To Our Valued Customers,

There is a good chance that you will eventually have a garment damaged or lost while it is under the care of your professional drycleaner. Even the best, most experienced cleaners occasionally make a mistake resulting in damage to, or loss of, a customer’s garment. Any trustworthy operation will own up to their mistake and take responsibility (When you consider the tens of thousands of garments that a busy drycleaner handles each year, the percentage of garments that are lost or damaged is remarkably low). Other times, damage occurs even when the cleaner closely follows the instructions on the garment’s care label. When this happens, the resulting damage is the responsibility of the manufacturer, not the drycleaner. But because the garment was left in their care, the professional drycleaner knows it is in their best interest to help their customer resolve the situation.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Fabricare Institute (IFI) developed a guide to be used for determining responsibility or liability for claims adjustment purposes for textile products. It contains references and definitions pertaining to textile performance, cleaning, renovation, and damage issues. The Fair Claims Guide for Consumer Textile Products (ANSI publication number ANSI/IFI 1-1988) uses standards set by the insurance industry, and is used as a reference by drycleaners, launderers, retailers, the Better Business Bureau, insurance adjusters, and government agencies.

Conversely, if damage happens even though your cleaner followed the care label instructions to the letter, it becomes a manufacturer’s issue. But the professionals at Village Cleaners will do everything they can to help you contact the retailer, or the manufacturer, and get the problem resolved.

There’s no doubt that when you have a garment damaged at your drycleaner, regardless of who is ultimately at fault, you are not going to be happy about it. But be aware that there is an accepted way to resolve such issues fairly and completely, which should make the process as painless as possible. To earn the trust and confidence of each of our customers is Village Cleaners ultimate goal.

A Brief History of Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning dates back to ancient times, probably beginning with the advent of textile clothing itself. The ruins of Pompeii gives a record of a highly developed trade of *fullers* who were professional clothes cleaners. Lye and ammonia were used in early laundering, and a type of clay known as *fuller*s earth* was used to absorb soils and grease from clothing too delicate for laundering.

There are many stories about the origin of dry cleaning, all centering on a surprise discovery when a petroleum-type fluid was accidentally spilled on a greasy fabric. It quickly evaporated and the stains were miraculously removed. The firm of Jolly-Belin, opening in Paris in the 1840s, is credited as the first dry cleaning firm.
Solvents

In spite of the name, dry cleaning is not completely dry. Fluids are used in the dry cleaning process. In the early days, garment scourers and dryers found several fluids that could be used as dry cleaning solvents, including camphene, benzene, kerosene, and gasoline. These fluids are all dangerously flammable, so dry cleaning was a hazardous business until safer solvents were developed.

In the 1930s, percholoroethylene or *perc*(a nonflammable, synthetic solvent) was introduced and is used today in many dry cleaning plants. Other cleaning solvents have been added, and still others are currently being tested.

Dry cleaning is not the answer to all soil and stain removal problems. Sometimes, stains become permanently embedded in the fiber, or fabrics cannot withstand normal cleaning and stain removal procedures, or decorative trim is not compatible with dry cleaning solvent. It is important that consumers as well as drycleaners read all care labels and follow the instructions.