"Undercover Reporter in Dry Cleaning Shop" Report Sparks Online Discussion
Release Time:
2012-07-31 08:24
Source:
www.chinalaundry.cn
Recently, a report titled "Reporter goes undercover in a dry cleaning shop, 90% of clothes washed with water" by Jiangsu Public Channel has sparked heated discussions online. The incident roughly went as follows:
The reporter, posing as a hired worker at a laundry shop, went undercover for nearly half a month and then exposed the "shocking inside story" of the laundry shop through videos and comments. The comments under the video mainly highlighted the following issues:
First, most of the dry cleaning in the laundry shop was actually water washing, and some even used brushes to scrub hard in order to effectively remove stains.
Second, not only was the cleaning method problematic, but the laundry shop also used unbranded dishwashing detergent to wash clothes.
Third, clothes labeled as "dry clean only" were all thrown into the water washing machines by the shop.
Fourth, according to the reporter's investigation, this situation not only occurred in this laundry shop but also some major laundry brands are suspected of washing dry-clean-only clothes with water.
Regarding this news, many insiders and outsiders of the laundry industry have expressed their opinions on Weibo and professional laundry QQ groups. Almost everyone agreed that the general public has many blind spots about professional knowledge of the laundry industry, and the distinction between dry cleaning and water washing is very vague among consumers.
The following are excerpts from Weibo comments:
Zhang Rongkui:
See evil and correct it, see the virtuous and emulate them! Thank you all for supervising the laundry industry! The best detergents and softeners do not cost much per garment; the high cost of laundry lies in rent and delivery personnel. Such opportunistic shortcuts are not worth it.
Hong Kong Luxury Goods Care:
Whether clothes are dry cleaned or water washed depends on the fabric characteristics and the merchant's commitment to the customer!
Luo Xueling:
Every industry must value moral culture; culture is the soul of development, and morality is the soul of the law!
China Laundry Journal:
Dry cleaning and water washing are determined by different materials and are not a matter of right or wrong. For example, jeans almost always require water washing, and most down jackets as well. In Europe, the proportion of water washing is very high. Although there are some non-compliant enterprises in the dry cleaning industry, most still operate properly. We will soon release popular knowledge about the laundry industry and hope all sectors of society will pay attention.
Pan Wei Weibo:
While condemning non-compliant laundry shops, we should not introduce another wrong view that dry cleaning is better than water washing. Whether clothes are dry cleaned or water washed is decided by professionals based on fabric and manufacturing processes, not that dry cleaning is necessarily higher grade than water washing.
From a professional perspective, dry cleaning and water washing are technical issues, not matters of right or wrong. Many consumers (including some reporters) mistakenly believe that dry cleaning is high-end washing and water washing is low-end.
This requires laundry staff to have good professional knowledge and skills, and to emphasize training. Implementing certification for staff should start with the employees.
Pan Zhenfei:
If a laundry shop claims dry cleaning but actually water washes, it is certainly suspected of fraud. Objectively, the choice between water washing or dry cleaning should not be based solely on consumer instructions or washing labels, but on fabric, manufacturing process, and whether the stains are oil- or water-soluble. However, laundry shops must ensure consumers' right to know, informing them before washing whether the garment will be dry cleaned or water washed, and obtaining signed consent is very important.
To achieve this, laundry shops must establish honest business practices, and whether staff have the skills to distinguish is also key! Currently, China's laundry industry is still in an immature early stage, with no direct government regulation and industry associations lacking management power. The government should establish laundry industry standards. Hopefully, this complaint case will prompt the introduction of standards, improve services to satisfy consumers, and the laundry industry has a long way to go!
Le Zai'er:
People still have misconceptions about dry cleaning, thinking it cannot involve water. Dry cleaning machines add a certain amount of water during washing. The main dry cleaning solvents are perchloroethylene and petroleum, both requiring water washing. Dry cleaning mainly involves machines with drying functions.
Certification for staff is probably still difficult to implement due to high personnel turnover.
Jingjing1125:
Ah, I was just about to send my two down jackets for dry cleaning, all packed up, but it seems I’ll have to do it myself. Food safety issues, now even dry cleaning is problematic.
Reply to Pan Wei Weibo: Hmm, I used to send them for dry cleaning, just checked on Baidu, down jackets should be water washed, learned something new.
Happy Murong Xiaoyue:
But that’s not all. These bad apples should be sued, but many shops do operate customer-oriented. Water washing and dry cleaning involve a lot of fabric and laundry knowledge, just like people say there are many impure people in the entertainment industry.
Just Love Uncle:
Most clothes originally require water washing; dry cleaning can actually cause problems. Taking clothes to a laundry shop only means the shop will remove some stains that can't be cleaned at home. Also, it shouldn't be called a dry cleaning shop anymore—that's an 80s term. Laundry shops themselves offer both dry cleaning and water washing, with no distinction of superiority. Clothes sent to a laundry shop do not necessarily have to be dry cleaned.
Fengfeng Bird:
It can't be generalized; many clothes must be dry cleaned, such as wool, which shrinks when water washed, and silk, which wrinkles.
Navigation Machinery:
I hope all supervision and investigations are supported by real data.
The importance of spreading common knowledge is increasingly urgent.
Laundryqueen:
Actually, 90% of our clothes do not need dry cleaning. Many dry cleaning shops do not frequently filter and distill dry cleaning solvents, so the clothes you send might get dirtier the more they are cleaned.
The following is an excerpt from comments in a Chinese laundry QQ group:
Qinshan--Fish Frog:
Laundry shops have different washing targets and capabilities; dry cleaning is just one washing method! However, the current reality is that through hype, most people only know dry cleaning as a universal washing method and consider it a more advanced method than water washing. Most people accept this view. Once it's water washing, it's seen as a mistake. Some items can be cleaned physically without other products. Many folk remedies are also effective. For example, flexible use of steam can clean laundry well. But the specific methods depend on the skills of washing professionals and the experience of laundry operators.
Washing and Dyeing Committee Xi Ran:
The washing and dyeing industry should clean up its ranks and remove some irregular and dishonest laundry shops from the industry. We welcome social supervision on this, but this undercover reporter does not understand the washing and dyeing industry. This criticism is somewhat biased and misleading to consumers.
We should treat this matter objectively and calmly. Correct mistakes if any, encourage improvement if none, and focus on the long term.
Laundry is the soil we rely on to survive; everyone should cherish it!
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