CUSTOMERS

Look for a cleaner who is part of professional associations.
Associations provide relevant information to their members about fashions and fabrics, the latest in equipment, laws and regulations pertaining to the garment care industry. Organizations like the Canadian Fabricare Association and the Drycleaners & Launderers Institute send out newsletters and trade magazines filled with important information to keep a good cleaner abreast of industry developments.

Look for a Certified Environmental cleaner.
Environmental rules and regulations are a prime concern to every professional dry cleaner. If a cleaner displays a CFA decal on the door or window, you know he/she is a Certified Environmental Cleaner.

Attention to detail is important.
Does the Dry Cleaner remove the stain without damaging the garment? Does he give an explanation if the stain is not removed? If you request special treatment (extra starch, etc.) are your wishes carried out? Professionals know you are the reason they are in business, and treat you accordingly.

Don’t be dismayed by a request for a release form to be signed.
Care labels are sewn in garments by the manufacturer to provide information about fabric content and a suitable method for cleaning the garment. There are occasions when a cleaner will ask a customer to sign a release form. This may be due to a missing care label, or trim that is not covered by the information on the care label. The request reflects the care the cleaner is taking with your garment — they’ve read the label, know what they’re doing, but can’t control situations that might arise from manufactured difficulties.

Look for a cleaner who is consistently doing a good job.
Garments are inspected before they are returned to the customers. There should be no damage to garments by stapling tags through fabric or labels. To prevent wrinkling, the correct number of garments and their accessories are placed in the same poly bag.

A good cleaner is a careful cleaner.
When no care label exists to determine a suitable cleaning method, a good cleaner will test the fabric on an unexposed seam or area of the item . The cleaner classifies every load by colour and material (a raincoat and a silk blouse would not be cleaned together). Sometimes this means you can’t get a garment back in a couple of hours. But it does mean he/she is taking good care of it.

Cheaper isn’t always better.
The biggest danger to clothes is a cleaner who tries to cut costs by cutting corners. Quality cleaners add soap and sizing to their solvent to enhance cleaning and give the clothes additional body. Be realistic in what you expect to be done for the price you are paying.

Customer service is important.
A professional dry cleaner will not make promises he/she cannot keep. If a problem does occur, they will work with you to find an equitable solution. Most dry cleaners will use an industry standard method such as the Dry Cleaners & Launderers Institute fair claims guide.

Why use a dry cleaner at all?.

There’s a good chance you could probably get out most stains yourself, with enough time and special products to help you. Maybe. And you can iron a shirt with the best of them. The question is not whether you have the ability to handle the requirements of your wardrobe — the question is, don’t you have anything better to do?

Your professional garment care specialist is just that: a specialist in caring for fabrics and fibers. What does he/she have that you don’t?

Years of successful experience in removing specific stain types from specific fibers.
Expensive (i.e., highly calibrated and specially computerized) equipment to deal with every kind of fabric you are likely to bring in, and the knowledge to use it properly.
Professional grade solutions, spotting chemicals, and detergents to be both gentle and effective on specific garments in specific combinations.
Excellent finishing equipment that gives your garments that “just back from the dry cleaner” pressed look, and helps you make the best impression.

Perhaps the real question to ask is, why would you want to take it anywhere else?

CARE LABELS & Cleaning Instructions

Canada’s Care Labelling Program

Care labels enable your dry cleaner to properly clean and finish your garment. It is important for consumers to realize that care labels are not required by law in Canada. The Canadian Care Labelling Program is a voluntary system of providing garment care instructions through the use of simple symbols. Though the law doesn’t require a label, if a label is present, it is required to be accurate. *

Although the program is voluntary, most reputable garment manufacturers will include care labels on their clothing. But be aware that if you purchase an item without a care label, the manufacturer has no liability for any damage that may occur when cleaning.

The Canadian Fabricare Association recommends that consumers only purchase garments with care labels attached.

When manufacturers use the Care Labelling System they must:

ensure that the label is capable of withstanding the recommended care procedures and remains legible and firmly attached for at least ten cleanings or throughout the life of the garment.
indicate at least one method of garment care, but they may, if they choose, provide additional care instructions.
be sure that the care procedure described works for all areas of the garment including trim, lace, buttons, beads, etc.

Temperature Markings

Different garments will need to be washed and finished at different temperatures. It’s important for the consumer to understand that only your dry cleaner can provide all of the temperature settings required for washing and finishing

Washing temperatures are always indicated in Celsius, usually within the washing symbol on the care label. There are four maximum washing temperatures that are used, 300 C, 400 C, 500 C and 700 C.

Ironing temperatures can be indicated using temperatures in Celsius degrees, or with dots.

The dot symbols indicate:

One dot means 110 C,

Two dots mean 150 C,

Three dots mean 200 C

What should you do?

Always check for a care label before purchasing any garment.
Keep the care label intact so you or your dry cleaner will know the manufacturer’s recommended care instructions.
If you follow the care instructions and your garment is damaged, take it back to the retailer. If the retailer is unwilling to help you resolve the problem, contact the garment manufacturer.
When a manufacturer is not willing rectify a problem with a garment, you can contact Industry Canada’s Competition Bureau. Your call will provide them with important information and could result in further investigation. Check the Blue Pages for the regional office nearest you or visit their internet site for more information. https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/labelling/textile-labelling/textile-labelling-requirements

Ask your Canadian Fabricare Association member dry cleaner any questions you might have about care l

An in-depth explanation of care labels and symbols is below.

*Canada’s Textile Labelling Act, subsection 5(1)

“No dealer shall apply to a consumer textile article a label, or sell, import into Canada or advertise a consumer textile article that has applied to it a label containing any false or misleading representation that relates to or may reasonably be regarded as relating to the article.”

Life Expectancy Guidelines

Bedspreads – 6 years

Blankets
Heavy Wool and Synthetic Fibers – 10 years
Lightweight – 5 years
Electric – 5 years
Comforters – 5 years
Down – 5 years

Curtains
Sheer – 3 years
Glass Fiber – 3 years

Draperies
Lined – 5 years
Unlined – 4 years
Sheer – 3 years
Glass Fiber – 4 years

Sheets and Pillow Cases – 2 years

Slipcovers – 3 years

Table Linen
Fancy – 5 years
Other – 2 years

Towels – 3 years

Upholstery Fabrics – 5 years

Articles Coated or Flocked – 2 years

How long the items last also depends on selection. Consider the following before purchasing a household product:

Will the material be durable?
Will the fabric resist stains and soil?
Are there any protective coatings of finishes available that will prolong the useful life of the textile?
Is the fabric preshrunk?
Is the fabric resistant to light, fading or pollution?
Do any care instructions come with the purchase? Read all instructions or information before buying the item.

Proper care will always help prolong the beauty of the household textile. Here are some basic rules to protect and prolong the beauty of household textiles:

Protect all furnishings from sunlight, fumes, and pets.
Damage, like tears, should be repaired immediately.
Vacuum and/or brush to remove dust regularly.
Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations.
Do not allow the item to become extremely soiled, and have any stains removed immediately.
Clean household textiles before storing.

Many consumers are confused about the difference in pricing between dry cleaners throughout the indu

It is important to explain what goes into the pricing structure that you are charged for your dry-cleaned items.

The cost of production starts at the front counter. When you drop off your clothes at the dry cleaners you should consider how they create the invoice and receipt you receive and how they identify your items so that what you brought in is returned to you.

Proper identification includes a complete description of each article indicating the type of item, colour, label identification, and any stains or tears that may be on the garment at the time it was marked in. As well, it is important for the counter person to ask you if there were any spills, such as liquor or soda pop that may have dried and are not readily visible. If there are any and the article of clothes is not pre spotted, then that stain could caramelize in the drying process and may be difficult if not impossible to remove later.

In addition, how the counter person attaches identity tags to the garment is important. Are they using staples, which can rust and transfer to the garment, or applying plastic tags similar to those used in retail stores (these usually cost more to use)? The counter person must check the buttons to see if they are fragile, broken, or must be covered or removed before the cleaning process to prevent breakage or dissolving in the solvent.

The invoice that the information is printed on should be clearly legible and if possible computer printed. If this information is entered into a computer program, it can be readily and speedily available for future searches for locating items in case they go missing. As well computer-generated invoices and tags will provide more information to ensure return of the garment on time. A computer-generated program also costs more to incorporate in the business.

The size of the dry cleaner’s operation will probably dictate the kind of care that your garment is to receive when it goes through the dry-cleaning process. Too many cleaners do not distill their solvent after each cleaning process because the cost of the solvent and the detergents is so expensive. They should add new fresh detergent after each distillation process. Because of the cost of these solvents and detergents that are used in the process, dry cleaners may not segregate your garment according to type of garment, colour and material (silk, wool, cotton, etc.). Clothes of different materials should be cleaned separately because they require different wash and drying times. As well, failure to distill and add fresh detergent could result in re-deposition, colour loss, and loss of texture. As well, it is mandatory that these used solvents are disposed of by government licensed carriers to recycling plants. This is also a costly process and unfortunately some operators cheat on this requirement to save money. Knowledgeable, experienced and responsible dry cleaners do not come cheap.

Another major cost factor is the amount of time a dry cleaner takes to inspect and spot garments for stains, check care labels, and properly segregate the garments he is cleaning. Should the garment be dry cleaned, wet cleaned or laundered? Garments should be inspected before and after the cleaning process. The knowledge and care that the dry cleaner has will dictate the wages that this person will earn.

If the dry cleaner provides a shirt laundering and pressing service, the type of equipment he uses can be very expensive. Some dry cleaners launder the shirts and place them on a shirt press and then place it on a hanger. That is the way you get the shirt. Others providing higher quality standards will first iron out creases in the collar and cuffs, as well as underarms. Many shirts are still made with fused collars which cause shrinkage problems for the collars as well as dark stains at the points of the collar. This is because of the poor fusing used in the manufacturing process. A smart dry cleaner will adjust the steam pressure on his heated press which will reduce the temperature and reduce this problem. This is costly to the dry cleaner because he reduces his volume of shirts he can produce as a result of the longer drying time.

The next process that the garment goes through is the pressing department. The cost of hiring an experienced and knowledgeable presser is quite high. He or she must know his materials and how much care the garment requires. If he is ironing out the linings, this is an added cost. The presser must prevent shrinkage and stretching of the garment and has to be careful ironing around buttons and other fancy trims.

The next process is the inspection department where a thorough inspection of the garment should take place. This includes checking for loose, missing, or broken buttons, open seams, hems down, etc. If a button is missing, it should be replaced with a similar matching button. If a hem is down, it should be tacked back and open seams should be sewn up. Proper inspection is a costly process.

The next process is the bagging and packaging department. Packaging costs are at an all-time high. The thickness of the hanger is important to properly hold the garment, as well as the style of hanger. Garments should be hung in such a manner as to make sure the item does not fall off the hanger, stretch out of shape, or leave indent marks on the garment. Tissue is usually necessary to hold the garments shape and prevent dust from falling through the opening at the top of the poly bag that clothes are placed in. Many quality concerned and environmentally concerned dry cleaners provide reusable garment bags (many at no charge to their customers) to cut down on the use of poly bags and tissue which is destined for the garbage. At this stage, the shipper is responsible to check each tag on each garment to make sure it belongs with the accompanying invoice and then attach to the bag.

All the above steps take time and effort as well as additional costs. Therefore there are differences in prices between dry cleaners. It is up to the consumer to decide what he requires and what he is willing to pay for this service. For example, if you possess a very expensive suit, dress, or shirt, are you going to take a chance on a low price dry cleaner to take the care that is required to maintain the shape, colour, texture, and integrity of your garment or are you going to seek that dry cleaner that provides all the necessary processes that are required to do so.

Sidney Chelsky
Consultant to the Laundry, Dry Cleaning and Hospitality Industries.

HOW TO CHOOSE A CLEANER.

Choose a dry cleaner who is a member of the CFA.