My wash-dry-fold service recently has received a number of garments with wine stains. We’ve done a decent job of getting out most of the stains, but not all of them. Do you have any suggestions to help us tackle any wine stains we may encounter in the future?
Wine is a very common laundry stain, and it can be tough to remove.
My suggestion is to purchase a quality tannin remover from your local product supplier. Following the usage directions on the bottle, spot-treat the stained garments with the tannin remover and, while the items are still wet from the pretreatment, place them directly into a warm-water wash cycle, using detergent and a bleach appropriate to the fabric being laundered.
If the stains are still apparent after the washing and drying cycles, repeat the process – and that should do the trick.
Remember that the two keys to wine stain removal are to pretreat those stains with a good tannin remover and then to place the garments into the wash cycle before that stain treatment has any time to dry on the items.
I offer a commercial accounts pickup-and-delivery service through my laundromat, and I recently landed a local dental school as a new client. Unfortunately, I’m having a problem with removing blood from the white towels we pick up from the school. Can you guide me toward a solution?
First of all, never wash blood-stained items in hot or even warm water, as this will merely cause those stains to set, rather than helping to remove them.
Wash the towels in cold water, with a liquid detergent and chlorine bleach, if the towels are white cotton. However, if the items are made of a synthetic blend material, be sure to use a color-safe bleach instead.
This simple process should remove the blood stains. If not, contact your chemical supplier and order a quality blood and protein remover, such as Scram Blood. This product is a spotter, so you’ll have to apply it directly onto the stains and then rewash those items immediately after the spotter application.
Above all, remember never to use warm or hot water when attempting to remove blood stains from any garment or laundry item.
My laundromat enjoys a thriving drop-off laundry business, and one of our regular customers is a drycleaner who often will bring in shirts for us to launder. He recently brought in 30 silk shirts to be washed. Wally, how do I wash silk? I have absolutely no experience in working with this type of fabric. Help!
Before you do anything, read the care label on every shirt. Different manufacturers use different types of dyeing processes and different types of dyes on their particular shirts. Some clothing companies will use metallic dyes. Some will use vegetable-based dyes. Some will use eco-friendly, Earth-based pigments. As a result, each type of shirt may require a slightly different laundering process. And, in fact, some silk items simply can’t be washed without stripping off the colors. So, definitely read the care labels closely.
Next, be aware that any garment make of silk needs to be washed in cold water only. Also, set your washer to its gentlest cycle, and use a very mild detergent, such as dishwashing detergent. If you’re using a bleach, use only a liquid, color-safe bleach.
In the drying cycle, use dryer sheets. And, above all, set your dryers to air-dry only. Be sure never to use any heat when drying silk garments so that you avoid any shrinkage issues.
Good luck!
