Nothing lasts forever, including your clothes, but how long should you expect a garment to last? According to the International Fair Claims Guide for Consumers Textiles Products, assuming normal wear, you can expect most of your clothes to last somewhere between two and three years. Here is a list of garments and their life expectancy.
Are you in a dispute with your dry cleaner? If so, I’d like to help!
Over the past 21 years, I have had the privilege of experiencing the drycleaning industry from a very unique vantage point. In a way, you could say that I am a “super customer” for the drycleaning industry. I have worked with hundreds of cleaners and spoken on behalf of thousands of drycleaning customers. My role is very similar to a union representative; a union of drycleaning customers. I work with cleaners to resolve problems with customers and to improve their quality & service.
The best part is that my service is FREE!
So, tell me what happened…
Most cleaners offer different levels of starch for their laundered shirts. The choices are typically; no, light, medium, and heavy. I recommend choosing “no starch”, for several reasons.
1. Comfort - Using no starch on your shirts is much more comfortable than using starch. Starch will make your shirts feel stiff, may cause itching, and it will prevent the fabric from breathing. Starch can be especially uncomfortable on warm days, because it blocks the evaporation of your perspiration.
2. Wrinkles – Starch will give your shirts a smooth finish during pressing, but as you move around during the day, the inevitable wrinkles actually become more pronounced. If you use heavy starch, by the end of the day, your shirts can have a crinkly aluminum foil looking finish.
3. Lifespan - Starch builds up with repeated cleanings. This build-up causes the fibers in the fabric to become overly stiff, weak and brittle. Using starch dramatically decreases the expected lifespan of your shirts.
So, is there a way to have smooth crisp shirts without using starch? Yes! In general, 100% cotton shirts finish much smoother and crisper than poly blend fabrics. Also, the heavier the fabric the better. If you love that paper smooth finish on your shirts, I recommend buying the thicker 100% cotton shirts and skip the starch.
Even dry cleaners sometimes have trouble deciphering clothing care labels!
As part of “Project Clean” the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established a set of universal symbols for garment manufacturers to use on their clothing care labels that should explain at least one safe method of cleaning the garment. At a minimum, the instructions include four symbols: washing, bleaching, drying, and ironing. Additional symbols and words are often used to clarify the instructions. Even so, its sometimes difficult to figure out exactly what the garment manufacturer is recommending. A complete guide to the FTC care label symbols can be found at FabricLink.
If you are having trouble reading a clothing care label, I’m happy to help you! Just take a digital photo of the label and email it to me at darrell.new@1-800-DryClean.com I will contact the manufacturer directly and confirm their recommend cleaning procedure. Then, I will post my findings along with the photo of your care label here!
No, unlike washing your clothes in water, dry cleaning does not cause the fabric to slowly fade and does not shorten the life of a garment. On the contrary, frequent dry cleaning actually extends the life of a garment for the following reasons.
1. Dirt Removal – Frequent dry cleaning removes ground in dirt that acts like abrasive sand paper and causes rapid wear to the fabric’s fibers. As it wears down, the fabric becomes thin, weak and vulnerable to rips and tears. The damage usually shows up first in the crotch area of pants and under the arms of blouses and jackets.
2. Stain Removal – Frequent dry cleaning removes certain stains that, if left untreated, could oxidize and cause yellowing. With the passage of time, stains from food, beverages, and oily substances can oxidize and turn yellow or brown. Known as “tannin” stains, once they become yellow or brown, these stains often cannot be removed.
3. Prevent Insect Damage - Frequent dry cleaning prevents moth and other insect damage. Insects are attracted to soiled clothes. Usually appearing as small holes, damage is caused when insects feed on spilled food or perspiration on the fabric. A good “full service” cleaner can mothproof your garments. Mothproofing is a chemical treatment that provides protection from insects without making your clothes smell like mothballs.
4. Restoration & Preservation - A good full service cleaner will offer Restoration & Preservation service. Often done for antiques or family heirlooms, through a special restoration process, dry cleaners can restore very old garments to like new condition. It’s not uncommon, for a cleaner to restore a wedding gown originally worn by the bride’s grandmother well enough that the bride can wear it in her wedding. After the wedding, the cleaner can then provide preservation service to the gown. Preservation is a special type of storage that helps prolong the life of a garment. Cleaners often say that they aren’t just preserving a customer’s garment, they’re preserving a memory.
Thanks in part to the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute
Under normal conditions, the process of dry cleaning should not shrink your clothes. The process is called ”dry” cleaning, because rather than use water to wash your clothes with, dry cleaners use a chemical solvent in a machine that both washes and dries your clothes. Among other things, these machines are specifically designed to avoid causing fabric shrinkage. In fact, your clothes are much more likely to shrink if they are washed in water.
However, if the dry cleaning machines are not maintained properly or if they malfunction during the cleaning process, shrinkage can occur. Fabric shrinkage during dry cleaning is usually caused by excessive heat or moisture in the solvent.
One component of the dry cleaning machine, called the “chiller”, prevents the dry cleaning solvent from getting too hot. A broken or malfunctioning chiller can cause the solvent to overheat, which may result in fabric shrinkage.
During routine operation, moisture builds up slowly in the dry cleaning solvent. A small amount of moisture in the dry cleaning solvent is actually necessary for the detergent to work effectively. However, too much moisture can cause fabric shrinkage. One component of the dry cleaning machine, called the “water separator”, prevents the moisture content of the solvent from exceeding safe limits. A broken or malfunctioning water separator will allow too much water to build up in the solvent.
Shrinkage can also be caused by garment manufacturing defects. Defective garments will often shrink the first time they are dry cleaned. You can read about the Garment Manufacturer’s Dilemma and find out why manufacturing defects are inevitable in one of my earlier posts.
Yes, dry cleaning kills 100% of dust mites! Having your bedding regularly cleaned by a professional dry cleaner is an effective way of removing dust mites.
Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live on dead skin cells shed from people and their pets. Skin cells are often concentrated in your bedding and carpet. A typical mattress can contain tens of thousands of dust mites. Nearly 100,000 mites can live in one square yard of carpet.
Fortunately, dust mites are harmless to most people and they don’t carry diseases. However, they can cause allergic reactions in people who are allergic to dust mite feces. The average dust mite produces about 20 waste droppings each day, each containing a protein to which many people are allergic. Depending on the person and exposure, reactions can range from itchy eyes to asthma attacks.
To help control dust mites, frequent cleaning of bedding and carpet is highly recommended. There are also several other steps you can take. You can learn “Everything You Might Want to Know About Dust Mites” at the Environmental, Health and Safety Online (EHSO) website.
Unfortunately for everyone, some stains are permanent. They simply become part of the fabric. Continued attempts to remove them will cause dye loss or fabric damage, known as chafing or fraying.
Many stains are removed by the dry cleaning machine and require no additional effort from the cleaner. A group of stains, called stubborn stains, require the attention of a stain removal specialist. The art of removing stains is called “spotting” and the person doing the stain removal is called the “spotter”. Spotting stubborn stains requires a high level of skill, knowledge and experience. The spotter is typically one of the highest paid employees in a dry cleaning plant.
The Spotter’s Dilemma - When presented with a stubborn stain, spotters are eager to do everything possible to remove the stain, however they must avoid damaging the fabric in the process. Stubborn stains often require a combination of strong stain removing solutions and a significant amount of mechanical action to get them out. Not knowing how much effort its going to take, the spotter will try using the mildest stain removal methods and solutions first. If the stain remains, they will try something a little stronger. They will continue to repeat this process until either the stain is successfully removed or the fabric begins to show signs of dye loss or chafing. At this point, they must stop working on the stain. If they continue, they risk damaging the fabric.
How do stains become permanent? - A stain can consist of virtually any liquid substance that comes in contact with your clothes. Time usually determines whether a stain can be removed or not. Almost all stains can be removed if treated quickly enough. However, most stains will become permanent if left untreated too long. When first coming into contact with fabric, most stains will initially remain on the surface and can be removed relatively easily. Over time, stains absorb into the fabric and permeate the fibers. They begin to react with the fabric’s dye. A chemical change takes place and the stain literally changes the color of the fabric. Stains often turn light fabrics darker or dark fabrics lighter. These color changes in the fabric are almost always permanent. Once this takes places, even if the spotter removes the original stain, the fabric where the stain was is now a different color. It looks like the stain is still there, but it’s not. What you are seeing is the permanent damage that the stain caused.
Heat causes the same type of stain “setting” that time does. You should never apply heat of any kind to a stain. Do not iron a stained garment and do not put it in the dryer.
Since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides no standard definition of an environmentally friendly cleaner, and has no approved cleaning solvent or process, professional cleaners can call themselves “green” regardless of their practices and policies. Some cleaners erroneously claim to be green simply because they use one type of solvent over another. This practice of “green washing” their business is simply a sales gimmick. Being “truly” green actually has very little to do with which solvent they use. Being truly green is a multi-faceted combination of environmentally responsible policies, programs and practices.
So how can you tell if your dry cleaner is green? There are several main factors to consider and to ask your cleaner about.
Responsible Waste Disposal - Regardless of the cleaning process they use, when cleaners remove the dirt and grime from dirty clothes, they create environmentally hazardous waste. A green cleaner will dispose of their waste in an environmentally responsible way. They will hire a waste management company, like Safey-Kleen, to remove and dispose of the waste using a “closed loop” model.
Recycling - Many cleaners will accept the return of your used wire hangers and plastic packaging. But what do they do with them? They should reuse any hangers that are still in good condition and send the rest to your city’s recycling program, along with all the other recyclable waste generated by their operation.
Proper Machine Operation - If properly operated and maintained, the new 4th and 5th generation dry cleaning machines recycle over 96% of the solvent they use. They are designed to keep the solvent inside the machine and out of the air and ground water. However, machines that are not maintained properly will not operate as efficiently. Leaky or broken component parts should be repaired or replaced immediately.
Carbon Footprint Reduction - There are many things a cleaner can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Switching to flourescent bulbs, insulating pipes, and replacing antiquated machinery with new more energy efficient models will reduce their energy bill and reduce CO2 emissions. However, by far the biggest way to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is to provide pick-up and delivery service. Every order of clothes that the cleaner delivers is one less round trip to their store for their customers. The typical van can service over 300 homes a day, 6 days a week, 50 weeks a year, eliminating thousands of time & energy consuming trips. I use the 1-800-DryClean home delivery service myself. Its like carpooling my clothes!
Dry cleaning doesn’t have to be expensive! By shopping around and asking a few key questions, you can find a cleaner in your area that is offering the best value.
Dry cleaning prices are very “elastic”. In most major metro areas, you can find an extremely wide range of prices being charged for dry cleaning. I’ve seen ranges as wide as $1.99 to $24.99 being charged to clean the same garment. Why such a big difference in price? Because, not all dry cleaning is the same. Dry cleaning is very “labor intensive”, so the majority of the production cost is directly attributed to the labor expense. So, along with the prices, you will also find an extremely wide range in the level of quality and service being provided from cleaner to cleaner.
So, before you race off looking for the cheapest cleaner in town, don’t forget the old adage ”you get what you pay for”. Keep in mind, there are countless ways to cut corners in a dry cleaning business and, in order to make a profit, the lower priced cleaners are forced to cut a lot of corners. At these ”discount” cleaners, they may be using dirty solvent or not adding detergent to it. So, the dirt, grime, and nasty from other people’s clothes may transfer to your clothes. They may not attempt to remove stains by hand. If a stain doesn’t come out in the machine, they’ll just slap a “sorry” tag on it. You can usually forget about getting a button replaced or any other minor repair work done complimentary. They won’t have time for that kind of service. They sometimes don’t even press your clothes. They use ”steam tunnels” instead of presses. The effect is similar to hanging your clothes in the bathroom while you shower. Some of the wrinkles may fall out, but its a far cry from professional pressing. They most likely won’t use any “sizing”. Sizing is an expensive additive that does for your clothes what conditioner does for your hair. They’ll probably skip the deodorant additive and the anti-static chemicals as well. So, your clothes may come back with a funky chemical smell or be covered in lint.
On the other hand, there is absolutely no reason to over pay for dry cleaning. The best value for your dry cleaning dollar can usually be found near the “middle range” in price. The cleaners charging average prices are often providing “full service” at a reasonable price. As you shop around, you should interview the cleaners you try. Here are a few bold questions to ask them. A good cleaner, worthy of your patronage, will not be insulted by these questions and they should be able to answer them.
When striking a balance between price and service, don’t forget to consider the substantial savings and benefits you get from free delivery service. Having your clothes delivered will save you the time, the hassle and the gas of going to the cleaner yourself. In addition to full service cleaning, a good cleaner should provide twice a week delivery service, require no minimum order, and offer monthly billing, all at average prices. The best thing about free delivery is always having a closet full of clean clothes. Once you get in the habit of sending in a small order once or twice a week, you’ll never run out of clean clothes again!
A short cut to finding the best dry cleaning delivery service in your area is to visit 1-800-DryClean.com or call 1-800-379-2532. If there isn’t a 1-800-DryClean franchisee servicing your area, the next best place to look is on the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute’s (DLI) website. The DLI provides its members with advanced technical training on expert clothing care. Members are educated on the latest industry information, cleaning techniques, solutions for problem garments, finishing procedures, new regulations, and operating information. If members need help, DLI’s experts are just a phone call away.
To ask me questions about clothing care, just click my photo. If I don't know the answer, I'll research it for you!
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