Cleaning “spot clean only” garments

Do you have a garment with a care label that says “spot clean only”? If you do, it means that the garment should not be cleaned in its entirety, whether dry cleaning, wet cleaning or handwashing. This could be due to embellishments like beads on the garment, the blend of fabrics or the dyes used to make it.

So what is spot cleaning? At Utopia Cleaners, spot cleaning is performed by our stain removal specialist on a spotting board using a combination of steam, specialty cleaning agents, vacuum and/or air drying. The spot cleaning agent is usually flushed out by dry cleaning fluid during dry cleaning, but in the case of “spot clean only” garments, this cannot be done. As a result, any residue of the spot cleaning agent will remain in the garment and may eventually develop a visible ‘ring’.

If you have a garment with a ‘spot clean only’ label, bring it to us for dry cleaning and we would be happy to discuss the options and risks of different cleaning methods.  Beware that ultimately, the ‘spot clean only’ label may mean that there is no safe way to clean that garment, so you may wish to think twice before purchasing such a garment.