# spot cleaning suit?



## lackspolish (Apr 14, 2005)

I have a new suit that has ended up with a very small food stain on the left sleeve. (My neighbor at a recent wedding supper had a piece of pickled okra get away from her.) I'd rather not dry clean the entire suit. Is there some way to just clean the spot? How should I take care of that? I wiped it down with a damp napkin at the time, and then again later, but the spot is still barely visible, and I want to make sure it's not going to be attracting moths.


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## Racer (Apr 16, 2010)

I've always used K2R spot remover. It's rather hard to find these days for some reason, but it works quite well on dry-clean-only clothing, something that cannot be said for most of the stain remover products sold at your local supermarket.


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## CRMW (Nov 7, 2009)

I`ve had good luck with some of the Tide spot removers on shirts. I haven`t tried them on wool.


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## Racer (Apr 16, 2010)

The Tide stain pens don't work on wool, even though the label says they do. I've tried.


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## LanceW (Jun 2, 2009)

Now that it has dried, would brushing help remove the crust?


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## sowilson (Jul 27, 2009)

brush first (dried). I like to use naptha (aka lighter fluid) and then blot with a clean towel.


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## stubloom (Jun 6, 2010)

In the event of a stain emergency, the natural tendency is to do something. Anything. Quickly. Now.

As the owner of a high end dry cleaner and shirt laundry, Iv'e seen the negative results of misguided attempts at stain removal thousands of times over a 20 year period.

If your'e attempting stain removal at home, the best advise I can give is this: Carefully think through the stain removal process before you rush to act. And then carefully match the type of stain (oil-based stain, water-based stain or both) to the stain removal agent your'e considering using.

For further information (aka my biased opinion) on this subject:

Blog post: Stain mishaps: Do's and don'ts

https://ravefabricare.com/true-quality-cleaning/2010/6/2/stain-mishaps-do's-and-don'ts.aspx

Website:

www.ravefabricare.com/


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## Penang Lawyer (May 27, 2008)

Dry clean the entire suit.


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## lackspolish (Apr 14, 2005)

All, thanks for your thoughts. Stubloom, if I take the suit to a good cleaner, what should I ask them to do, or expect them to do?


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## stubloom (Jun 6, 2010)

Lackspolish asks for advise on selecting a dry cleaner.

If you live in a major city, call a high-end department store or independent clothier. Ask who they would use if they had an expensive, soiled item in their inventory that required dry cleaning. Get at least 2 recommendations. That's because some cleaners offer free dry cleaning to store associates in return for "recommendations" (don't get me started about unethical dry cleaners!).

Next, call the cleaner(s) and "interview" them over the phone. If your'e able to conduct the interview in person, so much the better. That way you can ask them to also show you some samples of their work right off their conveyor.

As for the type of questions to ask during that interview, please read the following blog posts for guidance on selecting a true quality cleaner:

https://ravefabricare.com/true-quality-cleaning/2010/4/13/your-drycleaning-bill-of-rights.aspx

Http://ravefabricare.com/true-quali...-quality-cleaner's-drycleaning-standards.aspx


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## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

most all spot cleaning products work well at making the spot disappear. but is it really gone through and through?
consider, the cleaning fluids purpose is to suspend whatever the soil is so that you can wipe it away.
but you wipe it away, and the cloth is still wet. what is in that wet, its the same soil that you dont want.
then the soil that was in that wet is still there when it gets dry. so it looks clean, but is it really?


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## cdavant (Aug 28, 2005)

I've had good luck with Spot Shot aerosol carpet spot remover--purple can with orange cap. A quick spray and blotting with a white towel works well on small stains.


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## alphadelta (Oct 2, 2007)

Tech Stain Remover has worked well for me. Whatever you use, test it on an inside part of the fabric first.

AD


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