in wash starch

[mattl]

I broke down and tossed one of my drapery panels in the wash tonight.  I had posted about cleaning them last year, historically they went to the cleaners, but last year the quote was $600, so no go.  Came out of the Duet -delicate cycle - in fine shape, no shrinkage, but not looking forward to ironing using spray starch, plus would like to stiffen the pleats a bit more.

 

Came across this product - Peal laundry starch than you can add to the machine. Has anyone used it, or other in machine starches?

Simpli Starch – Your Ultimate Laundry Starch Solution

Discover top-quality liquid starch and starch spray products at Simpli starch. Transform your fabrics with our effective laundry starch solutions. Try it now!

pealstarch.com

 

[angus]

I have used liquid starches like Linit (a Best Foods brand sold primarily in the East), StaFlo, which is now a Henkel brand (and combined the East Coast StaFlo and West Coast Vano brands) as well as Faultless brand which has apparently been discontinued. I had decent results with all of them but Linit was the least concentrated and Faultless the most concentrated. Those are fairly easy use as you just add them to water in the washer and they mix easily and don't need to be premixed. I also used Faultless powdered, blued and perfumed starch (also discontinued) which gave the best results but was more difficult to use in the machine as it had to be carefully mixed and diluted before adding more water and the items to be starched. I usually wet starch table linens, handkerchiefs, cotton chinos and shirt collars, cuffs and plackets.
Haven't heard of Peal brand before but might be worth a try. I'm not sure though how using starch would completely avoid ironing as the Peal website suggests. But I'm always willing to learn something new....

 

[stan]

$600.00 !!

For drapes to be dry cleaned and pleated??
How many pleats ?

 

[mattl]

IIFR 45 or 50...  More is you want take down and rehung.

 

[stan]

OMG!

So $12.00 per pleat !
I use to do a lot of drapes when I worked in dry cleaning.
They were measured upon arrival or at the time of take down.
Usually dry cleaned, then hung on drapery machine, steamed, pleated, re steamed and stretched back to original length if needed. Not a difficult task with the right equipment.
Can’t imagine why so expensive ?

 

[mattl]

Most of the local cleaners went out of business during covid, the few remaining cleaners serve a large area and can set their own prices apparently. I also recall there being a few week wait.  I think the last time I had them done it was in the $3-4 per pleat range. The one I did looks good, been out of town so when I get home I will attack them. Was a bit worried about shrinkage but worse case scenario there was enough fabric in the hems to fudge if need be.

 

Side note, one place I had them done years ago pressed the pleats in and I had specifically said "soft" pleats, they had to repress them. Never used them again.  

 

[stan]

Don’t remember

Anyone ever asking for a hard press.
Some drapes had to be pressed flat before being hung on the drapery/pleat machine, but never would have thought to hard press creases!
We did charge more per pleat if the drapes where lined.