Q: Every now and then, I get garments that have areas that are very thin. It's often found in the elbow areas of men's dress shirts. But most of the time this thinning is seen in the inner thigh of pants or the linings of the pants. I have even seen some thinning on the seat of some pants. What causes this?

A: As a garment is worn, some areas will often rub and abrade against the body, desks, chairs, or other objects and surfaces. This can cause the fibers to break. When the item is cleaned, the broken fibers will be flushed away, which can result in a more noticeable thinning. After repeated use and cleaning, the thin areas separate from the agitation in washing or drycleaning, resulting in rips, tears, or holes.
The damaged areas will often feel much softer and thinner than other portions of the item. This soft feel is a result of a loss of fibers in the affected areas.


Q: How do you remove scorch marks?

A: To remove scorch marks from natural fibers (cotton, linen, silk), hand wash the item with a mild detergent. More sever scorching may be corrected by soaking the garment in a bath of 6 to ounces of 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with a gallon of water. As an oxidizing bleach, hydrogen peroxide can cause color loss. Apply to a seam or unexposed area, and let dry. If the color isn't affected, soaking the garment in a bath should be safe. For sever scorching, the garment may need to be soaked for several hours.
Unfortunately, fused synthetic fibers (polyester, acrylic, nylon, acetate) cannot be restored.
Take the drycleanable garments to Sun's Cleaners and depending on the damage, the item may be restorable.


Q: When I picked up my white blouse at the cleaners, it had become yellow. Is the cleaner using dirty fluid or something?

A: Your blouse may have had hidden stains on it before you took it in to be cleaned. Perhaps, sugars, liquids, oils or perspiration had contacted your blouse prior to cleaning. These types of stains only become visible in high heat, such as that used in the drycleaning process. Another possible cause for this type of damage is fluorescent whitening agent that was applied during manufacturing. These agents sometimes break down in the high heat of the drycleaning process and leave yellowish traces on garments. This is not the fault of a drycleaner using "dirty fluid."