Here at Kleenit and Duds we handle hundreds of
garments on a daily basis. We wanted to share with you what happens
once you drop your clothes off from the very moment you place your garments on
the counter. We'll share info as to how to improve communication
with our staff so that we can properly care for your things - such as
identifying specific stains and soiling that may require special
attention.
Overview
When you drop your clothes off at any one of our stores, our
counter staff follow some basic procedures to insure the proper care and
handling of your garments. Your clothes go through the following steps:
- Tagging and
inspection - Some
method, whether it is small paper tags or little labels written on a shirt
collar, is used to identify your clothes so they don't get mixed up with
everyone else's. Clothes are also examined for missing buttons, tears,
etc. that the dry cleaner might get blamed for otherwise.
- Pre-treatment - The cleaner looks for stains on
your clothes and treats them to make removal easier and more complete.
- Dry cleaning - The clothes are put in a
machine and cleaned with a solvent.
- Post-spotting - Any lingering stains are
removed.
- Finishing - This includes pressing,
folding, packaging and other finishing touches.
We know that quite often our customers are in a big rush and
don't have alot of time, however turning in your items and communicating with
the staff can be the most critical part of the process even more so than our
staff running your items through our cleaning and press machines more about
this later.
TAGGING AND INSPECTION
When you drop off your clothes, every order is
identified. A small, colored tag is affixed to each piece of clothing, and
this tag remains attached to the clothing during the entire dry-cleaning cycle.
We also generates an invoice, and information about the order --
including your name, address, and phone number -- is entered
into our computer. This helps to keep track of the order.
If a garment needs special attention, such as removing a red wine stain
from a shirt or putting a double-crease in pant legs, there's a special colored
tag that gets affixed to that particular item of clothing. Once the clothing
has been washed or dry cleaned, it goes through a quality check and the order
gets re-assembled. This means the clothing is bundled together for the customer
to pick up. Remember, every order is identified by a colored tag with a number
on it so the person who re-assembles the order knows which shirts and which
slacks go together and to whom they belong.
SPECIAL ATTENTION: In
order for us to get difficult stains out it is extremely inportant that you
identify any specific stains and if you know what caused the stain that is
even better. In another blog we will address what you should or shouldn't
do prior to bringing any badly stained garments to us. Whatever caused a
stain it is always better to bring it to us as soon as possible.
Pre-treating Stains
Pre-treating stains is similar to the procedure used at home
when you apply a stain remover to stains prior to washing them. The idea is to
try to remove the stain or make its removal easier using chemicals. You can
even help the process, especially if you catch the stain early! Simply apply
water for wet stains (a stain that had water in it) and solvent for dry stains
(a stain that has grease or oil in it). Then, gently tap and blot both sides of
the fabric with a soft cloth so the stain "bleeds off" onto the
cloth. Then, rinse the fabric, let it dry and your cleaner will do the rest.
If you are unsure about what to do
- do nothing and have the item brought to us first thing in the
morning and take the time to identify and help us document as best you can what
it is.
Dry Cleaning
A cleaning machine is a motor-driven washer/extractor/dryer
that holds from 20 to 100 pounds (9 to 45 kg) of clothes or fabrics in a
rotating, perforated stainless-steel basket.
The basket is mounted in a housing that includes motors,
pumps, filters, still, recovery coils, storage tanks, fans, and a control
panel. In all modern equipment, the washer and the dryer are in the same machine.
As the clothes rotate in the perforated basket, there is a constant flow of
clean solvent from the pump and filter system. The solvent sprays into the
basket and chamber constantly -- not only immersing the clothes, but gently
dropping and pounding them against baffles in the cylinder as well. The dirty
solvent is pumped continuously through the filter and re-circulated free and
clear of dirt that gets trapped in the filter.
Dry Cleaning Machine
The next cycle drains and rapidly spins the clothes to expel
the solvent and then goes into a dry cycle by circulating warm air through the
clothes. The remaining fumes and solvent are vaporized by warm air and then
condensed over cooling coils.
This process may be more complicated to understand. In the
simplest of terms our dry cleaning machines - wash, rinse, extract and dry all
in the same machines.
Industrial Washer for Shirts
Post-Spotting
This is the part of the process when our cleaning team can double check that
stain you helped us identify and see whether additonal efforts are necessary to
remove it.
Post-spotting, as it is called, uses professional equipment and chemical
preparations using steam, water, air, and vacuum. Post-spotting involves a
fairly simple process for removing a stain. If the stain had water in it to
begin with (bean soup, for example), then it takes water or wet-side chemicals
to remove the stain. If the stain was on the dry side (grease, oil-base paint,
tar, nail polish), it takes solvents or dry-side chemicals to remove the stain.
In home laundry, most wet-type stains come out during the washing process.
Grease does not. The opposite is true in dry cleaning -- it will leave the
wet-side stains intact after the cleaning cycle. On the other hand, the solvent
removes grease and oils during the cleaning cycle. The exception to this rule
involves incorporating a "charge" of specially formulated
dry-cleaning soap into the cleaning cycle.
Our cleaning team will examine your clothes after cleaning is
complete to see if any stains remain. If they do, post-spotting tries to get
them out. Our well trained and knwoledgeable staff will be able remove the
overwhelming majority of soil and stains, but there is always a small percent
of very stubborn stains that may not be entirely removed for a variety of
reasons, such as:
- Tannin stains set by heat and
time
- Original dye stripped or
faded
- Bleached-out spots or
sun-faded materials
- Foreign dye deposit
Finishing
The final phase of our dry-cleaning operations includes finishing, pressing,
steaming, ironing, and making any necessary repairs to restore the garment.
Once the clothes are cleaned, they are pressed or "finished." The
steps in this process include:
- Applying steam to soften the garment
- Re-shaping it through quick drying
- Removing the steam with air or vacuum
- Applying pressure to the garment
The pressure comes from the head of the pressing machine,
while steam is diffused through the bottom.
General Presser
Shirt Presser
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