Classifying suedes and leathers
uede and leather
cleaning begins with the classification of loads to be
drycleaned or wetcleaned. Classification is accomplished by
separating suedes and leathers into the following groupings:
first by type of leather, second by color of leather, third by
weight of the leather and forth by combinations of cloth and
leather.
Separate suedes and leathers
The first classification is by type of
leather. This is done by separating suede items from painted
leather items. This separation is necessary because the maximum
drycleaning or wetcleaning run-time allowable for painted
leather items is much shorter than for suede items.
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Suede items will not lose color if cleaned
longer than three minutes in a drycleaning fluid conditioned
with detergent plus conditioner or in a wetcleaning machine
with the water conditioned with a detergent plus conditioner.
Painted leather items will clean easily
with a three-minute or shorter drycleaning or wetcleaning cycle
because they have a non-porous lacquer coating on their surface
that keeps soil and stains from penetrating into the skin. Soil
and stains on the surface of the lacquer coating can be easily
removed with a short wash cycle, much like the way the surface
of a car comes clean in a car wash.
Separate light and dark colors
The second classification by color
separates the group of suede garments and the group of leather
garments into light colors and dark/bright colors. This
separation is done to avoid unnecessary contact of light and
dark items in drycleaning and wetcleaning.
In drycleaning, a lower charge level of
the Royaltone detergent plus conditioner additive is needed to
stabilize colors and maintain softness when cleaning light
colored suedes and leathers than is needed for drycleaning dark
colors. This classification in drycleaning is made primarily
for cost effectiveness. The light colors need only a 2 percent
charge while the dark/bright colors require a 6 percent charge.
However, the light colors can be
drycleaned satisfactorily in the 6 percent charge used for the
dark colors with the advantage that only a one-tank system is
required. When this is done, it is always good practice to run
light colors and dark/bright colors in separate loads.
In wetcleaning suedes and leathers, the
washer is essentially a one tank batch cleaning system. While
two ounces per garment of the Prosuede detergent plus
conditioner is required to retain color and softness of both
dark and light colored leathers, it is always good practice to
wetclean dark/bright colors and light colors in separate loads.
Separate by weight
The third classification by weight of
suede and leather items is made on the basis of significant
differences in the weights of the various types of skins.
The weight classification is based upon
the logic that would enter into the decision not to run a heavy
overcoat with a delicate lace negligee because the mechanical
action in the wheel would cause the overcoat to tear up the
negligee unless it was placed in a mesh bag to protect it.
Lightweight items made from sheepskin,
lambskin, deerskin, etc., are not normally drycleaned or
wetcleaned in the same load with heavyweight, stiff, cowhide
and pigskin items unless the lightweight items are placed in
bags.
However, it is good practice to run
separate loads made up of heavy, rugged stiff cowhide and
pigskin suedes rather than to mix them with the more delicate
lightweight lambskin and sheepskin suedes.
Classification summary
In summary, in drycleaning or wetcleaning
leather, the type of leather dictates the run time, which is
short for painted leathers and longer for sueded leathers.
The color of the leather dictates the
other items with which it can be run — dark/bright colors
with dark/bright colors and light colors with light colors.
The weight of the leather dictates the
other items with which it can be run — heavyweight items
with heavyweight items and lightweight items with lightweight.
Frank Lucenta is president of Royaltone
Co., Inc., a firm that manufacturers the products he developed
to make it possible for any cleaner to safely and profitably
dryclean, wetclean and finish any suede, leather, fur and
trimmed cloth garment. He also wrote related instruction books
that document the process, entitled “Handling Leather and
Suede” and “Cleaning and Finishing Leather and
Suede.” He also teaches small groups of plant owners and
managers how to identify, accept, spot, dryclean and wetclean,
press and recolor suedes, leathers, and furs using his
Royaltone procedures and products. The next Royaltone Leather
training session is scheduled for June 10-11 and Sept. 9-10 at
the Royaltone Suedemate Leather Cleaning Center in Tulsa, OK.
For more information on training sessions or on spotting charts
in either English or Korean, call (800) 331-5506, (918)
622-6677, fax (918) 665-6017, or e-mail frank@royaltone.com. Information is also available on the Royaltone
web site, www.royaltone.com.
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