Household Textiles - Caring for Your Fabrics
Draperies
Most draperies can be drycleaned and will come home clean and fresh. (Exceptions
are Fiberglas drapes and certain draperies with reflective backings, which
require laundering rather than drycleaning.)
The drycleaner may have a problem with drapes that have been wet by condensation or by rain from an open window. Moisture can cause water rings that can be difficult to remove. Prolonged exposure to moisture, even to extreme humidity, can cause discoloration from mildew. Discoloration could be black or gray or possibly yellow or reddish brown. Mildew weakens fabric and the stains can be difficult or impossible to remove.
Sometimes draperies come out of the cleaning process damaged because age and sunlight have degraded the fabric. The weakened areas shred when exposed to the agitation of cleaning. The pattern of damage on the outside folds, where sun exposure was greatest, is your clue that sun tendering was the cause of the damage.
Draperies can
be expected to last about three years, and lined draperies for five years.
This average will vary depending on factors such as the type of fabric and
the amount of sun exposure the draperies receive. Selection of drapes with
a lining is preferable.
Yellowing
The sizings and finishes in drapery fabrics can turn yellow with age.
The combined effects of moisture, light, heat, smoke fumes, and other
atmospheric soils also cause yellowing of drapery fabrics. Tobacco smoke,
especially, causes yellowing. The outside folds, which receive greater exposure,
can develop yellow streaks. These streaks may become more apparent
after drycleaning has removed other surface soils. Wet cleaning may remove
this type of staining, but not all drapery fabrics can withstand washing.
Shrinkage of Draperies
Some fabrics, especially cotton and rayon, may change dimension in
response to changes in the relative humidity. Just as your hair may
draw up and become curly when the air is humid, your draperies may draw up
and become shorter. This problem may correct itself when the air becomes
dryer.
Draperies may also shrink after drycleaning or laundering. Shrinkage
of two or three percent can occur if the fabric is not preshrunk.
Special drapery finishing equipment that restretches the fabric can often
correct such shrinkage.
Bedspreads and Comforters
Many bedspreads should be drycleaned, especially tailored and quilted
spreads. Check the care instructions when you make a purchase. The
permanent care label law for apparel does not apply to household items, but
usually care instructions appear either on a temporary label or on the packaging.
Drycleaning may be preferable for down comforters, because it is easier on
the outer shell. Wool-filled comforters could shrink or mat in laundering.
It is wise to clean or launder all matching or coordinated items
at the same time and by the same process. This way, any color loss, however
minimal, will be uniform.
Upholstery and Slip Covers
Upholstery is usually cleaned in place by a professional process.
Cushion covers that zip off are made that way primarily to help them
fit properly, not necessarily so they can be removed for cleaning or laundering,
as many consumers think. Separate cleaning of the cushion covers may mean
that they no longer match the rest of the chair or sofa. This is
obviously beyond the drycleaner's control.
Slipcovers and sets of cushion covers for rattan furniture may be suitable for drycleaning, but some upholstery fabrics present special problems. Haitian cotton is very difficult to clean by any method. The loose weave means it can easily be damaged by the agitation of cleaning.
Typically, loosely woven upholstery fabrics have a backing to add stability. This backing can weaken and even disintegrate over time. Sometimes drycleaning solvents soften or dissolve the backing. Then the agitation of cleaning can cause the fabric to become unraveled. Herculon usually responds well to gentle hand washing and air drying.
Fabrics
not adequately preshrunk in manufacturing may shrink in cleaning. Obviously
if this happens with a cushion cover or a slipcover, it will no longer fit
the piece of furniture. Industry standards allow approximately 3 percent
shrinkage in drycleaning and sometimes even greater shrinkage in laundering.
Since there are so many potential problems, many drycleaners
are reluctant to clean draperies or upholstery items without
having the customer sign a statement accepting the potential risk. This
does not release the cleaner from the obligation to treat the item with appropriate
care.
Heirloom Textiles
Antique quilts and linens require great care in cleaning, and
not every cleaner is equipped to carry out this exacting type
of work. It is important to discuss this type of item with your drycleaner
before work begins. Let your cleaner know that the item is old and will require
special treatment. Many times antique linens or old quilts will be badly
discolored, but often with the proper cleaning procedures, most stains or
discoloration can be removed.
Prolonging The Life of Household Textiles
How long textiles will last depends in part both on their selection and the care you give them.
- Ask whether the fabric is preshrunk and resistant to fading.
- Keep in mind that closely woven fabrics or the same fiber contentare more durable.
- Consider the amount of sun exposure the fabrics will receive. All fabrics are somewhat vulnerable to light degradation, but silk is the most vulnerable. Acrylic, modacrylic, polyester, and glass fibers are the most resistant.
- Protect all your furnishings, and especially draperies, from prolonged damp, which could promote mildew.
- Read all care instructions before making a purchase.
- Protect carpet, rugs, and furniture from strong sunlight to avoid color loss.
- Rotate draperies, if possible, to vary light exposure.
- Remember that regular cleaning is important in prolonging the lifeof textiles. Surface soils can abrade carpets, rugs, and upholstery fibers.
The wide variety of colors and textures
available in household fabrics means
there is something available to suit every taste and style. By being a careful
buyer and giving regular care to your household textiles, you can assure
that they will give you lasting pleasure.
Distortion
Some drapery constructions
use a combination of several fibers
to produce a desired wave or design. The
presence of heat sensitive fibers
can cause considerable distortion during
the normal cleaning, deodorizing
and finishing cycle. You should
inform the drycleaner if you are aware of
heat sensitive fibers from the original
hang tag or literature obtained at
the time of purchase.
Stiffened Fabric
Reflective coatings
on the draperies or its linings are
sometimes used to impart insulating qualities. Some of these contain
vinyl materials that may not be totally
resistant to drycleaning. Loss of
a plasticizer from the vinyl can
produce a very stiff and blistered fabric. These failures are the responsibility
of the manufacturers. Some materials
used on reflective linings are damaged by continual exposure to light while
hanging. Further damage may develop during drycleaning. Some coatings
may separate, peel, or self stick
in cleaning. It's important to tell
your cleaner about any care information
you have on the drape.
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Where trade names are used, no discrimination
is intended and no endorsement is
implied.
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SOURCE: International Fabricare
Institute, 12251 Tech Road, Silver
Spring, Maryland 20904
Contact for questions
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Updated 8/19/05