Brittle Leather

Q) I got a leather jacket out of storage and had it cleaned by my drycleaner. When I picked it up the back of the jacket was hard, brittle and torn. What happened?

A) Sometimes dark marks appear for no apparent reason on the surface of leather or suede. These spots usually have a splatter-like appearance where the leather has become hard, shrunken, and puckered.

Testing the area indicates a staining substance containing a salt residue is present. This damage is caused by accidental contact with moisture containing salt that has remained on the leather for a period of time. Salt substances are not used in leather cleaning but are found in many everyday solutions that the garment owner may have come into contact with accidentally. For example, salt compounds are found in many foods, beverages, blood, urine, deodorants, gutter splash, ice melt, plain table salt, salt water, and various other matter containing mineral salts. Contact with any of these substances can eventually cause leather skin staining and damage.

Salt will continually absorb moisture from the atmosphere, thus keeping the stained area of the leather damp. Salt staining may be invisible prior to cleaning and generally is not removed by regular leather cleaning procedures. When the jacket undergoes normal drying and finishing after cleaning, the salt-stained areas can shrink, stiffen, and sometimes even crack the leather.

Usually this damage cannot be prevented unless the garment owner knows when the contact occurs and immediately rinses the substance off the leather with some cold water and lets it air dry. If the stain is still fresh and is visible, the leather cleaner can attempt to remove the remaining residue prior to cleaning in order to minimize the damage.

Crayon Stains

Q) How can I remove stains caused by crayons left in pockets?

A) Crayon stains appear as built up, shiny and stiff stains in a variety of colors. Normally, drying--not washing--will cause these kinds of stains.

Your first discovery of the stains will occur when you open the dryer door to find otherwise clean clothes covered with a myriad of colored stains. The stains appear after drying because the heat from drying melts the crayon material.

The easiest way to solve this problem is to take the garments to your drycleaner, who usually can remove them by running the garments through a dry cleaning machine. If any of the stains remain after cleaning, they can generally be removed by your drycleaner through traditional stain remoal procedures.

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Chloride Salts

Q) I just took a blue silk blouse out of the cleaning machine and where the perspiration has discolored the underarms, holes have appeared. Can you explain this type of damage?

A) Yes, chemical testing over the years of many, many similar situations almost always reveals the presence of chloride salts in the damaged areas. Textile research has shown that chloride salts of any type will weaken silk yarns over a period of time. Chloride salts are present in many foods, beverages, medicines, table salt, and salt water, as well as perspiration and some deodorants. The location of your damaged area definitely indicates that perspiration and/or deodorant have deteriorated the silk yarns to the point that the agitation of cleaning caused the weakened yarns to tear. Unfortunately, there is no practical way to predict or prevent this type of damage from occurring during acceptable cleaning.

Q)The care label on a sweater indicates it is hand washable. Can I wash it in a machine on a delicate cycle?

A) There is some risk involved in using any care process not recommended by the manufacturer. Hand wahsing involves manual removal of soils with water, detergent, and a gentle squeezing action. A care label that calls for machine washing, in a delicate or gentle cycle, indicates the soil can be removed with water, detergent or soap, slow agitation, and reduced time in a washing machine.
Hand washing is a restrictive care process that minimizes the amount of abrasion a garment receives in cleaning. If hand-washable garments are machine washed in a gentle cycle, agitation may be further minimized by putting the item in a net bag. Even this procedure is in violation of the care label instruction, however, and places responsibility for damages on the launderer rather than the manufacturer.

Q) Should I use hairspray to remove a ballpoint ink stain?

A) Hairspray and water can remove ballpoint ink, but you may be trading one problem for another. That’s because hairspray could contain alcohol and oils such as resins and lanolin. The alcohol in the hairspray can cause color damage especially on silk; likewise, oils and other ingredients could lead to additional stains.

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Q) How do you remove deodorant and antiperspirant residue?

A) Many people do not realize that prolonged contact with deodorants and antiperspirants may cause permanent damage. Combined with the effects of perspiration, the damage can be extensive. The most frequent damage is caused by overuse of these products, or infrequent cleanings. This leads to the buildup of a stiff, caked-up residue or to fabric damage.

To prevent chemical damage, do not overuse the product and allow it to dry before dressing. Wear dress shield with silk garments.

To remove the residue on washable garments, wash as soon as possible after wear in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Soaking in a detergent containing enzymes or an enzyme presoak may be necessary. If the stain remains, try using three percent hydrogen peroxide or chlorine bleach, according to fiber type or care label instructions. Before using, test for colorfastness.

Q) How should I clean my rayon garments?

First we must remember that rayon is a manufactured fiber composed of regenerated cellulose derived from wood pulp or cotton linters. It is absorbent and comfortable to wear. There are different forms of the fiber know as rayon, viscose, cuprammonium, high-wet modulus and lyocel sold as Tencel™.

With the exception of lyocel, rayon is very sensitive to water. Many dyes applied to rayon are not colorfast and will bleed or migrate upon contact with moisture. In addition, manufacturers often add sizing to rayon in order to achieve a desired body or drape. Some sizings are water-soluble, and washing will distort the shape of the garment. dry cleaning is recommended for most rayon garments. Although substantially similar in chemical composition to rayon, lyocel can be either drycleaned or washed. However, when caring for garments made of lyocel it is important to follow the care instructions carefully. If a garment made of lyocel is washed when should have been drycleaned, it may result in excessive shrinkage and a wrinkled appearance.

Q) Does frequent dry cleaning shorten the life of a garment?

A. On the contrary, frequent cleaning prolongs the life of a garment. Not only do stains set with age, making the garment unwearable, but ground-in dirt and soil act as an abrasive, like sandpaper, causing rapid wear of fibers. Also, insects are attracted to soiled clothes and will cause further damage.

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