Actually, with all due respect, that is not necessarily true. I worked in the garment industry for 25 years as a designer, patternmaker and technical desuigner. Most stores require testing as part of their Quality Assurance program.Part of that is Wash testing. The federal govermnent no longer lets manufacturers put a "dry clean only " tag on a garment. A manufacturer must allow the customer the ability to wash with specific directions (cold water, bleach, etc.. If a fabric/garment has been PROVEN to be damaged by the use of a specific thing (hot water, detergent, bleach, etc) then the MFG. can say on their tag "Cold water only" or "Dry clean only" etc. Mfgs no longer have the luxury of putting the "Dry clean only" tag on a garment because it is convenient or safe. I found this out the hard way when deakling with Nordstroms a few years ago. They INSISTED on putting "Use dry bleach when necessary" tag on their girl's swimwear.
If it says Dry Clean only, follow the directions. Then if something happens, you can return it to the store, who will in turn send it to the Manufacturer. If you have improperly cleaned something, it is not necessarily the store's problem. Monica -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dawn Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 1:16 AM To: Historical Costume Subject: Re: [h-cost] OT: quick fabric washing question monica spence wrote: > I'd dry clean it. Rayon sometimes is not colorfast to washing. If the tag > says dry clean, then dryclean. Most of the time the tag says "dry clean" because the manufacturer doesn't know how to clean it, and dry cleaning is "safe". They are required by law to put care tags on the garments, but for many it is too much cost and effort to research the best method for a particular fabric or a line of clothing. So it says "dry clean" and they are covered. It's probably ok to hand wash it in cool water with a mild soap. If you are concerned about colorfastness, test swab it with a damp q-tip or cotton ball. Dry it in a rolled up towel, and press it on a very low iron setting. Dawn _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume