Q&A with Lynda, Rick, and Jordan: is club soda a miracle worker?

Happy Friday, Readers!

Welcome to the another session of reader questions, answered with care and expertise by Lynda, Rick, and Jordan. Today, our reader wants to know if an age-old tip really works:

Question: "I am going to a lot of formal parties and events this season, so I am breaking out some of my favorite dresses. I love the holidays, but it seems as though whenever I wear a great piece to a party I spill on it. What's the best way to handle this? I have heard of dabbing club soda on the stain, but is there another solution I should be using?"--Karyn {Chicago, IL}

Answer:  

Well-meaning friends generally reach for the club soda bottle and a napkin on the way to the aid of wine- or makeup-stained dresses, but our overwhelming response is absolutely do not use club soda.  In fact, the safest answer to your question is do not put anything at all on the stain.

Why?  Well, essentially there are two types of stains, those that can be broken down with water (known professionally as water soluble stains) and those that can only be broken down with chemical solutions (known professionally as solvent soluble stains). Lipstick and most make-up stains can only be removed by chemical solutions, so the only result of applying club soda to that type of stain is creating two stains: the original make-up stain and a second problem--the dreaded club soda stain ring.

I guess you are now thinking that since a wine stain would be classified as water soluble, you can successfully utilize the club soda to remove wine.  Our answer is NO once again.  Even though wine stains can be broken down by water, applying club soda on a wine stain would most likely only serve to spread the original wine stain and once again leave the dreaded club soda ring.  

Applying the club soda can also cause another problem. Typically, the group of good Samaritans surrounding the dress wait with baited breath as the “fabricare doctor” guest begins rubbing the fabric in the affected area with a damp cloth, while continuing to pour the club soda on the stain.  Unfortunately the doctor unintentionally has more than likely permanently damaged the finish of the fabric and possibly caused color loss.  

What to do?  Usually by the time stains occur at the party, you're halfway into the night.  Blot (do not rub) your stains with a white cotton napkin, and enjoy every remaining moment of the evening. As soon as you can, take the dress to a trusted professional. 

Wishing you and your loved ones good health and happiness always…

Special thanks to Lynda, Rick, and Jordan for stopping by and helping out! And don't forget to email, tweet, or Facebook us any questions you may have. We'll pick the best to feature right here. 

Welcome to Our New Readers!

We’re so excited to officially announce the launch of our blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Many of you have been following along with us for weeks, but for those of you who are new, let’s take a little tour of what Behind the Seams—and the overall Davis Imperial social media collection!—has to offer.

As a family-owned company, Davis Imperial has always believed in offering unmatched quality fabricare with the type of client service that treats every person as a part of an extended family. Launching a social media component is the perfect progression of these relationships, allowing clients another way to connect with the Davis Imperial team on a fresh and interactive level.

In this space, we offer an exclusive peek at the events, philanthropy, style, education, and overall specialty operations that go into running one of the top 10 couture fabricare businesses in the nation--a company that is ingrained in the Chicago world of fashion and culture and recognized as by a myriad of media as the “best couture drycleaner".

As you can see on Behind the Seams, we post once or twice a week, highlighting the latest trends in fashion, offering education on the most commonly asked questions, and covering events and philanthropy from an insider’s perspective.  Going forward we plan to showcase some of our favorite designers, boutiques and specialty stores.

If you’re looking for something, you can either enter it into the “search” window, or you can look through our posts by category (located on the right-hand side). And if you have a question we haven’t answered, we invite you to submit it to davisimperial@gmail.com and we just may feature it in our Q&A column, where Lynda, Rick and Jordan personally deliver their unmatched expertise. You can also subscribe to our blog and receive email notifications each time we post, or follow us by clicking on “join this site.”

You’ll also see that we have links to our homes around the web. Visit our standard website for a full list of services, all things gowns (vintage, eveningwear, gown cleaning preservation and restoration), disaster restoration, pick up and delivery information, education, testimonials, media gallery (video and before and after pics), credentials, recognition, drycleaning resources, fabricarebymail™ press and a wealth of information about the Davis Imperial experience. Click on over to Facebook or Twitter to like or follow us, and you’ll get exclusive updates regarding offers, events, and the world of fashion. And don’t miss our You Tube channel where we house videos featuring before and after stories, celebrities, events, and more.

We’re thrilled to introduce this new way of interacting with all of you, and we cannot wait to get to know you even better in our pursuit of delivering the absolute best fabricare services out there. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions, offer suggestions, comments or share your story with us. You just might see it featured here!

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you back here soon.