Three Misconceptions About Laundry
Release Time:
2011-09-02 09:47
Source:
www.chinalaundry.cn
Nie Ming
Consumers and laundries often have more or less disputes over laundry quality. Among these, there are indeed genuine laundry quality accidents, but many times, due to some reasons related to the clothes themselves, both parties have many misunderstandings—consumers think it is a laundry quality problem, while the laundry believes it is due to the clothes themselves. Often, both sides argue without resolution, resulting in unsolvable laundry disputes. So, what common laundry misconceptions are difficult for consumers to understand?
Misconception One: Believing that clothes look obviously older after washing.
Dirty clothes enter the washing system (mechanical force, temperature, time, washing aids, solvents: water or organic solvents) where the five elements of the system act through solubilization, emulsification, decomposition, dissolution, redox, etc., continuously separating stains from the fabric and transferring them into the washing solvent. However, under microscopic observation, stain particles dispersed in the washing solvent continuously return and adsorb onto the fabric, entering fiber gaps. Stains constantly separate from the fabric into the solvent and reattach to the fabric, making this a reversible process. Therefore, no washing method can completely and thoroughly remove stains from fabric. After each wash, some stains always remain on the fabric, though not obvious. But as the number of wears and washes increases, the accumulation of residual stains makes the clothes look obviously older compared to new clothes. This is why dirty clothes, no matter how washed, can never look as new as new clothes.
Misconception Two: Believing that clothes fade and lose color after washing.
All dyes first dissolve in water or organic solvents. Under certain temperature, mechanical force, additives, pressure, etc., dye molecules bind with textile fibers. During dye development, high fastness is required. However, to date, no dye can be 100% insoluble or non-detachable in water or organic solvents. Therefore, there is no fabric that never fades; color dissolution and loss in water or organic solvents is inevitable. Different dyes and fabrics have varying color fastness. Thus, as clothes are worn longer and washed more, their colors become lighter and paler—i.e., fading and color loss—which is completely normal. Especially vulnerable areas (collars, cuffs, pant legs, plackets, hems, elbows, hips), stain-covered areas, and sun-exposed parts (shoulders, back, knees) lose color fastness first as wearing time increases. During washing, dyes in these areas dissolve and detach more easily, making color fading and whitening more obvious.
Misconception Three: Believing that clothes pill, get damaged, or develop holes after washing.
During wear, clothes are continuously exposed to ultraviolet rays from sunlight, acidic, alkaline, saline, and mixed stains, abrasion; insect damage during storage; color transfer, and other factors. These are the main reasons for thread breaks, holes, pilling, openings, and increased or enlarged moth holes after washing and care. Ultraviolet rays often shine on shoulders, sleeves, pocket openings, pant legs, elbows, crotch, hips, plackets, hems, and other parts. The fabric’s textile strength, color fastness, and other functional indicators in these areas suffer varying degrees of damage. After washing, these damaged areas show pilling, damage, and openings.
A correct, standardized, and proper washing process is necessary to reduce clothing damage, minimize washing accidents, and improve washing quality. To establish a correct washing process, one must first understand the characteristics of the fibers and accessories composing the fabric, then combine this with the characteristics of stains on the fabric, selecting appropriate detergents, mechanical force, washing temperature, concentration, and time—all of which have standardized quantities. With the emergence of various new fabrics and ever-changing textile technologies, higher professional technical requirements are placed on washing machines, detergents, and especially washing workers in this industry. From front desk ticketing, clothing classification, pre-wash stain removal, dry cleaning, mechanical washing, hand washing, post-wash stain removal, garment ironing, shelving and storage, ticket verification and delivery, to garment mending, dyeing, and leather care, every step requires laundry workers to be careful and professional. Otherwise, washing quality will not improve, rewash rates will increase, or washing accidents may occur. When washing disputes arise, facts must be presented, reasons analyzed, professional ethics upheld, and professional explanations and communication provided to convince others rationally.
(Excerpted from "Hangxing Laundry Newsletter" Author's Unit: Tianzi Dry Cleaning, Yibin County, Sichuan Province)
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