DRY CLEANING MYTHS

Routine cleaning does not apply to most fine clothes. It is not uncommon for the best known brands to have care labels that are impossible to follow or even incorrect.

Despite care labels and even common sense, we constantly find customers who try to take out stain on their own with home concoctions of some type before it gets to us.

Dry cleaning is bad for your clothes.
Dry cleaning is good for your clothes (especially finer fabrics).

Most stains are invisible
Perfume, cologne, perspiration, sugar, even dust
Dry cleaning will remove invisible stains and prevent fabric deterioration from occurring.

I hand wash my delicates because I’m afraid to take them to the dry cleaners.
Hand washing can shrink your clothes just as your washer. Water temp. and mechanical action are key to maintaining the original shape of a garment. Good dry cleaners have the equipment and skill to block an item to its original shape. Hand washing can set stains that your dry cleaner might be able to remove. Water can set many stains and make it harder or impossible to remove. Stains are more likely to be removed if treated correctly before cleaning.

Club soda-popular by hostesses and flight attendants.
There’s no magic in those bubbles. Club soda is basically water and water can ruin clothes that are made for dry cleaning.

Alcohol
Has good stain removal properties but if not used properly can alter dyes and discolor fabrics. Many deodorants contain alcohol and can cause discoloration in fabrics.

Milk-has been known for taking out ink and blood.
Contrary to myth, ink and blood are easier to remove than milk. Don’t ever use milk as a stain remover.

Lemon Juice-has been rumored to remove rust stains.
Although sometimes effective, lemon can cause oxidation and discoloration that might not be noticeable at first but may yellow or brown over time.

Ice- for chewing gum
This may work in limited cases but it’s a lot easier to have it dry cleaned. Gum dissolves easily in the dry cleaning process with complete safety to the fabric vs. hacking at the frozen gum.

Soap and water- the oldest and still the best recipe for cleaning many clothes.
Not good for “dry stains” (stains requiring dry cleaning) – glue, paint, make up, oil, and nail polish are stains that cannot be removed w/soap and water and stains that can be set permanently.

Nail polish remover
Known for removing make-up and other types of stains. Nail polish removers often contain acetone which can dissolve certain types of fabrics such as acetate or rayon.

Hair spray
Can be effective for removing ink stains. However, hair spray contains alcohol and other ingredients with properties that can be dangerous to many dyes and fabrics

Salt water for wine
Salt water can actually set the stain.

Color safe bleach
There is no such thing. Bleach is bad. It can remove color and damage dyes and fabrics.