Levelling agents can help to solve some of the problems found in stain removal, but most drycleaners today know little about their use.
Using water and chemical reagents in both pre- and post spotting can lead to rings and sweals and removing them on the spotting table can be difficult or time consuming.
But applying a levelling agent to the affected area, and then recleaning, will rectify the problem in most cases, provided there is not a lot of background soiling. Levelling agents can also be used in trying to correct the colour variations that sometimes occur in drycleaning.
However, where water-based chemicals have been used the affected area should be completely dry before the leveller is applied.
This is particularly important in the case of moisture sensitive garments and white or light coloured textiles to avoid the risk of shrinkage and localised greying.
Soap and spotting chemical manufacturers provide products which can be used for levelling and general pre-spotting soaps can be effective, particularly if intended for sensitive materials.
Purpose-designed levellers are also available. Placing the garment on a hanger, spraying it with cold water and leaving it to dry can be most effective, provided the garment, the textile and the dye will tolerate wetting out.
By Roger Cawood
