With warm weather behind us, and cold weather approaching, we will be drycleaning garments and household items that contain fabrics that possess insulating qualities which provide warmth to the wearer. These fabrics may often present unique challenges when drycleaned.

Soft Woolens and Woolen Knits

Soft woolens and woolen knits should be turned inside out to avoid abrasion on the “face” of the fabric. Chenille, soft woolens such as cashmere, angora, and mohair as well as loose or open knit woolen fabrics should be placed in a net bag during cleaning. Use a fragile cycle that reduces cycle time and mechanical action. If your machine does not have this cycle, run 3-5 minutes on a high solvent level with limited agitation.  Limited agitation means that the wheel is turned a few times during the course of cleaning and drying. Run in a “dry load” (no moisture) to avoid shrinkage. Dry at the minimum drying temperatures required by the type of solvent used. It is a good practice to pre-measure the dimensions of the garment prior to being processed so that it can be blocked to its original dimensions.

Down-Filled Items Follow the care label instructions. Some down filled items must be wet cleaned or laundered. Follow the laundering instructions, including water and drying temperatures. Some down filled items must be dry cleaned in a specific type of solvent (it will be written within the care label). Don’t assume that you can process a down item if you don’t have the correct type of solvent. When wet cleaning or laundering down items, make sure that the washer and dryer are large enough to accommodate the item. Never crowd a commercial dryer or dry a down item in a household dryer- there won’t be enough room for proper mechanical action or airflow. Dry downs with white tennis balls or clean white sneakers to increase the mechanical action that is needed to disperse and “fluff up” the down. Some care labels state that a laundered down filled item can be hung to dry. By doing this, the down may not evenly disperse within the pockets or will remain hard and settle to the bottom of the pockets. If the care label gives this method of drying, we suggest that a signed release of liability should be obtained from the customer prior to processing. If the down article is to be drycleaned, it should be rinsed in clear solvent. This will prevent any non-volatile residue (such as detergent or oil released from the down) to cause streaks or swales. Most dry cleaning machines have a pre-programmed cycle for downs. If there are streaks surrounding the cross-stitching, manually extend the extraction time after the rinse cycle; re-rinse and reclaim.

Silk Knits Silk is a fabric that is often used alone or as a blend with other yarns in the fabrication of knitted garments.  Examine knitted silk garments for dye loss, discoloration, fading and dye bleeding,  Check for fading from sunlight and atmospheric gas by comparing exposed. Dry clean knitted silk and silk blends with the same procedure as woolen knits.

Leather and Suede Leather and suede garments may have numerous serviceability issues since the skins are not uniform and are subject to different tanning and dyeing processes during manufacture. It is necessary that the cleaner receiving these garments inform the customer of potential problems. The customer should be made aware that it is the job of the cleaner to restore a used and soiled garment to a wearable condition. There is no guarantee that the garment can be restored to its new and original condition. Because of this, we suggest that a signed release of liability be obtained prior to accepting any suede or leather garment for processing.    

Bonded Leather (Stretch Leather and Lamb Leather)Manufacturers are creating stretchable leather garments by bonding a thin leather veneer to a tricot backing, using an adhesive binder that is applied with heat and pressure. In many cases, the manufacturer may shred leather scraps and fibers into a pulp, mix them with polyurethane, and then bond the mixture to a tricot backing. The end product of both of these processes is commonly known as “Stretch Leather” or “Lamb Leather” The serviceability of a bonded leather fabric depends upon the use of an adhesive binder that will not dissolve when it comes into contact with drycleaning solvent, or lose its integrity when heat is applied to the garment during the reclamation cycle. If the bonding process was faulty, the leather veneer will separate from the tricot backing, or the pulp mixture may shred, peel or separate from the tricot backing. Since bonded leather is often used on form fitted or body molded garments, the leather veneer or pulp mixture may separate from the tricot backing or shred in the areas of the garment that are subjected to excessive stretching or flexing (such as the seat and knees of slacks as well as the elbows of jackets or blouses). Because of the serviceability issues concerning bonded leather, we suggest that they be hand cleaned using commercial leather cleaning products that can be manually applied to the skins.