When “Dry Clean Only” Isn’t the Whole Story

Care labels are brilliant… most of the time.
But they’re not fortune tellers, and they definitely don’t know what your clothes have been through since you bought them.

A dress might say “Dry Clean Only”, but:

• it’s now covered in mud from a rainy wedding (water-based stain)

• it has beads or sequins that were added later and won’t survive high heat

• the outer fabric is fine… but the lining is a completely different fibre that reacts badly in solvents

So sometimes we need to bend the label a little - not because we’re ignoring it, but because we’re trying to protect the garment, not just tick a box.

And we always get your permission first.

 

Why the care label isn’t the full picture

Care labels tell us the method manufacturers tested during production.
What they don’t tell us is:

• how old the stain is

• whether the dye is unstable

• if the trims were put on afterwards

• or if a fabric has weakened over time

So when something arrives with us, the first thing our team does is… well, everything.

We check it. Thoroughly.
Every seam, button, hem, stain, bead, sequin, stitch, lining — we go over it all.

We photograph it.
It’s part of our two-stage process and means we always know how the item arrived.

We decide on the safest, smartest cleaning method.
Not automatically “whatever the label says,” but whatever will get you the best result without damage.

This is where our team’s experience really kicks in and honestly, that’s what makes the difference.

The people behind the judgement calls

Some of our cleaners have been doing this for 40+ years.
Terena joined us in 1976 and can spot a risky bead from across the room.
June has pressed more lapels than most people have had hot dinners.
Lisa grew up in the business - she understands fabric behaviour like it’s a sixth sense.

When they pick up a garment, they’re not just looking at it.
They’re assessing how it will respond to water, heat, moisture, agitation, solvents, steam… all the things a care label can’t possibly account for.

It’s real fabric knowledge, passed down over decades, not guesswork, and definitely not “just stick it in a machine and see what happens.”

Examples we see all the time

“Dry Clean Only”… but covered in mud
Dry cleaning is useless on mud. It simply doesn’t dissolve in solvent.
Wet cleaning with specialist chemicals can flush it through safely.

“Dry Clean Only”… but with plastic beads
Dry cleaning cycles run at high temperatures.
Plastic beads = melted heartbreak.
We switch to wet cleaning, gentler cycles and protective coatings.

Silk blouse with a water-based stain
Dry cleaning won’t touch it.
Spot cleaning or wet cleaning is usually the safest way to lift it.

Wool coat with a vague label
We test the fibres first.
Wool shrinks if you upset it and we don’t upset wool.

What makes Peters different

Lots of dry cleaners follow the label and hope for the best.
We follow the label and apply decades of hands-on experience.

We’re not here to do the minimum.
We’re here to get your clothes back:

• safely

• beautifully

• properly

• and exactly how they’re meant to look

Care labels are the starting point.
Our expertise is the rest.

And that’s why people trust us because to us, your clothes aren’t “items.”
They’re something we carefully-check and carefully-clean, one garment at a time.