Not every garment you take or send to the dry
cleaners has visible spots or stains.
But when they do, you'll want an assurance that the dry cleaner
has the technical skills necessary to remove those spots or stains
- to the maximum degree possible, consistent with the nature of the
stain, stain type, fabric color, fabric type and the like. And, in
the case of water-based stains, you'll want an assurance that the
dry cleaner will remove those spots or stains before your
garments ever enter the dry cleaning machine.
This assurance becomes even more critical when you consider the
fact that the vast majority of ordinary cleaners take the position
that you "own" the spots or stains. If they come out, that's great;
if they don't come out, that's your problem. After all,
you put them there!
So what should you expect from a true quality cleaner?
A true quality cleaner should:
- Perform extensive stain removal and cleaning procedures on
every garment and household textile. Before they're loaded
into a machine.
- Employ an array of specialty agents to battle even your
toughest stains.
- Utilize a combination of delicate dry cleaning, wet cleaning,
handwashing and/or restoration techniques to protect your
investment.
And a true quality cleaner should do all this even
if it means taking the time to treat the same garment or household
textile multiple times until the stain has been removed or
minimized.
Truth is, the vast majority of ordinary cleaners skip the stain
removal process entirely.
Instead, their "stain removal technician" (I use this term with
reservation) merely loads and unloads a machine. And hopes that the
spots and stains will miraculously disappear based on a combination
of the dry cleaning solvent (the more aggressive the better), the
dry cleaning detergent (maybe, and then the cheaper the better),
the addition or injection of moisture into the dry cleaning machine
(a reckless undertaking), and the dry cleaning machine's tumbling
action.
And if any spots or stains remain, they simply hang one of those
sorry-we-tried-but-we-couldn't tags on your garment.
Problem is, hope is not an effective strategy for dealing with
spots and stains. Technical skill and the allocation of appropriate
time is. Unfortunately, technical skill and time is in short supply
at ordinary cleaners.
That's because most ordinary cleaners operate on the
in-by-9:00-out-by-5:00, picked-up-on-day-1-delivered-on-day-3
principle. Even if you ask them (or beg them) to take their time
and "do it right." At ordinary cleaners, there's barely enough time
to load their machine, bang the garment out on a press, and stuff
it in a bag.
True quality cleaning simply can't be "done" in a few hours, or
even in a day or two.
How can I help you?