dry cleaning APC

[singlet2]

Probably somewhere in the land of apc threads, but wanted feedback and pix from people who have dry cleaned only their apc. I heard from the guy on Mercer st. store that their jeans turn a nice gray from being dry cleaned, which sounds good to me. Wanted to se some example if anyone has pictures. Dirty and then dry cleaned is what I'm after.

[triniboy27]

I don't have pics but I can testify to what the dude in Mercer said - only because the guy there told me the same thing, and he was wearing his pair: they were indeed more of a gray wash rather than the blue ppl get when they wash theirs.

Edited by triniboy27 on Mar 14, 2006 at 08:30 PM

[singlet2]

did they look good? Could you see the gradations from wear and tear?

[triniboy27]

Yup - totally.

They looked really good - I think he said his were worn for one year and then dry-cleaned once.

I quite preferred it to the washed out blue that sometimes happens when raw jeans get washed.

[Stuffed Tongues]

i got mine dry cleaned cause my roomates cat pissed on them,

they turned more indigo, and less dry looking,

less shiny, and over all, i dont dig them as much as i did when i first got them.

they are not as blue if i would have just washed them, but they are definitely not as dark as when i bought them.

i have suspicion that the dry cleaners just washed them...but then again, they didnt shrink really.

grimey retarded

[singlet2]

That's what I'm afraid of. I had a raw Yen selvedge and it came back soft. It would have been better to just cold soak or something. I'm going to ask the guy at mercer st. which dry cleaner he used. I think a good look can be had, but it has to be dry cleaned properly.

[mcflip]

make sure you specify NOT to have them pressed. I remember a thread from that poor guy who has creases up and down the front of his APCs now.

[Ted DiBiase]

i have a pair of Gucci denim that i wore for 18 months never washed only dry cleaned (even though they were already a "washed" jean when i got them)... anyway they turned a really nice mucky grey color (almost completely desturated, hardly any blue tone left) over the course of a year and a half of constant wear and dry cleaning. i finally did wash them to get the smell out. and it seems the denim is permanently set at grey tone.

in that time i'd say they were dry cleaned maybe 3-4 times.

i think its fair to say, most indigo denim jeans color will probably be affected by dry cleaning chemicals in some way. not just APC. but i could be wrong, maybe there are other factors.

and also as a side note, i dont know if this has any relation to jeans discoloration, but the dry cleaning spot i used to go to apparently got shut down last year due to the use of cancer-causing chemicals.so maybe depending on what kind of chemicals they use, it might have a different color effect, i wouldnt be surprised.

[triniboy27]

I meant to post a similar sentiment earlier in that there's a couple of different drycleaning methods out there and they each probably have a different effect on the raw denim.

[frideswide]

There are two main commercial methods in use, according to the type of solvent used:

1) Perchlorethelyne ("perc") -- this is usually indicated on the care label with a "P" with a circle around it.

2) Hydrocarbon petroleum-based solvent -- this is usually indicated on the care label with an "F" with a circle around it.

Perchlorethylene is the solvent most commonly used in the industry and is the most powerful. Hydrocarbon, available as a petroleum based solvent, is not as powerful but is very gentle, and is usually used for things like wedding-dresses, etc. It's also much more expensive.

For high-end denim, if you can find a cleaner who will do it properly, the "F" method is probably preferrable, as it will dislodge less indigo.

Actually, I just had a look on the label of my own Yen selvedge and it does have a "F" symbol on it.

There is also one other factor which affects the results, and that is how much water is present in the dry-cleaning fluid. Despite the name "dry", with use a small amount of water does accummulate in the dry-cleaning solvent -- it is supposed to be strictly controlled and filtered out, but some dry cleaners do a better job of this than others.

I used to work in a dry cleaners for a spell, so I learned a bit about it.

[ten100switch]

all the dry cleaning has ever done to my apc's is remove that shine they have

[singlet2]

Thanks! maybe the best plan is to go to a cleaners specializing in Wedding dresses. For now, I'll just wait, mine are only two monthes worn.