Tag - dry cleaning faq

cry cleaning Kinston | Vick's Cleaners

How To Prevent Shrinkage When Doing Your Laundry

We all have gone to pull one of our favorite articles of clothing out from the dryer, to realize that it has shrunk to the size of a small toddler’s top. While this is an extremely upsetting time, it is typically avoidable! Don’t continue to shrink all of your valuable garments, keep reading this blog from dry cleaning Kinston service, Vick’s Cleaners for everything you need to know about what causes laundry shrinkage and how to prevent it. 

Fabric Labels

If you want to keep your clothes from shrinking, a great place to start is the source–the fabric. Take a look at the clothing labels before purchasing, and go for articles that are labeled “pre-shrunk” or, learn which type of fabrics are more prone to shrinking, and stay away from them. When purchasing something that will require more time and attention when washing, are you able to take care of that piece of clothing? Are you willing to take that blouse or blazer to the dry cleaner every time it needs to be washed? If not, opt for something that’s a better fit for your lifestyle! 

Care Labels

If you want to know how to prevent specific clothes from shrinking, it’s probably best to read the fabric label and recommended care instructions. Pay close attention to the recommended water temperature, laundry cycle and drying instructions. Not all fabrics can be treated as equal, for example, rayon and linen tend to shrink more than nylon or polyester. Reading the fabric care labels can be a bit tough to decipher, so if you are still confused about how to care and clean your clothing, bring it into Vick’s Cleaners and we will handle it for you!

Heat

Whether you use hot water when cleaning your clothes or a hot air temperature when drying your clothes, heat is not your fabric’s friend and should not be used if you are trying to avoid shrinking your clothes. Clothing articles made out of cotton should be washed on a warm to cool temperature and then tumble dried or even hung to dry to prevent discoloration. Animal fabrics such as wool, mohair, and cashmere shrink when agitated (like in a washing machine or dryer) which is why dry cleaning Kinston service, Vick’s Cleaners, suggest getting those fabrics dry cleaned. 

Vick’s Cleaners Kinston NC

If you find your variety of clothing starting to get smaller because you are shrinking all of your clothing, it might be time to stop by and visit dry cleaning Kinston services, Vick’s Cleaners. While we can’t save already shrunk clothing, we can help you take care of your correct size articles and keep them wearable for many seasons to come. Don’t throw out your shrunken clothes though, they are still useful! Many people use shrunk and old cotton t-shirts as dust towels and for other reusable cleaning methods. If you have a whole stack of shrunken shirts and you know how to sew, you can turn them into a blanket! Professional cleaning by Vick’s Cleaners will prevent you from having to replace your favorite clothing items when they are washed improperly. If you don’t have time to swing by, Vick’s Cleaners offers pick-up and drop-off services. Contact us today!

How Does Dry Cleaning Work?

Did you know that dry cleaning actually isn’t dry at all? It’s true! Sure, there’s no water involved, but garments are washed with a cleaning fluid, which is a liquid. All garments are immersed and cleaned in a liquid solvent. It is only called “dry” cleaning because there is no water involved! So what actually happens when you take your clothes to the dry cleaners?

Since World War II ended, the volatile synthetic solvents carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene gave way to a product known as perchloroethylene or perc, which is the typical solvent choice for the dry cleaning industry. 

When you drop your clothes off at the dry cleaners, they are first tagged to ensure that your clothes do not get mixed up with another customer’s. They are inspected for missing buttons, tears, etc. and made note of to prevent placing blame on the dry cleaners. To begin the cleaning process, the cleaner looks for stains and treats them to make removal easier. The clothes are then put in a machine and cleaned with solvent and any lingering stains are removed by post-spotting. To finish up, the clothes are pressed, folded, and packaged to be returned to their rightful owners. 

Pre-Treatment

Pre-treating stains at the dry cleaners is very similar to the way you treat stains at home: applying a stain remover prior to washing. To help the process, try to catch your stains early. Apply water for wet stains and solvent for dry stains, which are stains that have grease or oil in them. Tap and blot both sides of the fabric with a cloth, rinse, and let dry. Your dry cleaner will do the rest! 

Dry Cleaning Process

Your clothes rotate in a perforated basket with a constant flow of solvent from the pump and filter system. It is pumped continuously through the filter and re-circulated, free of dirt that gets trapped in the filter. The next cycle will drain and spin the clothes to expel the solvent, then circulates warm air through the clothes in a dry cycle. The remaining solvent is vaporized by warm air and then condensed over cooling coils. The distilled solvent is separated from any water that may have remained in the clothing or system and returned to the tank as distilled solvent. 

Post-Spotting

Post-spotting uses professional equipment and chemical preparations using steam, water, air, and vacuum. If the stain was a wet stain, water or wet-side chemicals are used to remove it. If it was a dry stain, solvents or dry-side chemicals help to remove the stain. 

Finishing

During the finishing process, steam is applied to soften the garment, it is reshaped through quick-drying, the steam is removed with air or vacuum, and then pressure is applied to the garment from the head of the pressing machine while steam is diffused through the bottom.

Vick’s Cleaners

Vick’s Cleaners is the oldest professional dry cleaners in North Carolina, proudly serving Kinston and surrounding areas for over 116 years. We provide quality dry cleaning and garment cleaning services, excellent customer service, and unmatched convenience. Contact us today!