3 Tips
to Removing Stains
5
Tips on Caring for Your Clothes
Frequently
Asked Questions about Drycleaning |
| 3 Tips to Removing Stains |
| 1. Don't wait. Don't allow a stain to set. Bring the
garment to Wagner's as soon as possible. Studies show
that after one week, 20 per cent of stains could not be
removed satisfactorily. After three weeks, 69 per cent
of stains could not be removed. |
| 2. Don't be shy. Tell us everything you know about the
stain. What is it? How old is it? What attempts did you
make to remove the stain? With accurate information, we
will know what to do and what not to do in removing the
stain. |
| 3. Don't assume. Don't assume an invisible stain will
come out without us knowing about it. White wine, soft
drinks, and other sugar-based substances may turn the
garment brown if not properly treated and cleaned. |
| Stain Alert: Tanins and sugars are the most difficult
stains to remove. |
| 5 Tips on Caring for Your Clothes |
| 1. Don't remove a care tag. It has important information
that you'll probably forget if you remove it. |
| 2. Do remove the drycleaner's plastic bags when you
arrive home. Store your clothes and other items in a cool,
dry place. |
| 3. Guard your garments from prolonged exposure to sunlight
and artificial light. Many white garments are treated
with optical brighteners that yellow when exposed to light
and heat and coloured garments often fade. |
| 4. Clean matching pieces together. Normal fading may
occur during the cleaning process so clean your suits
and matching outfits at the same time. |
| 5. Protect your clothing from perspiration, deodorants,
perfume, hair spray, etc. These chemicals are tough on
clothing, especially silks. Use garment shields for protection. |
| Frequently Asked Questions about Drycleaning |
Does
frequent drycleaning shorten the life of a garment?
Does
drycleaning cause garments to shrink?
Can
the drycleaning process remove any kind of stain?
What about home drycleaning
kits?
What happens if my garment
is damaged as a result of the drycleaning process? |
| Does frequent drycleaning
shorten the life of a garment? |
| A. On the contrary, frequent cleaning prolongs the life
of a garment. Not only do stains set with age, making
the garment unwearable, but ground-in dirt and soil act
as an abrasive, like sandpaper, causing rapid wear of
fibers. Also, insects are attracted to soiled clothes
and will cause further damage. |
| Does drycleaning cause garments
to shrink? |
| A: No. If a professional cleaner is working with a new
high tech cleaning machine, the garment should not shrink.
Most shrinkage that occurs during drycleaning happens
because the garment manufacturer has not preshrunk the
fabric. |
| Can the drycleaning process
remove any kind of stain? |
| A. Drycleaning is not the answer to all soil and stain
removal problems. Sometimes, stains become permanently
embedded in the fiber, or fabrics cannot withstand normal
cleaning and stain removal procedures, or decorative trim
is not compatible with drycleaning solvent. It is important
that you as well as your drycleaner read all care labels
and follow the instructions. Source: www.ifi.org |
| What about home drycleaning
kits? |
A. International Fabricare Institute (IFI), the
premier trade association for garment care, found that,
in general, home drycleaning kits do not provide complete
removal of all types of stains. However, these products
can freshen garments by removing odors and imparting
a pleasant fragrance.
IFI found that most of the products work well on water-based
stains such as cola. Stains that are oil-based (ketchup,
lipstick) presented a challenge for the kits. In some
cases, these products caused the stain to spread. None
of the products removed ground-in soils, which you know
as "ring around the collar" or dirty cuffs. Source:
www.ifi.org. |
| What happens if my garment or item
is damaged as a result of the drycleaning process?
|
A. Imperfect results are a problem for us as drycleaners
as well as for you, our customer. Damage that occurs
during the drycleaning process may stem from the failure
of a component part to be drycleanable or from the circumstances
of use.
Determine where the responsibility lies. If the problem
arises from a manufacturing defect, take the article
back to the retailer for an adjustment or refund. In
some cases, the retailer may resist making an adjustment,
even if the problem is a manufacturer defect. Ask the
retailer for the name of the manufacturer or obtain
the RN number which is usually on the care label. Look
up the RN number in the Federal Trade Commission's website
for the manufacturer's name and address. Send the item
to the manufacturer via registered mail, return receipt,
and include an explanation for the return.
Occasionally, damage done in drycleaning is our responsibility
and not the result of preexisting conditions or defects.
In such cases, we will settle the claim promptly and
fairly, often using the Fair Claims Guide published
by the International Fabricare Institute, of which Wagner's
European Fabricare is a member. If there is some doubt
about responsibility, we will send the garment to the
International Textile Analysis Laboratory to determine
the cause of the problem. Source: www.ifi.org |
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