Note:The best way to remove stains while ensuring the safety of your garments is to bring them to us for advice.

Alcohol (soiling) can cause damage to the garment fabric dye. It may appear as a stain, but after laundering or drycleaning the adverse effects become apparent. Beer and white wine usually rinse out during washing, but avoid bar soap or washing powder, as they are often alkaline pH based whereas this soiling is Acid pH, so they may set the stains. Liquid detergent or a wool wash product is best.

Alcohol (as a stain remover) does provide some good stain removal properties; however, it is also an agent that will alter dyes and discolor fabrics.

Beads and Sequins are sometimes made of plastic which may not be resistant to some drycleaning solvents needed to dry clean your garment. Garment care labels are required to indicate the appropriate cleaning medium. Glass (crystal) diamantes occasionally chip in the normal drycleaning processes which is unavoidable – even with the best protection during the drycleaning cycle. A garment care label offers the cleaner and consumer an assurance of safe cleaning in the appropriate medium.

Chewing Gum in fabric is best drycleaned for removal. Freezing is an alternative, but pulling the frozen gum from the fabric can leave an abrasion, and dye from the gum.

Color Loss
There are many substances your garment may come into contact with in the course of a day that can cause color loss. Often, discoloration does not appear until the item is cleaned (by rinsing in water or drycleaning fluid). This will depend upon the composition and concentration of the substance, and the types of fibre and dye. Other factors are heat or the length of contact time. Typical color loss problems are listed below.

• Silk and acetates can be affected by alcohol products such as perfumes, colognes, hair spray and of course alcoholic beverages. Some silks with poor dye colorfastness can even lose color from a light rain shower.
• Bleaches come in many products including: hair care products; fake tan; skin lotions; cleaning products; and disinfectants.
• Exposure to light, either sunlight or artificial light, can cause a loss of color where the ultraviolet rays can alter the chemical structure of dyes. Where soiling is present in a fabric or textile, color loss is accelerated.
• Fume staining is virtually always present in the atmosphere, and has the same dye destructive results as light fading.
• Wear abrasion color loss can typically occur in the neck line, elbows, seat, knees and pockets or folds. This friction rubs off the dye on the surface of the fabric which will then be flushed away by the action of the cleaning process.

Drink Stains (other than milk based)
Beer, white wine and most soft drinks usually rinse out during washing, but avoid bar soap or washing powder, as they are alkaline pH based whereas this soiling is Acid pH, so they may set the stains.

Food Stains can be either a protein base (meat blood, milk) or an acid base (vegetable, citrus).

For protein stains, if the safety of the fabric and dye will allow it, general washing powder will remove most recent milk stains in the wash because they contain alkaline salts which destroy protein. A household alkaline product containing ammonia will remove more difficult soiling including blood. Older milk stains may be difficult to remove and the fats may not wash out, so drycleaning is the best option as the process dissolves the fat while removing the protein from pre-treatment.

Most acid stains usually rinse out during normal washing. If they contain oil or prove difficult, take to a drycleaner for further treatment.

Glue on fabric
We recommend taking these items to a drycleaner, as the substance may be solvent or water based, and have an acid or alkaline pH. A skilled drycleaner will work through a process of treatment for solvent based 1^st, then work through water based acid, then alkali for the best results. There is very little hope of successfully removing superglue.

Grease and oil based stains are generally best attempted by a drycleaner. While some household products or paint thinners have instant affects, the subsequent washign in water to remove the soil and solvents will set with each wash.

Hair spray (as a soil remover) can be an effective agent in removing ink stains, however hair spray contains alcohol and other ingredients with properties that can be dangerous to many dyes and fabrics.

Ice is sometimes blogged as a remedy for chewing gum stains. The ice stiffens the gum and allows it to be picked from the fabric. This may work in limited cases, but it should be pointed out that gum dissolves easily in drycleaning solvent, which is a much safer remedy than pulling away the outer layer of a delicate fabric.

Ink
We recommend taking ink stains to a drycleaner, Ink may be solvent or water based, and have an Acid or Alkaline pH. Ball point pen ink is the most common which has is alkaline and water based. An Amonia based product may remove most of the soiling, but any remaining will start to set anything remaining with each washing treatment.

Insect Damage
Fabrics can be eaten by: Cockroaches; Moths; or Silverfish. Insects seek protein from the fibres, so fabrics containing: Angora; Cashmere; Silk; Wool are most at risk. Soiling left on fabric (food or drink) will further encourage insects to those areas for the high protein content. Even synthetics such as 100% polyester have been discovered holed as the insects chase the protein attached to the fibres.

Sometimes the “biting” effects don’t quite penetrate all the way through the fabric yarns, and the next washing or drycleaning cycle will expose the damage.

See also “Moth Holes”

Lemon juice is used by some for the removal of rust stains. While it is sometimes effective, it should be noted that after a period of time, the lemon juice will oxidise and may cause a stain that cannot be removed.

Leather/Suede Garments

In almost every case leather and suede garments will alter in some way through a leather cleaning process. Leather and Suede garments are often not designed for solvent rinsing, but it may be necessary on occasion to keep them fresh and extend their life.

Aniline dyes used for colouring most leathers and suedes can oxidize from exposure to light and gases in the atmosphere. This can become more noticeable after the necessary drying cycle of drycleaning.

Set stains cannot always be removed. In particular:

• sticky labels have an adhesive that causes a chemical reaction with the garment’s dye, and will leave permanent staining.
• Long term soiling can become ingrained in the hide, and any form of protein (blood, milk, etc) can cause instant and permanent damage to the hide.

Care Begins at Home

• If staining occurs, take the garment to a professional suede and leather cleaning specialist as soon as possible. Do not try to remove spots at home.
• Don’t fall into the trap of having your leathers cleaned when you bring them out of storage at the end of winter. A final leather cleaning before your garment goes into storage will prevent: food sugars oxidising the dye colour; protein stains reacting with the hide; and insect larvae and mites from eating the hide.
• Wear a scarf or collared shirt to protect the collar area from perspiration and body oils.
• Leather is subject to drying out if exposed to dry heat and to mildew if stored in a hot, humid environment.
• If the garment gets wet, let it air dry away from heat. Store leather garments in a cool, ventilated area.
• Do not store leather in a plastic bag – as it encourages discolouration and sometimes mildew.

Mildew
Mildew is a live, growing organism that can attach to cellulosic – cotton, linen, ramie, rayon – and hair – silk, wool – fibers. Mildew eats the fibers, damaging and weakening the fabric, and can leave those nasty black spots.

To remove mildew, first shake or brush the item outdoors to prevent spreading the mildew inside your home. Spot the stains with a heavy-duty liquid detergent. Allow to work for at least 15 minutes. Then wash the fabric in the hottest water suitable for the material with a laundry powder (as they contain Alkali Salts). Use chlorine bleach on white cottons to help restore whiteness. Drycleaning will kill the mildew, but may not remove the black spots, especially if the mildew has been present for some time.

Milk (Soiling) is a protein and contains some fats. General washing powder will remove most recent milk stains in the wash because they contain alkaline salts which destroy protein. An alkaline product containg amonia will remove more difficult soiling. Older milk stains may be difficult to remove and the fats may not wash out, so drycleaning is the best option as the process dissolves the fat while removing the protein from pre-treatment.

Milk (as a spot remover) is sometimes used for stains like ink or blood. While this is sometimes successful, it should only attempted if the fabric and dye are not affected by the milk, and if it can be safely rinsed in water immediately afterwards.

Moth Holes
An adult moth does not affect fabric, rather it’s hatched larvae causes the damage by eating the fibre cells seeking protein. Usually moth eggs will be collected from the environment, and are transported into your wardrobe on your garment, where they eventually hatch (incubation can be as long as 5 years in extreme cases). Later they will cocoon, and the adult insect flies away, leaving the garment owner wondering how the holes appeared.

Sometimes the “biting” effects don’t quite penetrate all the way through the fabric yarns, and the next washing or drycleaning cycle will expose the damage.

Nail polish remover is used by many people to remove make-up and other stains; however, nail polish remover often contains acetone which can dissolve certain fabrics such as acetate.

Oil (cooking or BBQ) is generally best attempted by a drycleaner. While some household products or paint thinners have instant affects, the subsequent washing in water to remove the soil and solvents will set these elements with each wash.

Paint on a fabric or textile is generally best attempted by a drycleaner. While some household products or paint thinners have instant affects, the subsequent washing in water to remove the soil and solvents will set with each wash.

Shrinkage can present in 3 ways – Progressive, Relaxation and Felting.
Unstabilised fabrics can shrink on a cumulative or progressive shrinkage basis. A small amount of shrinkage can occur with every clean which may go unnoticed until it becomes unsatisfactory to the customer.

Relaxation shrinkage is attributed to the release of tension introduced to the fabric during manufacture. When the fabric is moistened during cleaning, the strain from the manufacture is released and the fabric returns to its normal relaxed dimension.

Felting shrinkage will occur in animal hair fibres such as wool, angora, cashmere and others. The surface of the fibres become entangled when exposed to heat, water, agitation, detergent or pressure, making the fabric become thick and compact. This type of shrinkage is not recoverable.

Silk Dye
In most cases silk is dyed in a vegetable based aniline dye, which is susceptible to fading from many sources including: light; fume fading; contact with liquids.

Soda water is often touted as a successful stain remover because the carbonated bubbles provide some mystical properties capable of removing stains. However it has the same properties as water and nothing more, and the bubbles do not act as a stain remover whatsoever.

Soap and water has been advocated for the removal of all stains. It may work in a few cases, however dry based stains such as glue, paint, oil, and nail polish cannot be removed using soap and water. Most soaps contain an alkali content, which will oxidise stains such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, liquor, and fruit juice. The alkali content and moisture added to make a soap solution can also have a adverse effect on some fabrics.

Wax removal from a fabric, using a hot iron is a sure way to fuse, melt, and damage most synthetic fabrics. Wax dissolves in drycleaning solvent and can be readily and easily removed by any drycleaner.