Dry Cleaning FAQ

Liability
If clothing comes back damaged from the drycleaner the drycleaner is often blamed as the last to handle the garment. But the responsibility may lie with the manufacturer or retailer, or with you - the consumer,

As mentioned before, care information must be permanently attached to all garments. If this information is not present and the garment is damaged as a result, or if care instructions are followed and the garment or some component part fails, the responsibility is with the manufacturer. Your best recourse is to go to the retailer who sold you the item. Good retail practice requires that a store exchange a defective item or refund the price.

If the information was available to you but you did not follow it, for example washing a garment that should have been drycleaned, then you are at fault.

If your drycleaner fails to follow care instructions or did not exercise reasonable care, then the cleaner is at fault.

Some stains simply can't be removed by any known method, and while no one is to blame, there is no remedy. This is also true of the damaging effects of age on all fabrics.

if your drycleaner is to blame, you are entitled to recover the value of the garment's remaining life expectancy. According to the International Fair Claims Guide for Consumer Textile Products, published by the International Fabricare Institute, suits are expected to last 2 to4 years, dresses 1 to 5 years, coats 4 years (fur coats 10 years), and dress shirts 2 years. The guide assigns such life expectancy ratings to all categories of textile products, and it provides tables by which to determine the worth of a product based on the unused portion of its life expectancy and its condition at the time it was lost or ruined. It is up to you to negotiate an adjustment with the cleaner.

If there is disagreement about the party responsible for the adverse condition, it is suggested that the item be sent to the Textile Analysis Laboratory at the International Fabricare Institute for testing and determination of the party responsible. Such items can be submitted by the member drycleaner, retailer, Better Business Bureau, consumer protection agency, or textile affiliate. Items cannot be submitted directly by the consumer. Most cases are successfully settled, however, when the customer first returns the article to the cleaner.

Draperies
Draperies have a number of invisible enemies. The sun can fade and streak them. (Sometimes you will not notice this until the soil is removed.) Draperies are also affected by gases, fumes, and humidity. Open fireplaces, wood stoves, and smoking also contribute to the staining of draperies.

You can expect some shrinkage from laundering or cleaning unless the fabric has been totally preshrunk, Sometimes the drape shrinks more than the lining, causing a puckered effect.

A variety of draperies are combined with insulating backings or linings. In selecting these draperies, make sure you know the specific care procedure the manufacturer recommends. Some of these coatings react adversely in both drycleaning and washing.

The International Fabricare Institute recommends that glass fiber draperies be washed and air dried rather than drycleaned, to avoid color loss and chalky streaks. Care must be taken to subject them to as little abrasion as possible.

If you make your own draperies the following suggestions may be helpful.,