

Raincoats and Water Repellent and your Tablecloths:

Like everything else in life, rain resistant finishes get old, tired and weak. Normal wear and tear, abrasion, spills from hot beverages and cleaning will affect these water resistant coatings and finishes so that they no longer perform their rain repelling function. Don’t dismay. You can reapply a water resistant finish to your CLEAN raincoat. Also consider adding this repellent to new tablecloths before the first use. It will help to repell that spilled wine or fruit juice extending the life of your linens.

Fur Forever – When Properly Stored:

According to the Fur information Council of America, professional conditioning and storage during summer months is the most critical step in extending the life of your furs. Keeping your fur garments at home during the summer can be very costly mistake. Both standard and cedar closets are not suitable for long term storage because they cannot duplicate the conditions for proper air circulation constant 50oF and 50% humidity to maintain valuable moisture. Caution!The Council also warns, “When fur is not (properly) stored, the hair itself may appear fine but the natural oils of the (underlying) leather will begin to dry out” . Once the underlying leather dries out the seams begin to split and nothing can be done save the coat. Properly storing your fur each summer is essential to maintaining and extending the life of your fur coat.

Color Loss Is Par For The Golf Course:

There’s nothing quite like a day of sun and fun spent at the golf course, but bear in mind as you’re getting a sun tan, your golf shirt is getting bleached of some of its color. This is especially true in the shoulder area and above the waist. Salts from perspiration and deodorants will also affect the dyes, sometimes turning them on ‘orange’ hue. That’s why it’s important to quickly professionally clean or launder these garments to remove the offending acids in chlorides. While fast action is no guarantee, it is the best chance you’ve got! Ironically, these color loss problems don’t usually manifest themselves until after the shirt has been processed. So while it might look ‘okay’ to you before hand, the invisible damage shows itself after the fabric has been exposed to heat in the drying process.

We Are Easy On The Environment & On Your Wallet!

205-823-1265

www.inthehamper.com

Blood, human or from an animal, as in from a steak, should be treated quickly. If it is diluted quickly with water and a touch of soap or detergent it will usually wash out completely. If it is left to dry for several days the blood will have time to react with oxygen in the air and will much more difficult or even impossible to remove. Overall it is important to wash the garment within a day or two or get it to us to take care of.

Understanding Fiber Content:

Getting out stains is highly dependent on the types of fibers that make up the garment. I am not speaking about satin, or chenille or gabardine, these are types of weave. It is the actually fibers that should be denoted on a garments label. Man-made fibers such as polyester, nylon, acetate require different care as opposed to silk, wool, cotton, linen which are natural fibers from plants or animals. To make matters more complicated within these two groups there are restrictions too. For example you need extreme caution when using any ammonia on a silk or wool but it is fine for cotton and linen. Also a velvet made from cotton or polyester will not be damaged by water but get caught in the rain with a rayon or acetate velvet and nap is ruined where the raindrops hit.

Cleaning One Item of a Suit:

It is never a good idea to clean only one part of a suit. In the cleaning process subtle changes can occur with the feel of a fabric or a slight loss of dye, especially in silks or linens that would not  be obvious when a suit is cleaned together but become glaringly obvious if the pieces are cleaned separately.

Remove Our Plastic Wrap Fast :

You want to protect your stored clothes from airborne dust and particulate, but NO, you do not want to use the plastic covers that dry cleaners place over your garments. That plastic is strictly designed for short term, in transit protection! Long term use of these plastic covers will suffocate the garment, trapping harmful gases and moisture and very possibly causing staining, mildew or other mishaps.

Perfume Is Harmful to the Health of Your Clothes:

Perfumes, colognes and other scented products often contain alcohol and other ingredients, which can discolor your garment. A little dab on the wrist and there goes a slight color change at the cuff. A light spray at the neck and the collar become a problem. So much as you may be tempted to test out the newest scent, do it with care for your clothes. When you’re dressing at home, apply your fragrance well before getting dressed and give it plenty of time to dry.

Raincoats and Water Repellent and your Tablecloths:

Like everything else in life, rain resistant finishes get old, tired and weak. Normal wear and tear, abrasion, spills from hot beverages and cleaning will affect these water resistant coatings and finishes so that they no longer perform their rain repelling function. Don’t dismay. You can reapply a water resistant finish to your CLEAN raincoat. Also consider adding this repellent to new tablecloths before the first use. It will help to repell that spilled wine or fruit juice extending the life of your linens.

Fur Forever – When Properly Stored:

According to the Fur information Council of America, professional conditioning and storage during summer months is the most critical step in extending the life of your furs. Keeping your fur garments at home during the summer can be very costly mistake. Both standard and cedar closets are not suitable for long term storage because they cannot duplicate the conditions for proper air circulation constant 50oF and 50% humidity to maintain valuable moisture. Caution!The Council also warns, “When fur is not (properly) stored, the hair itself may appear fine but the natural oils of the (underlying) leather will begin to dry out” . Once the underlying leather dries out the seams begin to split and nothing can be done save the coat. Properly storing your fur each summer is essential to maintaining and extending the life of your fur coat.

Color Loss Is Par For The Golf Course:

There’s nothing quite like a day of sun and fun spent at the golf course, but bear in mind as you’re getting a sun tan, your golf shirt is getting bleached of some of its color. This is especially true in the shoulder area and above the waist. Salts from perspiration and deodorants will also affect the dyes, sometimes turning them on ‘orange’ hue. That’s why it’s important to quickly professionally clean or launder these garments to remove the offending acids in chlorides. While fast action is no guarantee, it is the best chance you’ve got! Ironically, these color loss problems don’t usually manifest themselves until after the shirt has been processed. So while it might look ‘okay’ to you before hand, the invisible damage shows itself after the fabric has been exposed to heat in the drying process.

We Are Easy On The Environment & On Your Wallet!

205-823-1265

www.inthehamper.com