Expert Offers Tips on Dry Cleaning : Glitter, Suedes, Velvets and Pleats Require Extra Care
The adage indicates that you get what you pay for, especially when buying clothes. But nothing could be further from the truth, as far as some people in the dry-cleaning business are concerned.
The pitfalls in cleaning many fabrics and trims are fantastic, says Bill Seitz, executive director of the Neighborhood Cleaners Assn. here.
“People spend a lot of money on a high-fashion purchase and assume it is a serviceable garment when often it is not,” Seitz says. “And it isn’t true that those who buy very expensive clothes just send the clothes off to a thrift shop after two or three wearings.
“A lot of people save up to buy a big-name designer item and then find almost nothing left of it after a couple of wearings. Whether the consumer spends a little or a lot of money, the manufacturer ought to give serviceability.”
His advise to consumers is to read care and fabric-content labels carefully. The Federal Trade Commission requires such labeling. And if the garment doesn’t “behave” when instructions are followed carefully, kick up a ruckus. Complaints work, he says.
He mentioned poor serviceability of some luxury fabrics, such as certain Angora or cashmere knits, which shrink readily; suede, in which the dyes may run; lambs’ wool, also apt to shrink unless pre-treated, and glitter as in the case of beads, sequins and other spangles pasted on rather than sewn on a garment. Some of the adhesive and the glitter may dissolve in cleaning fluids, he says.
Seitz says the most vexing problem is knits. “At the low end (of pricing) you may get acrylics that stretch during normal wear and subsequent washing or cleaning. The stretched condition cannot be remedied.”
He says that wool is used for the most serviceable and durable knits, for these hold their shape during normal wear or processing.
Some of the potential problems Seitz outlines may be on your shopping list:
--Pleated garments. Permanent pleating is possible only in garments in which fibers are thermoplastic and have been heat-set. You cannot permanently pleat natural fibers or rayon, which is man-made but of vegetable material. If you want permanent pleating, buy skirts and dresses that use blends of natural and man-made fibers.
--Suede and leather. If you want a garment that is trimmed in leather or suede (suede is leather but turned to the inside and brushed), do not get one with dark trim bordering a light-colored fabric. The dark may fade onto the lighter color. If in doubt, ask the store manager for a written money-back guarantee that the garment can be dry-cleaned.
--Lambs’ wool-filled comforters and coats. These popular items pose a problem in that the wool usually has not been pre-shrunk. Seitz suggests sticking with the far more reliable down coats and comforters. Again, read the label.
--Sheepskin. No problem. It is pre-shrunk.
--Velvets. Elegant velvet is not for everyday wear. Seitz says many velvets have an acetate pile fiber that flattens from abrasion, moisture, normal wear or liquid spillage and cannot be brought back to its original condition. Seitz recommends velvet made of silk or rayon, both cleanable. Velveteen is cotton and can be cleaned.
--Glitter. Beads, sequins and other spangles should be sewn on. Seitz suggests also that before buying, the consumer use a moistened cloth to determine whether the colors might bleed onto one another or onto the garment backing. “Incidentally,” he says, “polyester sequins dissolve in the dry-cleaning process.”
--Knits. Camel’s hair, Angora and cashmere are soft and shrink easily. Shrinkage can turn that luxury item “into a doll’s sweater.” Graying of white and darkening of bright colors are common with acrylic knits because the yarns generate static electricity that attracts soil.
--Satin. According to Seitz, “this elegant and lustrous fabric is not durable. It is used in high-fashion garments with unfortunately short life spans.” Because of its fragility, stain removal is difficult. Don’t try to clean with home remedies; you may ruin the garment.
--Surface designs. Many of the new fashions have surface designs created by applying pigment paint or by flocking (tiny fibers blown onto the fabric with an adhesive to hold them). The adhesive may be soluble in cleaning solutions.
--Metallic and lame. Decorative but not very durable, he says.
--Down. “It posed problems early on,” Seitz says, “but we’ve learned to cope. Now, from the consumer standpoint, it is safe. And synthetic down performs quite well.”
For a copy of “How to Buy and Care for Your Clothes,” a free guide put out by the Neighborhood Cleaners’ Assn., send a self-addressed, stamped No. 10 envelope to NCA, 116 East 27th St., New York 10016).
