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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88 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 over 11 years ago

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

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

Asked by Lala over 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. 

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 over 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. 

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 11 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 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 11 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. 

For my entire adult life, I have used scotch tape w/ an arrow drawn on it when I need to point out spots on a garment. NEVER had any problems. A month ago the dry cleaners cleaned a shirt with the tape on it. Left tape marks on it. Any way to fix it?

Asked by Ramona almost 11 years ago

When it comes to laundering shirts, it is a great idea to point this type of problem out to the counter person that is taking the garments in to be cleaned.  Even though there may be tape on the garment, laundered shirts are done in large volume and often the stain removal process is done after the shirts have been laundered the first time.  

The dry cleaner may be able to use a VDS type stain remover, along with an OTPR to remove it.  However, the plastic in the tape may be melted/embedded so deeply in the fibers of the shirt that it cannot be corrected.  

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

Asked by cc about 11 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.