Dry Cleaner

Dry Cleaner

AtlSoapGuy

Atlanta, GA

Male, 52

I have worked in the dry cleaning industry for almost 30 years. I worked in my family's dry cleaning operation as a manager and owner. Currently, I write a blog for those in the dry cleaning industry, as well as work for a manufacturer of dry cleaning chemicals. Over the years I have spent in the dry cleaning industry, I estimate that I have been in over 2000 dry cleaners in the US.

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87 Questions

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Last Answer on February 12, 2018

Best Rated

How difficult/simple is it to get environmental insurance for a dry clean plant in the state of California? What is the procedure and how costly is it?

Asked by Lola about 11 years ago

You got me on that one.  Unfortunately, I have no experience working in the state of California.  

I took a very expensive brown 93% cotton 7% spandex blend dress to my cleaners. It came back with blotches that look like grease.Also looks like steam burns in the back. He claims its the mftrer problem & that I should go back to store. Do u agree?

Asked by Gail over 10 years ago

There have been quite a few problems with dye fading in garments containing spandex as of late.  So without seeing the garment, yes, it could be possible that it is a manufacturer's problem.

The grease stains are tough to tell, solvent that has not dried evenly of thoroughly can leave a greasy appearance (similar to a food grease, not a black grease).  The steam burns you describe could be a result of brown dye fading and not scorch.  It is pretty tough to tell withoug seeing it.  

Does the care label say the garment is dry cleanable?  Was it dry cleaned in Perc, HydroCarbon or another solvent?  Some of the current dye fading problems are occuring more in HydroCarbon than other solvents and can often be corrected when cleaned in Perc if the garment is safe to clean in Perc. 

I just washed a vintage dress in cold water and it shrunk - I'm devastated. Can dry cleaners stretch a dress into its original shape?

Asked by Jo almost 11 years ago

Sometimes dry cleaners can stretch a garment back into the original size.  It depends on the fabrics, finishes, equipment used and the degree of shrinkage you are trying to correct. 

Hey .. How are you ! Does every dry cleaner fix clothes.

Asked by Lala about 11 years ago

Not every dry cleaner does repairs on garments.  Some will have full alteration/tailor shops, some will send their garments out to be repaired, while others will offer the basic repairs.   Some of the high end and better quality cleaners will offer minor repairs at no charge.  It all depends on how the owners have set up their operations. 

My nephews drink the Berry Blue Kool-Aid Sunburst drinks. Unfortunately, they spilled some on my white carpet and didn't tell me about it until I got home. Now I have this juice stain and nothing seems to get it out! What should I do? Thanks!

Asked by Marianne Garcia over 10 years ago

That is a difficult question for me to answer.  The chemicals that I recommend are all for dry cleaning use.  Most of these need to be flushed out on the spotting board or in a dry cleaning machine.  I would recommend a professional carpet cleaner.  

can a drycleaner stretch denim jeans to be a little longer in length?

Asked by cc over 10 years ago

They may be able to stretch these a very small amount, but usually this correction is lost in future cleanings and will be needed again the next time. 

I dropped a 300$ bridesmaid dress off at the drycleaner and asked them to get the wrinkles out now there are marks all over the dress that look like grease marks and they're trying to say it was like that when I brought it in. What can I do?

Asked by LL over 10 years ago

That is a difficult problem.  As the previous owner of a drycleaner, I would have to say that the customer is USUALLY right.  In this case, I would try to get the garment cleaned up with the grease marks removed for you.  The downside of this is that the garment may be very difficult to clean, with some risks involved, depending on the skill of the cleaner and construction of the garment. Hopefully, you have a professional dry cleaner that you are working with, that will be reasonable to work with.