CLEANING TIPS

Everyone will be familiar with washing (in water) but less familiar with what happens at the drycleaners. Drycleaning is the use of organic solvents to remove soil and stains from fabric. It is called drycleaning because the process contains little or no water. When washed in water, natural fibres such as wool and silk can shrink, distort and even lose colour. Because the drycleaning process does not swell the fibres, these problems are unlikely to occur.

Drycleaning solvents actually dissolve and remove grease and oil stains. Water by itself cannot do this. Other stains require specialized treatment, known as spotting to remove them. Whilst many can be removed quickly with steam, others require a high level of professional skill and expertise from the cleaner. Drycleaning does not cause creasing or distortion, neither does it remove unwanted creases or restore the loss of shape caused by wear.

The skilled drycleaner, by steam pressing, will be able to re-shape the garment, replace the required creases and eliminate unwanted wrinkles. The term ‘drycleaning’ is generally understood to cover the whole process of cleaning in solvent, spotting and pressing, carried out in sequence.

HOW TO GET THE BEST FROM EUROCLEAN - DRY CLEANING

• Have your garments cleaned regularly.
• Bring the garment in for professional care as soon as possible after staining occurs.
• Discuss any stains with your drycleaner and be especially sure to point out light-coloured spills.
• Avoid garment contact with solutions containing alcohol, such as perfume, as this can cause loss of colour.
• Protect your garments, especially silk, from excessive perspiration. Perspiration can weaken silk fibres.
• Allow deodorants and anti-perspirants to dry before you dress.
• Protect your garments from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.
• Do not iron stained clothes, as heat can set some stains.

EVEN THE MOST PROFESSIONAL CLEANER IS UNABLE TO:-

• Remove years of ingrained dirt and grime. Frequent cleaning will eliminate this problem.
• Remove all stains. The nature and age of the stain, plus the colour and construction of the fabric, sometimes make stain removal impossible.
• Recover worn or torn areas. In some cases, small holes can be rewoven, but this is the owner’s responsibility.
• Prevent holes, caused by insects or acid spillage.
Such holes may not appear before drycleaning, but they result from previous weakening of the fibres. Once again, small holes may be re-woven.
• Remove shine, caused by excessive heat and pressure used in home ironing.
• Correct the effect of poor home stain removal, such as excessive rubbing.