Questions from Customers: Spill at a Party

Every week at the Custom Care Valet blog, we will be writing about a question that we get asked by our customers in the Vancouver, WA area. To keep up on some very handy information that will be coming every week, make sure to subscribe to our RSS feed on the left of this page.

Without further fanfare, we’re sure you can definitely relate to our very first question in this blog series. One of our customers in downtown Vancouver, WA asks:

What should I do when I’m at a party or restaurant and spill food on my rayon or cotton clothing?

The very first instinct is to immediately grab a tower or napkin, dip it in water, and rub the food stain away. Even the hostess, or a fellow guest may have a “home remedy” that involves an attempt to rub away the food stain. The truth is that rubbing on a newly-created stain can cause irreversible damage to a rayon or cotton garment. What kind of damage?

• Color-loss
• Deluster (breakage of the surface fibers)
• Dye-bleed (especially on dry clean-only garments)
• Dye-transfer (the wet part meets dry part and discoloration occurs from transfer of the dyes)

It’s important to stay cool, don’t panic, and attempt to blot out the stain.  Avoid use of soap or water. Take the garment to a trusted, local dry cleaning company, and we’ll even deliver them fresh and clean to you if you live in certain areas of Vancouver or Camas, WA! Dry cleaning with free pick up and delivery service will save you invaluable time and money on gas!