Q. What is dry cleaning?
A. Dry cleaning uses fluids to remove soils and stains from fabrics. Among the advantages of dry cleaning is its ability to dissolve grease and oils in a way that water cannot. Natural fibers such as wools and silks dryclean beautifully, but can shrink, distort, and lose color when washed in water. Synthetic fibers like polyester also respond well to dry cleaning, Whereas they can retain oily stains after washing. Dry cleaning helps to return garments to a "like-new" condition using precautions to prevent shrinkage, loss of color, and change of texture or finish.

Q. Does frequent dry cleaning shorten the life of a garment?
A. On the contrary, frequent cleaning prolongs the life of a garment. Not only do stains set with age, making the garment unwearable, but ground-in dirt and soil act as an abrasive, like sandpaper, causing rapid wear of fibers. Also, insects are attracted to soiled clothes and will cause further damage.

Q. Should I use hairspray to remove a ballpoint ink stain?
A. Hairspray and water can remove ballpoint ink, but you may be trading one problem for another. That’s because hairspray could contain alcohol and oils such as resins and lanolin. The alcohol in the hairspray can cause color damage especially on silk; likewise, oils and other ingredients could lead to additional stains.

Q. Should I store my clean garments in the plastic bag they are returned in?
A. No, the bags are provided by the cleaner to protect the garments until you get them home. It is best to store garments uncovered or in fabric garment bags.

Q. How can I remove stains caused by crayons?
A. Crayon stains appear as built up, shiny and stiff stains in a variety of colors. Normally, drying--not washing--will cause these kinds of stains. Your first discovery of the stains will occur when you open the dryer door to find otherwise clean clothes covered with a myriad of colored stains. The stains appear after drying because the heat from drying melts the crayon material. The easiest way to solve this problem is to take the garments to your drycleaner, who usually can remove them by running the garments through a dry cleaning machine. If any of the stains remain after cleaning, they can generally be removed by your drycleaner through traditional stain removal procedures.