The Laundry and Dyeing Committee accepted an interview with "Beijing Times" to address laundry and dyeing issues.

Recently, the Professional Committee of Laundry and Dyeing of the China General Chamber of Commerce was interviewed by the Jinghua Times. They addressed the reasons behind the frequent laundry accidents and ongoing disputes recently, and provided a detailed explanation of common misunderstandings consumers often have. The article "Detailed Communication Beforehand, Fewer Laundry Disputes" was published in full on the home edition of the Jinghua Times today (December 13, 2013). The full text is as follows:

Detailed Communication Beforehand, Fewer Laundry Disputes

Recently, the Beijing Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce released an analysis of consumer complaint hotspots for November, indicating a significant rise in complaints related to laundry services. Experts pointed out that there are currently cases of irregular business operations, and consumers themselves have misunderstandings about laundry services. To reduce disputes, full communication between both parties when handing over clothes is necessary.

Laundry Complaints Increased by 80% in November
In winter, the number of consumers taking down jackets, cashmere coats, leather boots, and various other clothes to laundry shops has significantly increased. According to data disclosed by the Beijing Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, 65 complaints related to laundry issues were received in November 2013. The main complaints included: color changes of clothes due to improper washing by merchants; damage to clothes; loss of clothes due to improper storage. The Administration pointed out that such complaints in November increased by 80.56% compared to October.

1 Communication Between Both Parties When Receiving Clothes Is Very Important
　　Wang Houzeng, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Laundry Standardization Technical Committee and Executive Deputy Director of the Professional Committee of Laundry and Dyeing of the China General Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that to avoid disputes afterward, sales staff and consumers should have full communication when receiving clothes: 1. The sales staff should first ask consumers about their requirements for the clothes, whether they want water washing or dry cleaning, what effect they hope to achieve, and fully explain the differences between various washing methods based on the nature of the clothes, reaching an agreement through consultation;
　　2. The washing method should not be ignored. Consumers can choose normal washing or value-preserving washing based on the value of the clothes;
　　3. The sales staff should proactively ask and check whether the clothes have any defects, such as special stains, scratches, loose threads, holes, etc. Consumers should also proactively explain these situations to help the laundry shop adopt more appropriate methods to handle the clothes. For example, if there are loose threads or holes, repairs can be made in advance to avoid further damage after washing; if there are special stains, corresponding detergents can be used for local pretreatment, making the clothes cleaner and more satisfactory after washing;
　　4. Based on the age, material, degree of dirtiness, and characteristics of the clothes, the sales staff should also explain to consumers the expected washing results and possible issues, and only accept the clothes after consumer confirmation. If there are truly difficult-to-wash or persistent stains that cannot be removed, the sales staff should negotiate with the consumer, confirm the washing effect, and note it on the service receipt.

2 Value-Preserving Washing Recommended for Valuable Clothes
　　To avoid disputes afterward, the Administration also reminds consumers to choose laundry shops with complete qualifications to clean clothes, keep the purchase receipts of the cleaned clothes, and carefully inspect the cleaned clothes face-to-face when retrieving them to ensure the laundry quality meets the requirements or the prior agreement, and check for any damage to avoid disputes caused by problems discovered later.
　　More importantly, for clothing valued over 2,000 yuan or clothes with commemorative significance, consumers are advised to opt for value-preserving fine washing. It is introduced that value-preserving fine washing is based on the value of the clothes proposed by the consumer, who pays a value-preserving fine washing (dyeing) fee not exceeding 5% of the agreed price [in special cases, the fee can be jointly negotiated by the operator and consumer], and a written agreement on value-preserving fine washing is made under mutual agreement. Subsequently, if due to the operator's responsibility, the clothes are damaged or lost, directly affecting the original value of the clothes and cannot be repaired, the operator should fully compensate according to the agreed value with the consumer. This way, even if disputes occur, consumers can avoid corresponding losses.

3 Not Necessarily Washed According to Clothing Labels
　　One reason many consumers choose to go to laundry shops is that the washing instructions on clothing labels seem professional, such as "Do not wash with water," "Do not machine wash," etc. After going to the laundry shop, they also require washing according to the label instructions, but this method is not necessarily correct. Wang Houzeng pointed out that some clothes are not labeled with washing instructions correctly according to national regulations, which can easily mislead consumers.
　　The "Beijing Laundry Industry Operation Management Specification (Trial)" also stipulates, "When washing clothes according to the washing instructions on the clothes, operators should carefully check and identify. For inaccurate washing instructions, consumers should be informed and the correct washing method should be adopted." If the situation has been explained but the consumer still insists on washing according to the label instructions, "due to the misleading washing instructions, if the laundry quality standards are not met or the prior agreement with the consumer is not fulfilled, the operator may not be held responsible."
 　　
4 Fading, Odor, and Deformation Are All Considered Unqualified
　　According to reporters, the most troublesome disputes in the laundry industry arise from the large gap between consumers' expectations of clothes and the actual situation. Under what circumstances is the laundry shop responsible? Reporters reviewed the national domestic trade industry standard "Laundry Service Quality Requirements" (SB/T 10625—2011) implemented by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China on December 1, 2011. The standard clearly specifies quality requirements for laundry shops' washing, ironing, and mending services. Article 5.2 stipulates, "Clothing washing quality requirements: overall cleanliness, complete accessories, no deformation, no streaks, no damage, no odor, stains removed without damaging fabric or fading." The standard also states, "Operators providing laundry services should ensure quality requirements are met. For situations explained to customers in advance and agreed upon by both parties, this can be used as the quality evaluation standard; for situations not explained in advance, customers have the right to require quality standards to be met." The current "Beijing Laundry Industry Operation Management Specification (Trial)" also clearly stipulates the quality of water-washed and dry-cleaned clothes outside agreed situations, such as clothes of different textures after dry cleaning should meet "all parts washed and cleaned, no damage, no odor, no color transfer; no traces left after stain removal; clothes maintain original color and shape; buttons, zippers, and other accessories or decorations are not damaged or deformed." However, some consumers believe that clothes sent to laundry shops should remain in a very new state. Wang Houzeng pointed out that while laundry shops do their best to ensure washing quality, consumers should also understand that "once worn and washed, it is impossible to maintain a brand-new state."
　　
5 How to Compensate If the Invoice Is Lost
　　Some consumers have raised concerns that if a laundry shop loses their clothes, they need to provide a purchase receipt to get compensation based on the price, but what if the receipt is lost?
According to regulations: For non-insured items, if damage or loss is caused by the operator's responsibility, compensation should be made based on the purchase time and price indicated on the purchase proof. The annual depreciation rate is 20% (less than one year is counted as one year), increasing yearly, with a maximum depreciation rate of 70%. If the purchase time is within 3 months, the compensation amount should be 95% of the purchase price; if within six months, the compensation should be 90% of the purchase price. If the purchase proof cannot be presented, compensation can be estimated based on the brand recorded on the receipt and market price, using depreciation. For items without brand, specifications, or condition indicated, compensation is based on washing fees up to 20 times. The compensated clothes become the property of the operator; if the consumer requests them back, the compensation can be reduced by 30%.

Learn common knowledge to avoid misunderstandings
　　In fact, there is a lot of professional knowledge about washing and dyeing, and consumers often have misunderstandings, the biggest of which is about dry cleaning.
Dry cleaning is not more upscale than water washing
Some consumers believe that many expensive clothes recommend dry cleaning on their labels, which means dry cleaning must be more upscale than water washing.
Answer: Dry cleaning and water washing are just two different washing methods chosen based on the condition of the clothes, with no superiority or inferiority. Wang Houzeng believes the purpose of washing clothes is cleanliness, aesthetics, and hygiene; as long as this effect is achieved, there is no need to care about which method is used. Feng Jinna, Deputy Director of the Information Department of the Laundry Professional Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce, adds that some consumers think water washing costs less for laundry shops, but actually water washing takes longer, involves more complex processes, and clothes are harder and more time-consuming to iron after water washing than after dry cleaning, so labor costs are also high.

Whether to dry clean depends on the material
Some consumers equate laundry shops with dry cleaning shops, assuming that sending clothes for washing must mean dry cleaning.
Answer: Feng Jinna explains that the washing method depends first on the fabric, manufacturing process, and stain condition of the clothes, and cannot be generalized. Generally, suits, dresses, and similar garments are recommended for dry cleaning; clothes made of silk, wool, cashmere, fur, etc., are also recommended for dry cleaning; synthetic leather, jeans, underwear, down jackets, and similar items are recommended for water washing. "Some coated clothes with special functions, such as waterproof or UV protection, may harden, peel, or discolor when exposed to dry cleaning agents, so water washing is also recommended."
　　But this cannot be generalized. According to her, if clothes that should be dry cleaned, such as cashmere sweaters, have special stains like milk, juice, or blood, dry cleaning is not suitable and water washing is needed. Conversely, if synthetic fiber clothes have genuine leather parts, dry cleaning is recommended. For small amounts of cashmere mixed mainly with nylon or polyester, water washing is possible; but for cashmere blended with viscose (artificial wool) or other high-shrinkage blends, dry cleaning is best to prevent shrinkage. Experts suggest consumers should listen to the laundry shop staff's professional advice on washing methods and not insist on a particular method.