We recently washed and dried a load of white dress shirts. When these shirts came out of the washer, they were bright white. However, after drying them, they had all turned yellow. We have never had this problem before. We have previously experienced yellow spots on garments, but we were able to remove those stains with another wash.
What can I do to prevent this from happening again? And what can I do to get those shirts white again?
In general, white shirts turning yellow or gray is the result of either the detergent or a combination of detergent and bleach not being fully rinsed out of the garments during the rinse cycle. In such cases, when you put the white garments into a dryer, you’re essentially baking the residual chemicals onto the items.
I suggest you check your usage of chemicals, as well as the water level on your rinse cycles to be sure you’re getting enough water to properly rinse out the garments.
To regain the whiteness in those dress shirts, wash them in a regular wash cycle using chlorine bleach, if they’re cotton; however, if they are striped or have colors on them, use non-chlorine powder bleach. Then, repeat the drying process. This will remove the yellow stains.
I own a coin laundry in a small town without a drycleaner, and one of my customers recently brought in a white wedding gown for me to clean. It is made from a synthetic material, which I believe is polyester. How can I clean it?
Before you do anything, be absolutely certain that everything on the wedding gown is synthetic, including the thread, in order to prevent puckering.
Next, take the gown home. Fill your bathtub with warm water, and then pour in about a half-pint of a quality dishwashing detergent and approximately 16 ounces of OxiClean – and mix it into a solution. Place the dress into the solution and gently swirl the garment for five to 10 minutes, and then let it soak for three to four hours.
Drain the water and refill the tub with clean water. Rinse the wedding dress twice and then hang it on a plastic – not metal – hanger until it dries. After it dries, you can steam out any wrinkles.
Keep in mind that most drycleaners will charge anywhere from $50 to $125 to clean wedding gown, so be sure to charge accordingly.
On busy days, I notice that some of my machines take a long time to fill with water. What could be the problem?
You may have one or more problems. First, check the screens on the mixing valves. Be sure that they’re not plugged up.
Next, see if your problems occur on the hot water setting. If so, your hot water pipes may be corroded and could require replacement. Typically, the hot water line rusts long before the cold water line, which reduces the inner diameter of the pipes, allowing less water to flow through.
Lastly, your incoming water line may be too small. This is often the case with older stores that were built when most of the washers were small, and then remodeled to feature larger washers that demand more water. If this is the case, you may need a booster pump or a larger incoming water line.
As a rule, when dealing with water, you need to consider two things: volume and pressure. If you lack either one, you will not receive a proper and timely fill.
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