Barragers Cleaners and Fire Restoration

What is Dry Cleaning?

In the dry cleaning process fluids are used to remove soils and stains from fabrics. Among the advantages of dry cleaning is the ability to dissolve grease and oils in a way that water cannot.

Natural fibers such as wools and silks dry clean beautifully, but can shrink, distort, and lose color when washed in water. Synthetic fibers like polyesters also respond well to dry cleaning, where as they can retain oily stains after washing. Dry cleaning helps to return garments to a "like-new" condition using precautions to prevent shrinkage, loss of color, and change of texture or finish.

You go into your local dry cleaning store, drop off your clothes, get your ticket, then drive away. A few days later, you return, pick up your clothes, pay the customer service representative, and drive away again .

But, do you know what happened to your clothes while they were at the dry cleaning shop? Do you know what dry cleaning is and how it works?

A Brief History

Dry cleaning dates back to ancient times, probably beginning with the advent of textile clothing itself. There are many stories about the origin of dry cleaning, all revolving around a surprise discovery when a petroleum-type fluid was accidentally spilled on a greasy fabric. It quickly evaporated and the stains were miraculously removed.

Solvents

In spite of the name, dry cleaning is not completely dry. Fluids are used in the dry cleaning process. In the early days, garment scourers and dryers found several fluids that could be used as dry cleaning solvents, including camphene, benzene, kerosene, and gasoline. These fluids are all dangerously flammable, so dry cleaning was a hazardous business until safer solvents were developed.

In the 1930s, percholoroethylene or "perc" (a nonflammable synthetic solvent) was introduced and is used today in many dry cleaning plants. Other cleaning solvents have been added, and still others are currently being tested.

Dry cleaning is not the answer to all soil and stain removal problems. Sometimes, stains become permanently embedded in the fiber, or fabrics cannot withstand normal cleaning and stain removal procedures, or decorative trim is not compatible with dry cleaning solvent. It is important that consumers as well as drycleaners read all care labels and follow the instructions.

There are various make / models of dry cleaning machines. Despite the differences, all dry cleaning machines work on the same principle.

A dry cleaning machine consists of four basic components:

Holding or base tank
Pump
Filter
Cylinder or wheel

The holding tank holds the dry cleaning solvent. A pump is used to circulate the solvent through the machine during the cleaning process. Filters are used to trap solid impurities. A cylinder or wheel is where the garments are placed to be cleaned. The cylinder has ribs to help lift and drop the garments.

The operation of the dry cleaning machine is easy to understand. The solvent is drawn from the tank by the pump. The pump sends the solvent through the filters to trap any impurities. The filtered solvent then enters the cylinder to flush soil from the clothes. The solvent leaves the cylinder button trap and goes back to the holding tank. This process is repeated throughout the entire cleaning cycle, ensuring that the solvent is maintained to give effective cleaning at all times.

After the cleaning cycle, the solvent is drained and an "extract" cycle is run to remove the excess solvent from the clothes. This solvent is drained back to the bare tank. During extraction, the rotation of the cylinder increases in order to use centrifugal force to remove the solvent from the clothes.

Once the clothes have finished extracting, the cylinder stops. At this time, clothes are either transferred to a separate dryer or dried in the same unit. The drying process uses warm air circulated through the cylinder to vaporize the solvent left on the clothes.
The solvent is purified in a still. Here the solvent is heated. The vapors are then condensed back to a liquid leaving behind all impurities in the still. This clean solvent is then pumped back into the holding/base tank.

Dry cleaning machines are rated in pounds of fabric (dry weight) the machine can hold. Machine sizes vary from very small (20 pounds) to large (100 pounds) capacity of clothes cleaned per cycle.

Before cleaning, garments are inspected and classified. The length of the cleaning cycle is dependent upon the type of article cleaned and the degree of soiling.

Some heavily stained garments may go through a stain removal process prior to cleaning to aid in better soil and stain removal. A stain removal technician will treat specific items just prior to cleaning.

A lot of effort goes into the process, and there are many skilled technicians involved in caring for your garments.

Now, when you visit your drycleaner, you will have a better understanding of this "magical process" of dry cleaning.

Same Day Dry Cleaning Service (Monday- Friday) in before 10 AM.

Alterations:

Barragers Cleaners are full-service clothing care specialists. Alterations, Zippers, Waist & Hemming are some of the few services that we provide.

Buttons and Minor Repairs:

Barragers Cleaners will repair loose buttons or sew on new ones . Minor seam repairs are done FREE OF CHARGE, if necessary. We want your clothes to be ready to wear when you pick them up from us.

Convenience:

All you have to do is drop your clothes off and pick them up. Barragers Cleaners will take care of the rest. Why waste hours doing laundry and ironing when you can get quality and convenience.

Extended hours. We are open 7 Days a week. Monday to Friday 7 AM. to 9 PM; Saturdays 8 AM. to 6 PM and Sunday from 11 AM. to 4 PM.
Drive up curb side service.
24-hour drop box service.
Free pickup & delivery.
4 minute personal laundry service - 2 minutes to drop off and 2 minutes to pick up.
Fully equipped air conditioned Laundromat with over sized washers and dryers. Open from 6 AM to 10 PM daily.

Causal Wear:

Dockers, Golf shirts and other casual wear look great when Barragers processes and finishes them with their specially designed detergents and sizing. Your business and casual attire will look their best.

Delicate Fabrics:

Garments made from Angora, Cashmere, Mohair and Pashmina are given the most gentle & special treatment they require to successfully process them. Great care is taken in their handling.

Equestrian Riding Garments:

Riding Jackets, Jodhpurs and Jeans are cleaned & finished to look their best. For those who prefer their jeans to be starched, We will starch according to your specific requirements or as much as the fabric will retain.

Expertise:

From fashions and fabrics to stain removal to the latest cleaning technologies, we have the expertise to clean your clothes right. Why do it yourself or settle for a second-rate job from a so-called "home dry cleaning kit" when you could trust it to an expert?

Finishing:

Thanks to special pressing equipment, professional finishing gives garments a crisp, wrinkle-free, new like appearance that can't be beat. This will save your time standing over a hot iron and ironing boat.

Fire & Flood Restoration:

We work closely with the Insurance Company and the Insured to make claims processing more cost effective and time efficient by:

Processing rush orders.
Working with the insured to identify garments that are outdated or those that are cheaper to replace than clean.
Ensuring that there are no surprises by submitting an itemized quote for approval prior to cleaning.
Itemizing and documenting the total loss for your verification.
On site inventory.
Extensive experience:
Barragers Cleaners has been providing fire & flood restoration services to the Greater Toronto Area for the past 10 years. As a result, we understand and anticipate the needs of both Insured and the Insurance Company and strive towards a smooth and above expectations job completion.
Measurable results:
Our salvage ratio is over 85%. Only clothes that respond are billed.
Excellent facilities:
Modern full service plant.
On-site ozone room.
Storage available for short periods.
Fully computerized for accuracy
Certified by the Ministry of Environment.
Delicate and exotic fabric expertise (including fine silks and Indian fabrics).
200 kms wide area coverage from Georgetown.

Garment storage:

Barragers Cleaners provide garment storage for out-of-season items.
The garments are stored in a vault, which offers protection from insects, fire, burglary, flood, and mildew damage.

Hockey equipment:

Barragers Cleaners can also clean and sanitize your hockey and other protective equipment. We get rid of the smell and the skin rash causing bacteria.

Household textiles:

Along with cleaning clothes, We also process household items such as blankets, comforters, decorative pillows, rugs, draperies and blinds.

Our perfect pleat method guarantees even hems on your drapes.
The ultrasonic method of cleaning blinds, gives your blinds the best and gentle cleaning. It effectively removes all grime from those inaccessible areas.
We also provide a service to take down and re hang your window dressings.

Inspection:

At every step we are constantly inspecting your clothes to ensure that we meet your expectations. If we spot a problem, the garment is sent back to receive further attention. This helps ensure that your clothes will look their best when you come to pick them up.

Laundry:

We have a commercial laundry department where we process shirts, cotton pants, and other items. With the convenience and superior level of pressing that comes with commercial laundry, any garments you send to us will come back looking like a million bucks.

Shirt Laundry:

Barragers has a shirt laundry service. Your shirts look crisp & fresh with collars that look good. Our specially designed shirt machine achieves this look which is unachievable at home.
Shirt Laundry

Wash and Fold:

Too busy to do your personal laundry, let us do your laundry for you. All it will take you is four minutes to drop off and two to pick up. It's that easy.

Moths, safeguards :

Clean clothes are the first step to preventing moth and other insect damage.
Insects can damage clothes by feeding directly on a fabric or on spilled food or perspiration on the fabric.
The only recommendation we can make is to ensure your clothes are clean before putting them away for an extended period of time- this will help minimize damage.

Neckties:

Ties are often made of delicate fabrics and require special care. Whether you've spilled gravy on your favorite tie or are just looking to spruce it up, we have the expertise and are equipped to clean it.
Neckties

Pickup & Delivery:

Pressed for time? Just give us a call or E-mail your request to us and we will gladly come to pickup your cleaning and return it to you within two business days.

Pillow Cleaning:

Barragers will clean & sanitize your down-filled pillows and replace the ticking making them just like new.
We can also add more feathers to give it fullness.

Restoration:

In addition to cleaning & preservation, we specialize in the restoration of old wedding gowns.
These items often are very delicate and require great care.

Stain removal:

Stains are removed through a series of procedures and special stain removal chemicals.
Stains are divided into two categories, solvent soluble stains and water soluble stains.
Why spend hours trying to get out though stains at home when you can drop it to us and have it by the end of the day.
Work from the outside edge of the stain towards its centre so that a ring will not form around the stained area.

Water Repellents:

There are two types of repellents we can apply to your garment, shower proofing and zepel.
Shower proofing has to be replenished every time the garment is cleaned and give only minimal type of protection against moisture.
Zepel lasts about five cleanings. It not only has better moisture resistant but is also good at repelling stains.
These treatments can be applied to most fabrics.

Silks:

Not only are we experts at removing stains from this material, but can temporarily restore its lustre.

Stuffed Animals:

We can clean stuffed animals and help bring them back to life again.

Suede and Leather Cleaning:

Our experts do nothing else but clean these types of fabrics. Your garments will come back to you looking like new.

Wedding Gowns:

Barragers Cleaners specialize in the cleaning & preservation of wedding gowns, christening gowns, and other family heirlooms.
Preservation is a special type of storage that helps prolong the life of a garment for years and years.

Wet cleaning:

Wet cleaning is a water-based cleaning process that uses detergents and specialized equipment with reduced agitation to clean dry clean only garments.
It is a gentle form of cleaning that may be used to process sensitive fabrics such as wool, silk, rayon, and linen.
It gives us more flexibility in processing items that may not withstand dry cleaning or that have stains that would be better removed in water.

Extend the life of your garments:

Contrary to the belief of some, frequent cleaning does not damage clothes.
Frequent cleaning extends the life of a garment by removing stains and ground in dirt and soils that can cause fiber abrasion.

Yellowing:

Frequent cleaning removes stains which if left untreated can oxidize and cause yellowing.
Exposure to heat or the passage of time can cause stains to turn yellow making it harder to clean.
Many a times these types of stains are untreatable.