Dry cleaning cottons: a waste of $
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8 years ago
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8 years agoRelated Discussions
Can I machine wash a dry clean only comforter?
Comments (16)I worked for a dry cleaner for several years in my (sort of) misspent youth. I worked in the alterations department and I also learned to press which meant I spent a lot of time "out back" with the dry cleaner and the spotter. I learned a TON about fabric care and when I no longer worked that job (and no longer received free dry cleaning!) I began learning how to properly launder things, by reading old sewing and Home Economics books I picked up at yard sales. "Dry clean only" is the safety net for manufacturers. If they slap that label on something they're protected from liability. Consider that both sheep and geese routinely get wet. ;) Cold water and a dilute solution of my favorite laundry detergent is how I wash things like comforters. I will take them to a laundromat to use the extractor to really get remaining water out of them and use their dryers (I don't have a dryer). I routinely wash our feather pillows by first soaking them with the garden hose (this keeps them from floating in the washer). I put them in the washing machine with a cup of ammonia and run the cycle. I rinse them twice. Ammonia cuts grease (and everyone's hair is oily and sometimes we sweat while we're in bed). I take them to the laundromat and "extract" them and then dry them, finishing with a full day in the sunshine on top of the car, turning every couple of hours. They look nearly brand new when I'm done. They're now nearly 15 yrs. old, too. I use ammonia a lot actually; esp. for woolens. I use it for hats, socks, mittens (I rinse carefully and add a capful of lanolin to the final rinse to add water repellency and promote elasticity in the wool fibres). I block and dry them flat or, in the case of socks, on stretchers....See MoreSofa cleaning - steam clean or 'chem-dry'
Comments (5)I have not been impressed with the chem-dry carpet/upholstery cleaning. They spray a foamy chemical goop onto your carpet/upholstery, agitate it around, and vacuum it off. Things just didn't seem to get that clean, it seemed to get dirtier faster afterward (like there were residues attracting dirt) and the chemicals were kind of nasty smelling although DH wasn't as bothered by it as I was so YMMV. I've tried a couple of different companies so I think it's just the process that doesn't thrill me, not a specific company. The way to avoid the floor-scratching issue is to have someone help you put slider discs under your furniture legs before the cleaners get there. I learned to do that when a not-very-good carpet cleaning company many moons ago pushed my couch over so they could clean under/behind it and snapped one leg off when it caught in a divot. They refunded the whole price of the cleaning but it would have cost more than that to fix it properly and I couldn't afford to go to court to fight them for it. Thank goodness that couch was skirted because for the next two years that corner of the couch was held up by a stack of old books. LOL (It was a handmedown; had it been an expensive couch I'd purchased I'd have fought it harder but had it been an expensive couch I had purchased I'd obviously have been working a better job where I could afford to take a day off!) Even scraps of carpet placed upside down - pile side down - under the furniture's feet makes it easier to slide them around on hard floors....See MoreThose of you with dry clean only curtains..
Comments (34)I am a dry cleaner:) Please be careful when putting things in the dryer when there is no moisture in the fabric. The main cause of permanent shrinkage is that people will over dry an item. The Federal Trade Commission has the care label rule: If a garment is cleaned as recommended by the manufacturer and still becomes damaged (shrink, color bleeds, etc) you have recourse with the retailer/manufacturer. To be safe always follow the recommended cleaning procedure. If it says to wash, then wash if not take it to a professional cleaner who knows what they are doing. Yes people wash dry clean only items and most come out fine, but I can assure you that the life of the garment is shortened greatly. How do I know? I removed a Kleenex tissue from a customers pocket AFTER the pants were cleaned and it was intact. Can you imagine what that tissue would have looked like after washing in water? Dryel "freshens" clothes, but does not actually clean it. Sort of like using Fabreze to mask the smell, but the cause of the smell will still be in the fabric. I am not here to promote dry cleaning so if you don't like dry cleaning for some reason stick with "machine wash" garments and household goods....See MoreWashing dry clean only jeans
Comments (15)Besides ensuring I use a cold water setting, I always pull my jeans inside out before washing to preserve the color from fading. Then I hang to dry and iron them when they are just barely damp, for a crisp polished look. Alternately, if I have a load of dark clothes ready to go into the dryer, I throw my 'non-dryer' clothes that dried by hanging into the dryer with the wet clothes. This takes out any wrinkles they got from hanging and fluffs them while they are tossed around in the dryer. I have never had them shrink by putting them in with the wet clothes, as long as they were completely dried by hanging before adding them to my wet load in the dryer....See Moreplllog
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