National Clothesline

A watchful eye at the front counter is still the best defense when it comes to avoiding drycleaning problems.

At last month’s Neighborhood Cleaners Association convention in Secaucus, NJ, Alan Spielvogel underlined some of the most common cleaning problems the industry encountered in 2002.

Spielvogel, who is the director of the NCA’s National Center for Garment Analysis, presented “Watch Out At the Counter: Problem Garments” during a Saturday morning educational session.

In his seminar, Spielvogel referred often to NCA’s 2002 Garment Analysis Review, which indicated that manufacturing defects and improper care labeling are the biggest culprit of clothes cleaning blunders, causing 67 percent of the overall problems.

Drycleaners were responsible for 15 percent of the garment problems while customers caused about 18 percent of the damage.

NCA reported that dye loss and dye transfer in drycleaning was found in one of every five garments that contained manufacturer defects.

Other problems under the category of “Manufacturing Defect” included: leather and suede related, 17 percent; pigment print, 18 percent; damage-sulphur dyes, 16 percent; dye crocking in drycleaning and wetcleaning, 9 percent; two different fabrics, 9 percent; fluorescent dyes, 5 percent; and flocking, 6 percent.

In cases where damage was caused by the cleaner, 36 percent was attributed to chemical damage (spotting) and 24 percent to water soluble dyes (wetside spotting).

Redeposition, or the redepositing of soil resulting in the graying of white colored items or the dull appearance on colored items, represented 29 percent of the damage caused by cleaners.

Other snafus caused by cleaners were: physical damage (spotting), 3 percent; fluorescent dye (spotting), 3 percent; and shrinkage from moisture and heat, 5 percent.

For customers, the worst garment harming offense (16 percent) was insect damage. Customers also had many problems with fume fading (14 percent), oxidizing agents (13 percent), chloride salt damage (11 percent), acid damage (8 percent) and tannin stains (8 percent).

Less common customer problems included: damage in wear, 7 percent; light fading, 3 percent; protein stains, 3 percent; dye stains, 3 percent; fading on draperies, 2 percent; dryside or plastic based stains, 2 percent; water damage on draperies, 1 percent; and alleged shrinking, 1 percent.

Spielvogel told attendees at the April TexCare convention that the best approach to minimizing problem garments is for cleaners to keep the lines of communication open constantly with their customers.

He noted that being up front and truthful with them is essential, especially when handling big ticket items such as wedding gowns. It is vital to show customers potential cleaning problems such as beads, sequins and fluorescent dyes and don’t be afraid to send the dress to a specialist.

“Wedding gowns aren’t made for serviceability in mind,” he said. “You have to basically talk to the woman who is bringing it in. If you’re not comfortable with doing it, send it out.”

Another difficult item for cleaners are garments made of suede and leather. According to the Leather Apparel Association, cleaning such garments is difficult, often leading to “a slight variation in color or texture” naturally during the cleaning process.

Additionally, natural marks and wrinkles may become more apparent after cleaning. Shrinking can also occur, although, sometimes, wearing the garment will stretch it back to its former size.

“You’re never going to get a suede or leather garment to look exactly the same as when the customer bought it,” Spielvogel explained. “NCA says get a release on every suede and leather garment. If you don’t, that’s going to be the one that bites you.”

Another common cleaning problem in 2002 was spandex, also known by the trade name “Lycra.” Spandex garments often proved to be unserviceable by cleaners because of shrinkage issues that can be traced back to the manufacturing process where the fabric or yarn is stretched.

The construction of the weave or knitting may provide a temporary stability in the garment, but that may disappear when it is subjected to the heat and mechanical action of wear, drycleaning or wetcleaning. Thus, it cannot be determined prior to the cleaning process if shrinking will definitely occur. Customers should be forewarned of this at the front counter when the garment is first accepted.

Many cleaners have also recently reported problems with sulfur dyes that caused their cleaned garments to look like “Swiss cheese” when they came out of the machine.

In some cases, manufacturers may contest cleaner’s claims, Spielvogel warned, attributing the damage to the cleaners using too strong of solvent.

“People who are making the garment should know about these problems,” he said. “Sulfur dyes are acid sensitive.”

He also noted that human perspiration can lead to more problems; therefore, neutralizing with an alkaline is recommended.

Finally, for garments with labels that mysteriously read “Spot Clean Only,” Spielvogel advised cleaners to protect themselves and tell customers that only the Federal Trade Commission approves of that method of cleaning.

“Tell the customer that this is not a serviceable garment,” he said.