Spray Starch or Spray Sizing

Calling on dry cleaning plants in the south at this time of year you will see many pressers using spray sizing and even more using spray starch to supplement the lack of fabric finish that is being added to dry cleaning machines and to help speed up pressing.  Garments could have fabric finish added so much more consistently and effectively by adding it to the dry cleaning machine or wet cleaning machine, but the trend for many cleaners has been to move away from adding fabric finish to the wheel.   I would like to add that this is a disturbing trend, as those dry cleaners move further away from the standards of quality dry cleaning.

 (Click here for another posting regarding Fabric Finish) 

While both spray starch and spray sizing have a place in the professional dry cleaning plant, they also need to be used correctly in the professional dry cleaning plant.   Quite often what I see happening is the spray starch being used on all garments both laundered and dry cleaned.  I suspect this boils down to economics, spray starch being considerably less expensive than spray sizings. But, as a professional dry cleaners our goal should be to try our best to restore garments to "like new" condition for our customers.  Newly manufactured garments are almost always produced using a sizing to give the garment dimensional stability, so that the garment doesn't hang loose, limp and lifeless, providing a nice hand/feel and to help maintain the shape the garment was intended to have when designed. Furthermore, make a little closer inspection of your spray starch and you may find that is labelled as follows: "Do Not Use on Dry Clean Only Garments".



The advantages of using "Spray Sizing" are:

• It makes pressing easier.
• Works on both wet cleaned and dry cleaned garments.
• It restores fabric hand/body to "like new" condition with out excess stiffness.
• It won't scratch or stick to fabrics.
• Is safe on all fabrics.

The disadvantages of using a "Spray Starch" are:

• It clogs fabric and irons.
• Scorch marks can occur. 
• Garments can feel stiff or sticky when worn.
• Built up starch residue on iron soleplate and press pads, shortening life of pads.

Aerosol sizing gives clothes a crisp and fresh “like new” appearance that makes that all-important difference. Professional dry cleaners should use a premium formulation that provides superior results on drycleanable, wetcleanable and washable garments like Finishing Touch.  Finishing Touch quickly helps garments look their best, even in the fast-paced production environments of the professional dry cleaning plant.