I work in a dry cleaners - ask me anything!

[PinkParade]

Want to know what really happens to your clothes?!

[IntoValhalla]

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve found left in someone’s pocket?

[Pandasarecute]

Why did my lovely blouse come back covered in tiny pin prick holes?!

[PinkParade]

what's the weirdest thing you've found left in someone's pocket

Hundreds of pounds in cash. This man came into the shop massively flustered and said he'd left something in his pockets and insisted I had to find his jacket for him. It took me ages because it was the end of the day and the jacket was in a huge pile of stuff to be cleaned the next morning (I was in the shop alone and the machines can't be operated when you're alone) so I tried to put him off a few times but he insisted. When I found the jacket and brought it to him he pulled out wads and wads of cash then left as quickly as he'd come in!

This had happened at that shop before though the item of clothing went through the machine before the cash was discovered so it was just there at the bottom of the machine.

Other than that, nothing very exciting.

Why did my lovely pink blouse come back covered in tiny pinprick holes

I've seen this a few times and it's often moths or other existing damage to the item that gets revealed when cleaned due to the fibres relaxing. That's what my manager told me anyway.

[thefirstmrsrochester]

What is the most expensive garment you have been asked to clean?

[PinkParade]

What's the most expensive item you've been asked to clean?

We don't ask the value except for wedding dresses so I don't really know. Probably a wedding dress, although we also got some very nice suits coming in. It gave me an appreciation for expensive suits!

[LaLaLamp]

I once had a wool duffel coat cleaned at a high street chain and it came back smelling sort of meaty, just wondering why.

[PinkParade]

I once had a coat come back smelling meaty that's really weird and I've never had that happen so no idea, sorry! The only part of the process where clothes sometimes get a smell is when they're steamed but that just brings out existing odours I think and they dissipate fairly quickly.

We sometimes get smelly clothes in but I've never noticed the smell transfer to other items. And if something is really dirty it won't be accepted.

[YodelAreCompletelyShit]

How does it actually work? I imagine that the clothes go in a big machine full of Shake 'n' Vac, but I suspect that's probably not correct.

[juneau]

What's the most disgusting stain you've been asked to get out of something?

[LikeACowsOpinion]

How can I make my home smell like the inside of a dry cleaners?

My local one always smells beautiful, especially when it's a bit steamy - I've never found a domestic detergent/softener/smelly thing that smells as nice (and I've tried them all!)

I absolutely adore the smell

[PinkParade]

How does it actually work
It's just like doing laundry really. We inspect the clothes and pre-treat any stains with chemicals - I don't know what the chemicals are but they're in different coloured bottles and we use different bottles for different things.

Then we separate darks, lights and colours and they go in the dry cleaning machine (which is like a massive washing machine) and get washed in cleaning solvent.

When they come out we put them on a form and they get steamed for 30 seconds or so. They then get ironed and bagged up.

Most disgusting stain
Definitely the guy who brought in his suit in a carrier bag and then acted ultra shocked when I got it out to inspect it and it was covered in vomit 🤢 we always ask if there are any major stains and he'd said "no, nothing major!"

The sofa cover covered in cat piss was also pretty nasty but at least the guy was honest about it.

[Raylas]

I got two thin quilts/blankets dry cleaned recently and while they were cleaner, they smelt horrible when they came back. Really musty. Why would this be? Took a few weeks for it to dissipate.

[PinkParade]

How can I replicate the smell? spend all day doing laundry and ironing! We just use normal laundry detergent for regular laundry. I like the smell too... until vomit and cat piss men come in, or if moth ball lady's dropped off her jumpers.

[PinkParade]

Why did my blankets smell musty hmm I don't know - they shouldn't have a smell after cleaning. Could they not have been dried properly? If you took them back the shop would probably have re-cleaned them for you (or sent them to a different place to get a more thorough clean)

[Littleraindrop15]

How do you get dog hairs off clothing, I have a dog that has very fine hair and just sticks to the clothes even if I put it in the wash for two hours at 90 degrees

[YodelAreCompletelyShit]

Ah, so they do actually get wet then?! I never knew that!

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

So dry cleaning...it is without water? How does that clean things.

[PinkParade]

How do I get dog hair off

The only way is with a lint roller. It won't come off with washing.

The clothes get wet then?

Technically they don't get "wet" because it's a silica based solvent (in our shop anyway) that they go in but when you look in the machine it looks just like water and the clothes look wet.

[woolduvet]

What makes dry cleaning special then. Why couldn't I put those items in my machine.
(Never understood dry cleaning..)

[PinkParade]

How does it clean things
Honestly, not very well. Dry cleaning is nowhere near as good as laundering for getting rid of stains and smells. Some garments simply can't get wet though so dry cleaning is the best alternative.

[PinkParade]

what makes dry cleaning special then
It's the not using water which is special. It's water specifically not being in liquid that ruins certain garments. It's like the difference between deep frying and boiling food I guess is the best analogy I can think of.

[LikeACowsOpinion]

@PinkParade I do lots of laundry, with lots of nice smelling softener and fragrance beads. Still doesn't smell as good

They need to bottle the smell!

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

I still don’t understand. Why is it so expensive? It’s it the chemicals?

[PinkParade]

Lol LikeACowsOpinion ask the staff in your shop what the smell is!

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

I’ve got another question.....

I didn’t get my wedding dress washed after my wedding because it was so expensive. Almost as much as I paid for the dress. Is there any point in getting it dry cleaned now? Several years later or will the marks have set in.