How Did That Happen?
Many times weird things happen that seem hard to understand or explain. Every cleaner in this world has certain events that they frequently see that may be new to you.
Listed here are many of the more common ones that we can make you aware of. Remember, a professional cleaner is there to take care of your clothes and provide and share his knowledge with you the consumer. Some things seem so weird but almost always there is a logical explanation!
Where did my buttons or accessories go or why did my garment change colors?
When garments are manufactured the Federal Trade Commission laws require the manufacturer to label all garments with proper cleaning procedures. These labels are then used by the cleaners to know how to properly care for the garment. When labeled it means that every part of the garment, (from buttons to accessories), can be safely cleaned by the recommended method.
Many times these labels are simply wrong and damage comes to the garment at no fault of the cleaner. Some buttons can simply dissolve and then again others can break or be damaged by the machine. Some dyes can fade when dry cleaned or wet cleaned and other dyes can entirely change colors. Fancy accessories are often sewn onto a finished garment with no regards to cleaning and therefore can be damaged when following care labels properly. Whenever these situations occur these garments should be returned to the place of purchase for a refund. We will always assist you however possible in dealing with these issues.
What about broken shirt buttons?
At Crazy Cleanerz our very modern equipment along with a diligent staff work very hard to make sure that broken buttons don’t happen. Sometimes buttons can break from old age or they just fall off due to a broken thread. In the event that you have any broken shirt buttons we will replace them free of charge.
How long should my shirt last?
Studies show that the average lifespan of a shirt is generally 35 to 50 wearings. New non-iron shirts are chemically treated and this seems to significantly shorten their life span. Different fabrics have different wear characteristics and of course different life styles can also affect shirt life. Simply stated there is no true measure of how long a shirt can last.
Why cant ALL the wrinkles come out of my shirt collar and cuffs?
Simply put you should expect all the wrinkles to come out of your collars and cuffs if your shirt was manufactured properly. However, we see many shirts every week, from all price ranges, where the manufacturer didn't properly fuse the collar and cuffs together. Most every shirt today has interfacing inserted between the top piece and bottom piece on both the collar and the cuffs to hold the inside and outside pieces together.
During the manufacturing process if improper interfacing is used then this mysterious puckering and wrinkling occurs in the areas in question. Unfortunately, most shirts like this can not be fixed even if the shirt is physically taken apart and reworked. We will be happy to explain and share our knowledge with you if you ever encounter this problem on a shirt.
What happened to my shoulder pads?
Remember, now that you know that dry cleaning is not dry, once the dry cleaning machine starts it is impossible to control something that is sewn inside and between the layers of your garment. It is 100% the garment manufacturers job to properly construct your clothes and I'm pleased to say that most of todays manufacturers have become much more accomplished at properly inserting their shoulder pads. If a problem does occur it can usually be fixed but it takes a trip to our alterations department and a few extra days and a few extra dollars. :)
Who put these spots on here?
This is a totally fair question that takes understanding to be answered. Remember, we work very hard to take care of your garments and clean them in the most appropriate manner. Many spots do not expose themselves until the garment has gone through the cleaning process. Have you ever dripped some Sprite on your white blouse and then been relieved to see that when it dried there was no spot? Perhaps you were enjoying your favorite salad and dropped a piece of lettuce into your lap to be happy when the spot dried and disappeared. Quite often in the cleaning process those stains believed to be gone and forgotten reappear.
Have you ever taken a bite from a lovely apple and exposed the brilliant white inside only to return later to an apple that has turned brown? It’s not magic and neither are these stains! Invisible stains are often very hard for the consumer to understand but its just chemistry at work. Just like mixing red and green make blue mixing an invisible sugar spot with steam makes brown. Ever wonder why these unexplainable spots usually happen only on your whites or light colored clothes? It’s simply because you can’t see them on the dark fabrics. Almost 100% of the time there is nothing contained inside a dry cleaners building that if gotten on a garment the cleaner can’t get out. It’s those things from outside sources that are sometimes hard to remedy.
How come the color is gone on my garment?
The most likely culprit is because a bleaching agent has come in contact with the garment. Similar to “Magic Spots” color usually flushes out of a damaged fabric when it goes thru the cleaning process. Everyday life and circumstance has an uncountable number of things we interact with that can damage our clothes. Acids, alkalies, and bleaching agents contact garments everyday from products you would never imagine harming your clothes.
You don’t think so? Consider this short list: Batteries, carpet cleaners, yard products, hand sanitizers, air fresheners, colas, mouthwash, toothpaste, oral medications, perspiration, deodorants, lotions, hair products, sauces, acne preparations, lemonade, eraser board cleaner, water treatments, salt, pickle juice, fluorescent lights, and sunshine all can cause color loss and fabric damage. This is just a quick simple list that could be followed by hundreds more products from everyday life.
How did this hole get here?
Just as listed about color losses small holes can come from many different substances. Many products contain small amounts of acids and alkalies that can damage clothes. Some holes actually come from an unbalanced fabric weave to start with. Doesn’t it seem odd sometimes that all the fibers going right to left are still there but the up and down strings are still in tact or vice versa?
Through our years of experience and handling millions upon millions of garments, we have seen many things cause fabric damage and holes. Car seats, repeated motions, seat belts, furniture, etc., etc. have proven often to be the culprit. Our employees are trained to inspect for damage and to report any damage that they may have noticed on a garment or caused to a garment.
My zipper wasn’t broken when I brought this in!
Modern cleaning facilities will not damage a zipper in anyway but sometimes the dry cleaning solutions can make a zipper not slide very well. This sliding problem is usually easily fixed by applying some zipper lubricant to the zipper slide. Many plastic or nylon zippers will not work when just one small zipper tooth gets out of line and can only be fixed by replacing. We will always work with you in a fair manner to try and help get your problem fixed.
How did my garment get burned?
Many things can appear to be burns that are actually not. Very often burnt looking places are simply stains that have oxidized and become apparent in the cleaning process. In the event of a true burn it is almost always a result of consumer use. Modern cleaning facilities have no way of burning clothes. Steam is used in pressing garments and steam irons wont burn or scorch clothes. These steam irons are also covered with Teflon bottoms to make them glide easily along all fabric types. Remember, this is the same Teflon you see in the most popular cookware’s to keep things from burning and sticking.
Why did you take my hem out?
Have you ever washed a pair of pants with a loose hem and in the washer the hem came the rest of the way out? All it takes is one broken thread and the unravel is on. Remember, there is nothing dry about dry cleaning so anything that could happen in a washer can happen in a dry cleaning machine. Once garments are loaded into the machine and the start button is pressed then nothing can be done to stop what may happen during accepted cleaning procedures.
What happened to my comforter?
Crazy Cleanerz most likely cleans more comforters every month than most cleaners would do in a year or even many years. The most common comforter problems arise from manufacturer defect or just consumer use. Often times the rope like piping, which goes around many comforters, can draw up or shrink in either dry cleaning or wet cleaning.
There is no way a dry cleaner can predict when this will happen and there is no way they can protect this from happening. Another common issue with comforters is when the inside stuffing or insulation transfers or shifts around between the top and bottom layers. Remember once the comforter goes into the cleaning machine it is impossible to keep this from happening if the comforter was not originally manufactured properly, or if the stitching holding these insides in place has come loose. Because of these unforeseen circumstances all Comforters are done at consumer risk.