It seems as if winter just won’t go away this year. It is time to begin thinking about storing winter clothing and getting out the spring and summer things. Remember that it is always best to store clean clothing. We may not notice that there are some small spots on a garment as it is stored but theses spots will be noticed upon the first wearing next fall.
Pretreating stains is a simple procedure that will help assure that stains get removed in the first washing. There are three types of pretreating products: liquid or aerosol, sticks and gels.
- LIQUID AND AEROSOL pretreaters do their best work while they’re still wet. Pretreat the stain and wash the garment within a few minutes after the product is applied. Leaving these products on longer than recommended on the product label may cause color loss or change if the fabric dyes are unstable.
- STICK pretreaters do their work dry and should be left on the stain for three or four days before washing.
- GEL pretreaters should be applied as soon as possible to help prevent stains from setting. They can be applied up to a week before washing. One exception to this time period is when using them on bright or fluorescent colors. Do not pretreat these colored garments more than a few minutes before washing as they are susceptible to color loss.
If you are uncertain about the stability of the garment dyes, pretest the garment in an inconspicuous area. Apply the pretreatment product, and then rinse out the product and note if there was any color change. If not, the pretreatment is safe to use.
Call us with stain removal questions, or check out our stain guide.
