When at home, immediately blot or soak a spill from a fabric. Do not rub. Rubbing can damage the fabric and remove the dye.
Bring your garments for professional cleaning as soon as possible after a stain occurs. Stains left too long can become permanent and damage the fabric.
Protect your clothing from perfumes, lotions, antiperspirants, and hair products. Many of these solutions contain alcohol and will damage some dyes. These “invisible stains” often appear after being exposed to the cleaning processes. If possible, dress after applying hairspray, perfume etc.
Protect garments, especially silks, from excessive body perspiration. Body salts can weaken fibers and cause dyes to discolor. Use underarm shields where possible.
Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight will also weaken fibers and discolourareas of the garment.
Do not press stained or soiled clothing, as the heat can set stains.
When bringing items in for cleaning, point out stains on your garments and discuss concerns with our customer service personnel.
Have matching coordinates cleaned together so colours will remain uniform
Always follow the manufacturers’care labels located in the inseams of your garments to clean and preserve your garments
If a garment or fabric stain is still wet, do not rub it. This will spread the stain and embed it in the fabric. Absorb excess moisture by carefully blotting the item with a paper towel or cotton towel
Water spots on fabrics such as silk or taffeta can be removed by passing steam through the item (such as from a boiling kettle of water) and then gently ironing using a low setting while the item is still damp. Do not try this unless you are certain the spot is only water.
Do not iron fabrics that have a deodorant stain, or have been recently exposed to deodorant without being washed, as this can permanently stain the garment. In fact, heat will set many stains, so it is best to not iron unwashed items.
Do not remove cosmetic stains yourself, as the colors and oils in many cosmetics can bleed through fabric, enlarging the stain. Have the stain professionally treated.
Do not use hot water to clean egg stains as this will set the stain. Cold water is always best for rinsing out stains on washable items.
The mildest and safest bleach for whitening and brightening natural fibers is white vinegar. As well, it is less harmful for the environment
When laundering clothes at home, consider using phosphate-free detergents and air-drying items rather than tumble-drying. Think “Green”. Using cooler water and air-drying also prolongs the life of your garments.
When removing stains at home, be leery of the use of acetone, as many fibers will dissolve or weaken when exposed to this chemical
If gum sticks to a garment harden the gum with ice to allow it to become brittle and then chip it off. Wash the garment thoroughly to remove residue and sugars
Perspiration can have a damaging effect on your garments by weakening and yellowing the fibers. Soak perspiration stains on washable garments promptly in a solution of warm water mixed with white vinegar
Candle wax should be removed by placing the stained area between two paper towels, or pieces of brown paper. Press the item with a warm iron so that the wax can be absorbed into the paper towels or brown paper
Ink stains can wreak havoc on many fabrics. Unfortunately, home cleaning methods such as using hairspray to remove pen ink can make the stain bleed and set into the fabric due to the oils and lanolin contained in many hairsprays. Have the item professionally stain-treated, particularly dry-clean only items.
Although home dry-cleaning kits are convenient, most of the products on the market work well in simply freshening your garments and removing some odours. However, they are less effective in removing many types of stains, particularly oil-based stains, and in some cases may cause the stain to bleed and permanently set into the fabric. Moreover, many of these products are unable to remove ground-in soils. Professional cleaning may be safer and more effective.
