Spots, stains & "clean"

As I briefly mentioned in an earlier post, it is important for a client to be honest and tell their cleaner how old a spot or stain is.  And also if they have done anything to try to remedy the spot.  First, spots and stains as they age become harder to remove.  Some spots can be permanently set in as little to two weeks to a month!    So knowing the age of the spot will help your cleaner determine what methods will work best.  The age of the spot can determine what agents are necessary to remove the spot.

Of course, some spots may be difficult to see.  It is common for sugary liquids like white wine, champagne, and other clear beverages to dry with out being visible.  This does not mean that the spot is gone!  It means that the sugars in the drink are slowly doing their damage.  Eventually this will probably show up as a brown spot.  It is now oxidized sugar and can be very difficult to remove.

Home remedies for spots can work on some spots, and some fabrics.  However, if they do not work, please tell your dry cleaner what you have done.  It may be necessary to use a neutralizer on you garment before we can proceed further with out causing permanent damage!

Of course your dry cleaner will do his or her best to remove those spots or stains.  After all, it is what we do for a living.  Sometimes, due to the nature of the fabric, the type of dye, combined with the type of stain and maybe, the age of a stain, complete removal of the stain is impossible.  Your dry cleaner should inform you of this when you pick up your garments.  Your garment is "clean", it just has an irremovable stain.

There is a difference between cleaning your garments and stain or spot removal.  Every garment gets cleaned.  Dirt's, pollen, the stuff of everyday life is automatically cleaned out of the garment in the cleaning process.  Spots and stain frequently require hand work on what is known as a spotting board.  Spotting is part science, part art.  A highly skilled spotter can remove 90 to 95 percent of the stains presented.

John and his wife Sherry are veteran dry cleaners with over 25 years of experience each.  They currently own and operate Cambrian Plaza Dry Cleaners in San Jose, Ca.  To find out more about their cleaners visit their website www.cambrianplazacleaners.com