HollyDay Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 The dress I wore to the ball this weekend needs to be cleaned. It is spandex and acetate and says "Dry Clean Only". But, none of the cleaners I went to today would take it due to the silver speckles on it. They all said the cleaner would damage the speckles and possibly destroy the dress. The manager of one explained that acetate cant be washed and didnt recommend Febreeze. He said the chemical in Febreeze would damage the material. So, I have a dress I cant clean?? What now?? Does the home care dry clean kit work (Drielle??). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I would be afraid the chemicals in the home kit would damage the silver speckles too. Honestly, what I would do is hand wash it in cool water and a little gentle liquid soap (I'd use Dawn dishwashing soap) and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Then I'd gently roll between towels several times to remove as much moisture as possible. Finally, I'd lay it out on a bed of towels and let it air dry. (I'd probably turn it after a day.) Hand washing is probably your best bet. Here is an article about fabrics and how to clean them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Forgot to add I'd be careful to support the garment while washing. (IOW, don't pick it up by the shoulders while wet. Lift the whole thing.) Also, because of the colorfastness issue, I'd probably use cold water and be prepared to both wash and rinse very quickly to avoid colors running. As an additional safeguard for this, you could purchase Synthrapol. It's a liquid detergent designed to keep unset dye particles in suspension so you don't get "runs" in multi-colored clothing. You can purchase this online from places like Dharma Trading or Pro-Chem. Quilt shops that cater to dyers also carry it. Actually, I read a long time ago that Synthrapol is actually the same as the clear liquid Dawn (or maybe it was some other common liquid dishwashing detergent?). If the dress is all a single light color, I wouldn't bother with the Synthrapol. If, on the other hand, the dress is a dark color -- especially red or black -- I'd probably wash it in Retayne. This is a similar detergent that *sets* unset dye particles in fabric. Dyers use it to set dyes during the first wash. Hope this wasn't more information than you wanted...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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