 | Craig D. Miller oversees the daily operation of Miller Dry Cleaner's six Wichita locations. Miller's has been family owned and operated for 27 years. Leading the second generation of Miller ownership, Craig has been involved in the family business for 15 years, since the age of 14. Craig is a Friends University grad, and is married to Shellie, a schoolteacher. Craig can be reached at (316) 942-5180. |
Dry Cleaning
2004-07-01 09:50:00
Home dry cleaning kits?
: Tell me about the new Home Dry Cleaning kits. Are they a gimmick or can you really dry-clean at with them?
ANSWER: When using a home dry cleaning kit, garments are freshened when they are placed inside the dryer with a specialized cloth, which is activated by the heat of the dryer. Usually, up to four garments can be placed in a bag (along with the dryer-activated cloth). The stain removal solution (which is dispensed from a plastic bottle) is applied directly on the stain, while the user holds an absorbent pad underneath the stained fabric.Consumers are instructed to apply the solution until the stain is no longer visible or until it is evident that the stain cannot be removed. For kits that employ only a dryer-activated cloth, consumers are advised to use the cloth to remove stains. All kits recommend removing stains before garments are placed in the dryer.In general, most of the products work well on freshening or removing odors such as smoke. Therefore, these products can be successfully used to freshen garments; for example, removing odors from sweaters after winter storage.In terms of stain removal, most of the products work well on water-based stains such as cola. Stains that are oil-based, such as ketchup and lipstick presented more of a challenge for the home dry cleaning kits. In some cases, these products may cause the stain to spread, creating a bigger stain. The products prove ineffective in removing ground-in soils, such as "ring around the collar" or dirty cuffs. When using a home dry cleaning kit, consumers should be aware of the following types of damage they could induce when using the stain removal solutions: rings, chafing, broken fibers on a loose weave, local shrinkage on crepe or water-sensitive fabrics.
