Raincoats are versatile garments that can protect you from rain and wind, and keep you warm on cool days. They can be worn to work, to a ball game and even with evening wear. Raincoats come in a variety of fabrics including water-repellent wool gabardines, blends of polyester and rayon, cotton and wool, and even coated velvets. As with any garment, raincoats have special cleaning needs.
Many cloth combinations are used in making raincoats, and these fabrics are often treated with water repellent finishes. Water repellent finishes usually have a degree of permanency that will withstand several dry cleanings. However, like everything else in life, rain resistant finishes get old, tired and weak. Normal wear and tear, abrasions, spills from hot beverages and cleaning will affect these water resistant coatings and finishes so that they no longer perform their rain repelling function.
When water no longer beads up and rolls off the coat, the rainwear will need to be retreated by a professional dry cleaner such as Flair who has special equipment for applying water-repellent finishes.
Remember, a raincoat that doesn’t repel the rain will let the water get to your clothes, causing serious collateral damage, not to mention that cold, raw, miserable feeling you get when you get caught in a down pour.
Some raincoats go through the “waterproofing” process, in which a rubber coating is applied to the reverse side of the coat. These coats generally do not respond well to dry cleaning, and may need to be wet-cleaned. This type of rainwear can often be mislabeled “Dry Clean Only.” Responsible dry cleaners like Flair watch for this and will recommend that the item be cared for with a wet cleaning process instead.
Wet or dry, Flair will help your garments look and perform their best, helping you stay warm, clean, and cozy in any kind of weather.
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