Quite a lot. In the past, customers were mostly local people who would occasionally bring in their coats or Sunday dresses that couldn\u2019t be hand- or machine-washed. Now, the clientele is much more diverse: wealthy tourists who entrust us with their most exclusive garments, young people asking us to remove stains from vintage pieces, or immigrant women who wear traditional garments from their home countries adorned with intricate beadwork, which requires a very specific type of cleaning.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Is today\u2019s clothing very different from that of the past?<\/strong><\/p>\n Absolutely. In the past, clothing was mostly made from a single material, and by checking the label, you knew exactly how to care for it. Now, garments combine multiple fabrics that, despite being part of the same piece, need to be treated separately. There are also many new materials. You need extensive textile knowledge to figure out how to clean a garment perfectly without damaging it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “You need extensive textile knowledge to figure out how to clean a garment perfectly without damaging it.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n \u2013 Don\u2019t the care labels provide that information?<\/strong><\/p>\n For many new materials, there is still no clear guidance, and even for well-established fabrics, they have changed over time, and many brands fail to account for this in their labeling.<\/p>\n \u2013 Can you give an example?<\/strong><\/p>\n Many 100% polyester garments, which used to be known for not bleeding color, now do because they are painted rather than dyed. That\u2019s why every time I see a black-and-white polyester garment come in, I get nervous\u2014the care instructions on the label don\u2019t always match reality. A good example is the popularity of jute rugs, which have become trendy for outdoor spaces and rustic kitchens. The problem is that jute cannot be washed, so these rugs deteriorate quickly and become disposable products. A better alternative is cotton rugs, which can be machine-washed over and over again without issue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The real issue with today\u2019s clothing isn\u2019t so much the quality but the design.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n \u2013 Is brand name important?<\/strong><\/p>\n Not really. What matters most is how the garment is designed and what materials are used. Recently, we\u2019ve been seeing a lot of clothing made from recycled polyester, but the quality is often very low. The brand name is the least important factor\u2014we get very expensive garments that are poorly designed and made from low-quality materials, while some very affordable pieces are well-made and, if properly cared for, can last for years. But the most important thing of all is how we take care of them.<\/p>\n \u2013 What advice can you give us to take better care of our clothes?<\/strong><\/p>\n In general, we wash too often and at unnecessarily high temperatures. Someone with an urban lifestyle should always wash their clothes in cold water\u2014using higher temperatures doesn\u2019t offer any real benefit but does result in excessive energy consumption. If there are stains, the key is to remove them before putting the garment in the washing machine. No matter how high the water temperature, a stain won\u2019t come out unless it is treated properly first.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “In general, we wash too often and at unnecessarily high temperatures.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n \u2013 And what about ironing? I see it\u2019s an essential step for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n Absolutely. Not ironing has become trendy, but a well-ironed garment looks much better, which makes us more likely to wear it frequently. If you want to save energy and time, the most efficient approach\u2014when the climate allows\u2014is to air dry clothes and then place them in the dryer for just one minute. This makes the ironing process faster and more effective.<\/p>\n \u2013 Any recommendations when buying clothes?<\/strong><\/p>\n Touch the fabric, check the quality of the materials, and look at how the garment is made. In general, we lack textile awareness, and that\u2019s something you learn through observation and touch. In the dry-cleaning business, this lack of knowledge becomes obvious because customers often associate price with quality. They request special care for expensive items while neglecting cheaper ones. But for us, all garments are equally valuable because we know that, with proper care, even the most affordable piece can look just as good.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Customers associate the price of a garment with its quality.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n \u2013 Does dry cleaning have a future?<\/strong><\/p>\n Absolutely. It\u2019s already a profitable business, and new models, such as clothing rental and second-hand sales, will require professional services to sanitize and restore garments. At the household level, rising housing and utility costs, combined with modern lifestyles, are leading many people to forgo in-home washing machines in favor of self-service laundromats.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “New business models will require professional services to sanitize and restore garments.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n \u2013 Have dry cleaners changed much in the last twenty years?<\/strong><\/p>\n A great deal, especially the machinery, which has advanced tremendously. For example, traditional dry cleaning is now used much less.<\/p>\n \u2013 Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n Dry cleaning, aside from being less eco-friendly, uses a solvent that strips the protective coating from most metallic embellishments on garments\u2014imagine the disaster! Plus, certain stains, such as protein-based stains, don\u2019t come out with dry cleaning.<\/p>\n \u2013 How do modern dry cleaners clean clothes now?<\/strong><\/p>\n Many of us use wet cleaning. This method involves a special washing machine with a closed-loop system that uses water and precisely measured eco-friendly detergents, along with a very gentle agitation process tailored to different types of garments. It\u2019s far more effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly than traditional dry cleaning. If you\u2019ve noticed, dry cleaners that use this system no longer have that strong chemical smell.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Dry cleaners no longer smell like chemicals.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n
\nThe real issue with today\u2019s clothing isn\u2019t so much the quality but the design. Often, little thought is given to which fabrics are best suited for a specific purpose or how they should be combined.<\/p>\n
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