Beau Knows Clothes

Hey, I hate to be a naysayer but there are some things I’ve just got to say No! No! No! to, and they are these common dry cleaning misconceptions.

Dry Cleaning Wears out Clothes:
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Dry cleaning powers beyond surface stains to remove dirt particles that wreak havoc on your clothes over time. The International Fabricare Institute has actually looked deep, deep into this subject and says that the myth is bunk. Okay, they used slightly more technical terms to de-myth the fabrication. In all seriousness, dry cleaning actually works to preserve fabrics, not the other way around. You can take that to the bank—literally, because clothing preservation is more time and cost effective than clothing replacement.

Keep the plastic over your cleaned clothes until you wear them again.
Nope.
We put a thin, recyclable layer of plastic over your clothing to protect it for the transit home; however, the plastic should be removed before you put your garments away. Why? Plastic can trap moisture or create slight condensation from temperature changes, which, no matter how little, can damage your clothing. You can keep the paper shoulder guards on clothing to protect them from dust and fading, but please remove that plastic so your fabrics can breathe.

*I do recommend sliding the plastic back on for travel as it reduces the likelihood your clothing will get dirty in transit and it keeps potential wrinkles at bay.

I can get just about any laundry stain out at home.
Falsity, false, false.
If that were the case, I’d have to quit my day job. At-home methods can be useful when applied properly until you can extend your garment the full laundering treatment available at your dry cleaner’s. But consider this—we’re told to blot (lift) the stain, not rub it. How many people resist that urge and throw a little wrist action into it after a minute of getting nowhere? Now think about pressing, patting, blotting, or rubbing the stain and those hidden stain particles working themselves deep into your fabrics and remaining behind. The offending stain has likely been rubbed into the fabric where it lies in wait to create more harm. How? Some examples are perspiration stains that can actually “eat” through your fabric, and dirt particles that act like an abrasive, actually thinning the threads of your garment as they rub together.

Dry Cleaning is Dry
What a load! (A front load that is!)
We use industrial washers, but instead of water, we use dry cleaning solvents that remove stains and don’t leave water rings on delicates or shrink your favorite clothing items. Garments are inspected, spot treated where necessary, protected (items like button are covered, or delicates are placed in mesh bags), and then cleaned and dried with a protective, temperature controlled stream of air. The machines remove approximately 99.99% of the cleaning solvents and dirt, which is why dry cleaned clothes do not generally contain any smell. It’s more environmentally friendly and since there’s little to no smell, it can’t irritate your senses or compete with your favorite fragrance. Now if you ask me, that just makes perfect scents!