Finishing

Use the right technique
Poor pressing will let a cleaner down just as much as inadequate stain removal. Even the best skills in cleaning will count for little if the garment fails to look its best after finishing and the time spent on cleaning and spotting will have been wasted.

It is essential to use a technique that is suitable for the garment. For example, pressing a slightly creased ruched dress flat will ruin the soft folds and is definitely the wrong approach. Some ruched dresses will need to be taken apart before they can be finished to an good standard. Such cases should be noted at reception and this process should be included both in the time allowed before collection and in the charge.

Modacrylic velvet (which is inherently flame retardant) and acrylic velvet (which has been widely sold under the Dralon trademark) both require reduced or even much reduced temperatures in pressing and are generally better not pressed or steamed at all.

Even standard wool suits can give a poor result if the vacuum is weak or if slight crumple creases on the legs are touched up with steam after the garment has been placed on the hanger.

Velvet pile distorts
Fault: A velvet jacket was cleaned successfully but looked slightly creased and crumpled. The drycleaner finished it on the reverse side and used plenty of steam but avoided applying pressure on the iron. Although this method removed the creasing the pile was slightly distorted.
Cause: Velvet should be finished on the material’s face with a velvet finishing cloth in place. This cloth is designed to hold the iron at a fixed distance from the surface so that the steaming is uniform and the pile is unaffected.
Responsibility: The cleaner is responsible for using the correct finishing techniques and the correct tools. In this case he should take responsibility for the fault.
Rectification: If the damage is severe then brushing and steaming might improve the result by making the distortion more uniform. A garment that is only slightly damaged is best left alone as trying to correct the result risks making the damage much worse.

Touching up on the hanger softens creases
Fault: The cleaner pressed this wool suit and seemed to obtain a good result even though the press vacuum was quite weak. When it was hung the suit’s main leg creases looked well set but there were a few crumple creases so he touched up the trousers on the hanger by holding the iron against the crumpled parts and steaming lightly.Later, the customer complained that the creases were soft and disappeared after the trousers had been worn for an hour.
Cause: The cleaner has made two mistakes. First, you cannot set creases permanently if the press vacuum is weak unless you apply the vacuum for a very long time. Good vacuum is essential to cool dry and set the cloth.
Second, steaming on the hanger will reverse the results obtained when vacuum has been used correctly to dry the fabric. Responsibility: The cleaner should be taking responsibility here
Rectification: Re-pressing the trousers correctly should rectify the error.

Dinner jacket looks glazed
Fault: The drycleaner produced a good clean result on this dinner jacket but although the presser took care the lapels became glazed.
Cause: The stain face of a dinner jacket lapel glazes very easily. It is probably easier to avoid with a free steam press than with a professional ironing table but in either case it is essential to check that the cladding is still resilient. If it is then finish with low pressure and plenty of steam to avoid glazing.
Responsibility: The cleaner is responsible.
Rectification. The garment should be re-cleaned and then pressed correctly but some damage will still be visible

Ruches become hard edged
Fault: This wedding dress had several layers and was also ruched at the front. The presser found it very difficult to position the dress and hold it in place during finishing. The ruching’s appearance was spoilt as some of the original folds now had hard creased edges.
Cause: This dress should be hung from a ceiling chain alongside the finishing table so that it can be brought down and pressed layer by layer. It is then relatively easy to reach and hold.
The ruching needs to be blown out using air blow to the table. This will allow the ruched folds to be treated individually, removing the creases over a bed of air. The crease-free folds can then be laid up by hand and set by light vacuum.
Responsibility: The cleaner is responsible for using the correct finishing techniques. The methods described are those taught at Guild Advanced Level.
Rectification: The garment should be re-cleaned and re-pressed correctly but this will not restore the ruches completely.

Linen dress still looks creased
Fault: The level of wear and cleaning creases was normal when this linen dress came out of the machine. The cleaner finished it using plenty of steam but could not restore the original crisp feel.
Cause: Steam is ideal for softening wool fabrics to achieve a perfect finish but this technique does not work so well with linen, which is best finished when it is still damp.
So instead of using steam, damp the material with a fine, uniform spray of cold water but make sure it does not get too wet or it will become marked. Then roll the garment and leave for 30minutes to even out the moisture content. It can then be finished with a dry iron at the three dot setting, using plenty of vacuum to the bed, to dry and set the fabric at the end of each lay.
Responsibility: Linen pressing should be one of the cleaner’s craft skills.
Rectification: Damp the dress down and press it correctly and the result should be fine.