Summer’s here. Keep those white, dry clean only garments brilliantly white.
By: Stu Bloom
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Don't abandon your fine white garments just because ordinary dry cleaners have abandoned all quality standards. Restore and revitalize them instead.
The official start of the summer — Memorial Day — is just around the corner.
It’s time to bring out those white cottons and linens from their winter hibernation.
But you’re anxious. Your “dry clean only” whites probably look yellow, gray or dingy.
In this post, I will only address the issue of dry clean only white garments that have been previously dry cleaned as recommended by the care label and have turned yellow, gray or dingy.
By contrast, here’s what this post won’t address:
- restoring dry clean only garments that have been washed or wet cleaned by your dry cleaner (and not dry cleaned as recommended by the care label)
- restoring machine washable garments that have been washed or wet cleaned by your dry cleaner (and not dry cleaned as you specifically requested)
- restoring dry clean only and machine washable garments by using home laundry hacks such as ammonia, aspirin, baking soda, dishwashing liquid, household bleach, hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, vinegar and other such hit-and-miss home remedies.
Why your whites turn yellow, gray or dingy
Ever wondered why your whites turn yellow, gray or dingy?
Here’s why…
Garments and household textiles should always be cleaned in dry cleaning solvent or fluid that’s both continuously purified and continuously filtered. Every single drop. This way your garments and household textiles are cleaned in dry cleaning solvent or fluid that’s absolutely crystal clear. As clear as bottled mountain spring water.
Continuous purification is much like boiling your tap water at home to obtain pure water; continuous filtration is much like filtering your tap water to remove any additional impurities.
Fact is, crystal clear, freshly purified and filtered dry cleaning fluid is your only guarantee against yellowing, grayish or dingy whites; dull and faded colors; and that all-to-familiar “dry cleaning solvent smell.”
Unfortunately, very few ordinary cleaners both continuously purify every single drop of their dry cleaning solvent or fluid before and after each load, and continuously filter every single drop of their dry cleaning solvent or fluid during each load.
So soluble impurities, such as bacteria, residual dyes, food fats, body oils, creams and lotions accumulate in the dry cleaning solvent or fluid. And insoluble impurities, such as sand, skin flakes and hair, float around in the dry cleaning solvent or fluid.
These soluble impurities are then absorbed by the fibers of your garments and household textiles during the dry cleaning “wash” cycle. In particular, natural fibers, such as silk, wool, linen and cotton, absorb these impurities like a sponge absorbs liquid.
Instead of your dry cleaner both continuously purifying and continuously filtering his dry cleaning solvent or fluid, your garments and household textiles are functioning as your cleaner’s “cleaning filter.”
In effect, your garments and household textiles are being cleaned in “dirty dry cleaning solvent.” It’s just like washing your clothes at home and reusing the same dirty water over and over again.
Cringe at your leisure.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”QEmdO” via=”no” ]Do not abandon your white garments that have yellowed or grayed just because dry cleaners abandoned all quality standards @ravefabricare[/ctt]
Our Brilliant Whites Restoration Service
At RAVE FabriCARE, we offer a Brilliant Whites Restoration Service.
Drop off or mail us your dingy, grayish, yellowish and/or stained whites.
We’ll restore them to “like new”.
Photo credit: carolinaherrera.com
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Author
Stu Bloom
Stu Bloom is Founder and President of RAVE FabriCARE. RAVE FabriCARE, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, cares for fine garments, household textiles and accessories and serves clients throughout the USA and Canada. Stu is the author of various ebooks on these subjects, all of which are available from www.ravefabricare.com/freestuff. He is an evangelist for true quality cleaning and is a contributor to and editor of True Quality Cleaning, RAVE FabriCARE’s blog. You can find Stu on Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
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Additional Resources:
https://ravefabricare.com/why-whites-creams-pastels-look-dingy-gray-after-dry-cleaning/
https://ravefabricare.com/why-dry-cleaned-cottons-linens-feel-stiff-crusty/
https://ravefabricare.com/why-cotton-linen-garments-feel-smell-washed-after-dry-cleaning/
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