Q. During my spring cleaning, I washed my couch cushion cover it is now too small, totally off color, and crumbly on the inside when I got it out of the laundry. What happened?A A. The fabric covering for stuffed furniture and cushions is known as upholstery. The...
Q I washed a comforter that shrank. What happened?A Some natural relaxation shrinkage can show up after cleaning household items such as comforters, bedspreads, and blankets. There is usually a fullness of the backing or shell fabric, causing a puckered appearance....
Velvet is one of winter’s fashion favorites, especially crushed velvets and velvet garments with decorative trim. Many types of apparel are made of velvet, including pants, dresses, gowns, coats, capes, and jackets. Velvet is also popular for household items, such as...
Starch and sizing additives can increase the firmness of fabrics, particularly on dress shirts. These additives can protect and harm shirts at the same time. Shirts undergo two types of abrasions. Flat abrasion occurs when the shirt rubs against another surface. Flex...
Enjoy the party, but with the festivities spills, splashes, and other party-time mishaps, as well as wear alone, can take their toll on these expensive items.Many formal wear garments are made of luxurious fabrics, such as taffeta, moire, satin, organza, metallic...
Draperies can be susceptible to a wide variety of problems, ranging from shrinkage and fading to stains and abrasion damage. Too often we only think of cleaning draperies after they’ve been framing our windows for a few years. Sometimes problems can develop over time...
