Monthly Highlights

Is Your Spray Going To Stay?

Self-tanning sprays are not new to the market but they certainly have gained popularity in recent years. With the increased focus on research and concern with tanning booths and the natural sun, self-tanning sprays have become the safer alternative. Many people wanted the look of a sun tan and will take the time and pay the money to either use a self-tanning spray or go to a salon and get spray tanned. You may ask how this concerns me, a dry cleaner.

If you have not had the challenge of spotting a dry clean only garment with tanning spray on it, consider yourself lucky. However, it will likely happen. A few experts in the dry cleaning field give their advice on how to handle these challenging stains.

Donna Freese with Adco/Laidlaw suggests
Tanning sprays are complex; some of them contain “dyes” and may also contain skin softeners or lotions.

If in fact these products are on dry clean only garments, they must still be approached with a combination of “wet” and “dry” agents. What I usually suggest to anyone dealing with this issue is a combination of a degreasing agent and tannin spotter. I’ve found this is the most effective method of removing the staining. However, for those tanning sprays that contain coloring agents, this may need to be followed with reducing bleach – where applicable. Obviously this would not work on a fabric that is dyed with an intense color such as red, orange, black, etc.

To prevent migration of the spotting agents beyond the affected area, create a barrier outside the staining using glycerin or mineral oil. These products will be flushed out in subsequent dry cleaning and will prevent migration of the released staining substance beyond the original area.

Jim Kirby with DLI says
Tanners and similar skin lotions cannot be removed by drycleaning and in most cases, laundering will not get it all out. This stuff is harmless on the body, but very nasty when it gets into clothes.

We have done some testing at our little shop at Weinberg. Here is what we have found:

If the spray was fairly fresh, the process recommended by Adco did seem to work. However, spray that either had been on for a length of time or had previously been washed and/or dried was nearly impossible. Generally speaking this type of staining will be quite the challenge to remove.

It is recommended that you talk with your customer about this process prior to cleaning the garment, to avoid an angry or disappointed customer.