Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-02-13
OLD CLOTHES MADE NEW
RIVAL EXPERTS GIVE INFORMATION
ABOUT A CURIOUS CRAFT.

Securing, Dyeing and Patching the Gar
ments That Have Seen Better Days.
The Old Fashioned, Simple Process, and
the Methods of Scientific" Cleaner.
One whole side of the shop was hung with
what some people call pants" in regimental
order, dangling two by two from frames in
serried column, awaiting occupancy by
their several owners. All Of them were spick
and span, like new, because they had just
passed through the cleaning mill. In fact,
that was precisely what the establishment
might properly be termed. The sign outside
said: Steam Dyeing and Securing"
A rather dilute specimen of youthful man.
hood with insipient side whiskers and a shrin
voice was engaged at the moment in submit
ting to the notice of the attendant grease
spot of considerable size on that portion of
the trousers he wore which is ordinarily con-
cealed from view by the coat tails.
81 told you when you brought them here"
said the shopman. that cod liver oil was the
one thing we couldn't remove from cloth.
The only thing can suggest is to cut out the
stain and put in patch"
The young man posed himself between two
opposite mirrors, and, with coat tails still up
lifted, surveyed with evident dissatisfaction
an endless perspective of stylish customers,
with unpleasant stains on the seats of their
pantaloons, extending in a line toward Penn
sylvania avenue.
II don't think l would care to have that
done. They're my very best trousers, you
see," he replied, gravely, and a moment later
he walked out
The writer, who had come in just in time
to witness this performance, asked how it
was that pantaloons and other clothes were
cleaned
''The process is very simple" the shop man
said. SIT is merely matter of soap and
hot water. A pair Of pants, say-and the
same thing applies to other clothing-is first
thrown into big kettle Of hot--not boiling
water and allowed to soak for half an hour.
Then they are taken out and laid upon an in
clined trough like table for securing. This is
done with a sponge, a stiff brush and quaint
ties of ordinary soft soap. First the outside
of the garment is cleaned by rubbing with
the sponge and scraping with the brush, and
next the inside, turned inside out, is treated
in the same way.
''When this has been done, the pants are
thoroughly rinsed in three successive editions
are hung up in the hot air room to dry. FL
nally they are pressed out, and then they are
ready for delivery. In cases where goods left
here are very moderately dirty we only dry
clean them, that is to say, the spots are taken
out with benzine and they are pressed. Like
most cleaners, we do mending and repairing,
and it is no unusual thing for US to have
customer who takes it for granted that, for
h. l1fl,a ho
wishes to have cleaned will be made over
again, as to buttons and patches like new,
incidentally. Very many articles are left
on our hands, mostly by people who find
themselves unable to pay the charges upon
them. Impecuniousness is the ordinary
reason for such failure, but it would surprise
you to know how many of our customers die
or get into jail, SO that they can't very well
take their things away. All that line of coats
and pants along the rear wall belonged once
to men now dead"
How do you dispose of such things'" asked
the newspaper man.
''To ordinary customers. People often
come in here and inquire if we have this gar
ment Or that to sell cheap. AS rule we
have something of the sort desired. We
never sell to the second hand clothing men,
because they don't pay fair prices"
The view of this interesting subject taken
by an expert whose sign hung out only few
doors away was very different. Said he:
cit must have been one of these cheap
cleaners that you interviewed. There is a
primitive method practiced by such as they,
with soap and warm water, which does very
well for amateurs But did you ever see
grease spot destroyed by soap and water?
Hardly, think. 1t will disappear Temporal
rily, only to come out again as offensive as
ever after little dust has had time to settle
upon it. To really cleanse a pair Of panta-
looms, for instance, a much more elaborate
method of procedure must be adopted. In
this establishment scientific system does
the work. To begin with, all the mems
clothing that is brought in is divided into
three classes-very dirty, moderately dirty
and comparatively clean. The three grades
represent pretty accurately three correspond
ing classes Of customers 1t is undesirable
to mix them up. Suppose-to take an ex-
treme caSe-the germs of some disease were
present in a certain coat: they might be
communicated to other garments, and our
business would suffer. Therefore it is that,
after the clothes to be stitched have had
numbers stitched into them with white cot
ton, for purposes of Identification, tae fore
man divides them up.
And the very dirty onesfn
They have first applied to them solution
of chioroform, ether and benzine IN equal
parts with water. Next they are placed in
a machine by which steam is forced through
them st tremendous pressure. What is
the result. can best explain it by referring
TO the chief disadvantage Of the primitive
process. Consider. If you please. that each
piece of cloth has three SIDES, right SIDE,
a wrong side and an INSIDE. Tue inside is
the web and woof OF the material Get a bad
grease spot on your trousers, Of course 1t
goes right tarough the stuff and no amount
of ordinary soap and water viii remove il
You may sponge ii oct o. the right side and
the wrong side but il still remains in the
substance Of the inside, and sooner or later
il viii reeppear On the surface. We AVOID
all this by forcing the dirt out On the SUI
fsoe with the steam blast and washing it
away as il CONES After the steam two
more applications Of fae benzine, ether and
chioroforn are MADE; the article OF dress Is
dried in a 'waiz, Or revolving tab, by CEN
trifugal force: it is then hung up IN Toe hot
room to dry. AID Is subsequently pressed for
delivery. There is NJ sort OK spot that wil
not come out after that treatment. Aeder-
asely dirty things we treat bet once with the
chloroform solution before steaning, and
ciothes that sire ocir slightly soiled we
merely sponge the stains out OF aud finish
With the iron
And how is il about wonen's dresses and
such thingsf-
For them We use mostly what We call ths
dry process. This means tie application OF
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