FAQs
Stains
Can you remove stains?
“Stains” is a broad term, but we endeavour to handle any and all stains to restore your garment to its best condition. Our first step is to identify the stain and treat it with the correct spotting solution ahead of dry cleaning it.
It can be hard to remove stains if an attempt has been made to do so before bringing the garment to us. Some stains can be invisible, for instance, when white wine, lemonade or champagne have been spilt on a fabric, they can be hard to see once the fabric has dried. It should be noted, however, that the stain is still there; most beverages contain sugar and with time and heat, the spilled substance will oxidise and cause staining.
The best practice is to bring a garment to us as soon as possible after you know a stain has occurred, do not attempt to 'clean' the stain, and to let us know what you believe the stain is – in this way, we can get to work and achieve the best outcome.
Silks
Can you clean my silk garment?
Silk is one of the oldest fabrics and is recognised for its comfort, however it does need special care.
These handy tips will help you care for your garments at home and help us in our work:
- Always store your silk item in a cool, dry place. Never leave a silk garment in prolonged sunlight.
- Perspiration and some deodorants can combine to create discolouration, colour loss, and deterioration of silk fibres – it is best to clean your silk garments regularly to avoid permanent damage.
- Some dyes used to colour silk fabrics may bleed when wet, with solutions containing alcohol such as perfumes, cosmetics, and alcoholic drinks. Please let us know what you think the stains are when you leave your clothes with us for treatment.
- Do not attempt to remove stains from silk by rubbing, especially when damp. Silk fibres are delicate and easily damaged.
Color Bleeds
The colour on my garment changed, why?
For some years now there has been an increase in the manufacture of black and white garments that are labelled as dry cleanable or washable, but the colour bleeds. Most colour bleeds occur during the first clean or with warm solutions (solvent or water). This is because of excess dye on the black section and/or the use of materials such as leather and spandex in combination with other fabrics. We can assure you this issue has been raised with manufacturers by the Dry Cleaning Institute of Australia but this problem is still an issue.
Our best advice is to be very careful when choosing black and white garments; ask at the point of purchase if they know of any issues with the cleaning of the garment and what would they recommend.
We will follow the manufacturer’s care instructions and do our best to avoid colour bleeds by using colour solutions and low temperature when drying.
Note: all black and white garments are cleaned at owner’s risk.
Shine
Why does my suit have a shine?
There are several reasons why some materials ʻshineʼ – heat, age, wear, and the use of uncovered presses. Most ʻshineʼ occurs on navy and black garments and the main cause of this is the age of the material and the repeated wear. When dry cleaned, if not done carefully, shining can occur when too much heat is applied and the suit is pressed without a press cover.
To avoid this issue we always dry at 55-60° Celsius and our presses are covered by a special pad which is replaced frequently.
Care labels
It is an Australian legal requirement that all garments manufactured in Australia or for the Australian market must have a care label. This label indicates that the manufacturer tested all that is included in the garment (material, colour, beads, etc.).
We carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions. However, it may be the case that some garments have been incorrectly labelled (for example, some manufacturers may put the same label on all their garments and these may not be specific to each garment).
We strongly suggest that you contact the manufacturer if any issues arise after we have followed their care label.
Note: garments without a care label or with an incorrect care label will be cleaned at owner’s risk.