Tips and advices
3 Delicate Fabrics Best Left with Your Cleaners
The only way to guarantee your clothes longevity, specifically if they are made with delicate fabrics, is to take care of them. We have seen the first few glimmers of summer, so it is time to pull out your linen pants, silk skirts and lace tops. These fabrics’ labels indicate that they require special care: hand washing, dry cleaning, delicate fabric cycle… Not that easy to figure out when one is not a cleaning expert and one has the added pressure of potentially shrinking or changing the colour of one’s favourite clothes. Here are Daoust cleaners’ tips to take care of your delicate fabrics!
Silk: Delicate Cleaning
Silk is not only one of the more noble fabrics, but also one of the most fragile ones you will have in your closet. As you will surely already know from its label, it’s cleaning is a hassle: dry cleaning, cold ironing, neutral soap, flat drying, and so on and so forth.
The garment’s design and complexity is actually what makes silk a delicate fabric. The fibre is not the issue, the real issue is the finish, the lining, the embroidery, the interfacing, etc. The more complex it is, the more delicate it is, and dry cleaning will be recommended.
Never twist silk and never let it dry by exposing it to the sun, this is crucial. Letting it dry on a hanger may seem like a good idea, but it can deform the garment and stretch the fibers. Your best option would be to lay the fabric flat on a clean and dry towel. Now for the ironing. Make sure to iron the back of your garment on a flat and damp cloth at your iron’s lowest temperature.
Unfortunately, the maintenance guidelines indicated on labels are often too general and fail to meet expectations. When in doubt, it is best to go to a professional cleaners, especially if you want eco-friendly products, as well as phosphate-free and biodegradable soaps. You treated yourself and bought a superb silk blouse, do not risk a disastrous result just because of a simple stain!
Linen: the Secret Lies in the Choice of Products
Linen, as noble and natural as it is, is one of the rare fabrics that improves with each wash. The fabric is more flexible and softer, making clothes appear nicer, brighter and more pleasant to touch. Be careful, however, to use the right products and have appropriate reflexes so that you don’t watch your white top turn pink after one wash.
You can wash your linen-based clothing in the washing machine or by hand. Take caution with water temperature, which should not exceed 50°C. It is also imperative not to use chlorine-based detergents as they may yellow and damage the textile fibre.
Note that linen has the advantage of drying very quickly. The optimal drying method is to spread it out in the open air as soon as the washing cycle is complete. When it comes to ironing, be aware that you should not do it once the fabric has dried. Similarly to silk, it is best to iron on a damp cloth and on the back side at low temperature.
In order to enjoy your favourite linen clothes all summer long, it would be very wise to invest in a finishing treatment. This treatment has the particularity of allowing garments to regain their original shape while retaining their flexibility. This green cleaning technology uses exclusively an eco-friendly product which is particularly effective on natural fibres such as linen. The ecological “primer” cleaning process will permanently limit wrinkling and revive the colours of your most precious items. Ask your trusted eco-cleaner for more information.
Preserve your Lace’s Original Whiteness
Often used to perfect underwear, for wedding dresses or other refined clothing, lace is a delicate feminine material. This particular fabric is a cleaning novice’s worst nightmare as its maintenance is a real challenge because the fabric is complicated and subject to deformation.
There is a distinction between factory-made lace and handmade lace: they require different care. The factory-made lace can be machine washed in cold water, provided you slip it into a pillowcase to protect it from the drum of the washing machine and from other fabrics.
To avoid the risk of yellowing the lace, be sure to carefully dose your detergent and softener. For handmade lace however, it is strongly discouraged to use your washing machine. Instead, soaking it without rubbing it with suitable detergents and active oxygen it a better option.
Wring out your lace garment by rolling it in a clean towel, taking care never to twist it. Then spread on a flat surface to finish drying the fabric.
Unfortunately, lace tends to yellow over time. To remedy this, it is necessary to use “Super white” care. The ecological cleaning care “Super white” is a unique bleaching process using a chlorine-free and odourless oxygenated agent. Entrust your most beautiful lace pieces to expert cleaners for peace of mind as soon as spring hits.
At Daoust Ecoperforming Cleaners, we take care of your clothes, whatever their requirements. Each franchisee’s mission is to provide quality care and bring your clothes back to life. Our process is 100% ecological and solvent-free to protect the fiber of all your clothes, but also the environment.
