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Wetcleaning
by a Professional vs Washing at Home
You
wash clothes. Bridge Cleaners wetcleans. What is the difference?
Washing
- You use a home
washing machine and will sometimes wash by hand if a label demands it.
- You will separate
light colors from dark as much as possible.
- You may use chlorine
bleach or safety bleach if the garment seems dull or off-color.
- You sometimes
damage a garment by mixing colors, using the wrong bleach
or using a bleach improperly, shrinking or stretching it or trying to
wash it
when it was meant to be drycleaned.
Wetcleaning
A
person that wetcleans must be a trained professional. He or she must:
- Have knowledge
of textiles, garment construction and trimming.
- Understand dyes
and how to test whether a dye is solvent soluble or water soluble.
- Have a knowledge
of temperature, mechanical action, acids and alkalis and the effect
water has on garments.
- Have a knowledge
of stain removal, chemicals to use, precautions and limitations. Wetcleaning
doesn't necessarily remove stains, especially difficult ones.
- Have an understanding
of bleaches and use them to keep garments white and bright.
- Have a knowledge
of additives that can give a fabric body when water has removed the
fabric finish that the manufacturer provided.
- Before you damage
a precious garment, trying to save money, consider whether the risk
is worth it. Many professional drycleaners have the proper wetcleaning
training to keep your "washable" garment looking new longer.
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