Don't. No matter how careful you are with your clothes, it can be a costly mistake. Your items could shrink, tear, stretch, fade or bleed.  And even if it survives the gentle cycle or handwashing, stubborn stains will likely remain. Just remember - if you get a spot  - don't touch it!  Take it to your cleaners right away. Set in stains are much harder to remove than fresh ones.

Now You Don't See it, Now You Do!

You spill something on yourself, you wipe it off and it looks fine. Or you spill something on yourself without realizing it happened. It happens to all of us. You hang the garment away and possibly wear it several more times. Now you wash it or dry clean it and afterwards you find a yellowish stain that you never saw before. You have just seen MAGIC; the invisible stain becoming visible!! Compare the reaction to that of a cut apple turning brown after being exposed to air.

This is NOT the Dry Cleaners fault!! This is how stains react, especially Dry Cleaning items. 

We all know it's a lot of work to switch out our items from the wire hangers and plastic bags, but it's worth it. The plastic bags are only meant to protect your items on their way home. Plastic has chemicals that your cotton, silk, rayon, wool and cashmere don't like. The plastic suffocates the fabric and can cause it to break down over time. The plastic also holds in mold and mildew and can cause spots to appear on your precious items, especially if your closet is near an outside concrete wall. Wire hangers can create harsh lines and new shapes along the neck and shoulders. We pay good money for our items and we want to keep them lasting a long time, the best we can.

Never rub stains, blot them!

Don't iron stained or soiled clothes.

Never put a garment away for the season without cleaning it.

Protect your garments from prolonged exposure to sunlight or strong artificial lights.

Clean all matching pieces of an outfit together.

Always hang leather garments on padded hangers to help retain their shape.

Spray perfume and hairspray on before you get dressed. The alcohol in the spray can fade, discolor or stain your clothes.

Carefully fold your sweaters. Don't hang them or stuff them in drawers.

Sunscreen is good for the skin but bad for your clothes. Be careful with sunscreen application, as it can fade or stain your garment.

Plastic bags are provided to protect your clothes until you get home.  When you put away your clothes, we recommend storing them either uncovered or in fabric garment bags.

Protect garments, especially silks, from escessive perspiration, as it can cause many dyes to discolor.

Discuss all stains with us. Make sure to point out light - colored or invisible spills, such as those from sodas, fruit juices white wine, (and even water on dry cleaning items).

Or at least until you wash or dry clean the garment.

The dye used in some garments is not always compatible with the care instructions supplied by the manufacture.  If the label instructs you to dry clean, the color or print should nor lighten or transfer to other areas during routine drycleaning. (There is no such thing as "too strong of a drycleaning fluid") If the label instructs you to wash, water should not affect the dye or print adversely.

Manufactures put Whiteners in the garments so they look brighter in the stores under the fluorescent lights to look more appealing to the customer.  These whiteners disappear after the first cleaning. This is why your white clothes never look as bright as they do when you bought them.