Here at Dry Clean City of Vestavia Hills, we post information about garment care to keep you informed about how to keep your wardrobe looking it’s best at all times.

Today’s topic is about garments that have care labels that say the following:

“Do Not Wash, Do Not Dry Clean, SPOT-CLEAN ONLY.”

What exactly does this mean?

The manufacturer uses this care label because this garment will not withstand washing in water or dry cleaning. Either the garment has fragile trim that will be damaged by the mechanical action of washing or dry cleaning , or it has an unstable dye that will bleed if immersed in water or dry cleaning solvent.

Why would a manufacturer sell such a garment that can’t be cleaned without the risk of it being damaged?

That’s a question that we can’t answer, but we can give you some information on what “Spot Clean” really means.

Spot cleaning is essentially an attempt to remove a visible stain without subjecting the garment to any dry cleaning, wet cleaning, or hand washing process.

Spot cleaning is accomplished by a stain removal technician on a spotting board, using a combination of steam, specialty cleaning agents, vacuum and/or air drying.

The problem with spot cleaning, and the reason we generally prefer to clean the garment completely, is that it’s almost impossible to completely remove the residue of any chemical agent that might have been used in spot cleaning . This is residue that would normally be flushed out of the garment by dry cleaning or washing.

What’s more, many of these spots are oil-based stains, and oil-based stains cannot always be flushed out completely. So when that garment is pressed, the heat from the press or puff iron could oxidize the stain and yellow the fabric.

What should you do?

Bring the garment to us and we will give you our professional advice on the best way to clean the garment. In general, most garments can be cleaned, but there is usually increased risk of the garment not looking as it did prior to cleaning.

If you have questions feel free to give us a call or drop by and meet with one of our dry cleaning experts.

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 about garment care to keep you informed about how to keep your wardrobe looking it’s best at all times.

Today’s topic is about garments that have care labels that say the following:

“Do Not Wash, Do Not Dry Clean, SPOT-CLEAN ONLY.”

What exactly does this mean?

The manufacturer uses this care label because this garment will not withstand washing in water or dry cleaning. Either the garment has fragile trim that will be damaged by the mechanical action of washing or dry cleaning , or it has an unstable dye that will bleed if immersed in water or dry cleaning solvent.

Why would a manufacturer sell such a garment that can’t be cleaned without the risk of it being damaged?

That’s a question that we can’t answer, but we can give you some information on what “Spot Clean” really means.

Spot cleaning is essentially an attempt to remove a visible stain without subjecting the garment to any dry cleaning, wet cleaning, or hand washing process.

Spot cleaning is accomplished by a stain removal technician on a spotting board, using a combination of steam, specialty cleaning agents, vacuum and/or air drying.

The problem with spot cleaning, and the reason we generally prefer to clean the garment completely, is that it’s almost impossible to completely remove the residue of any chemical agent that might have been used in spot cleaning . This is residue that would normally be flushed out of the garment by dry cleaning or washing.

What’s more, many of these spots are oil-based stains, and oil-based stains cannot always be flushed out completely. So when that garment is pressed, the heat from the press or puff iron could oxidize the stain and yellow the fabric.

What should you do?

Bring the garment to us and we will give you our professional advice on the best way to clean the garment. In general, most garments can be cleaned, but there is usually increased risk of the garment not looking as it did prior to cleaning.

If you have questions feel free to give us a call or drop by and meet with one of our dry cleaning experts.

WE ARE EASY ON THE ENVIRONMENT & ON YOUR WALLET!

www.inthehamper.com

205-823-1265