One-Dollar Wonders

PSA: Beware Woolite Dry Cleaner's Secret!

June 28, 2012

So many of you know that I love love love Dryel and use it to dry clean my precious items at home.

Last weekend, I went to Walmart to buy a new pack, but all they had on offer was Woolite Dry Cleaner's Secret - looked like the same thing, just a different brand. All the instructions were the same, except this one doesn't say you have to use a special dry-cleaning bag.

Well, cut to the end of the process, and TWO items came out with gigantic OIL STAINS on them. I was horrified and didn't know what could have happened - was my dryer broken and leaking lubricant? Had someone in my complex thrown chap stick in the dryer by accident?

Nope. I Googled a bit and it turns out Dry Cleaner's Secret is OIL BASED and a few others have had clothes ruined by oil stains as well. The oil in the cloths allows you to use the cloths to spot treat oily stains on clothes. However, as I unfortunately witnessed with a BB shirt and Calypso dress, the oil can also leave massive stains. My husband is going to call the company for me while I'm at work today. :T

P.S. Dryel, on the other hand, is water based and does not do this.

Posted in the General category
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20 Comments

  • Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

    What the heck???? That's horrible Rae. I hope the company reimburses you something for your clothing loss. And thank you for letting us know.

  • Diana replied 11 years ago

    OMG this is horrible. Thanks for the warning.

    Do you think a professional cleaner could get the stains out? (And of course you should get the company to reimburse you for the cost!)

  • modgrl replied 11 years ago

    Oh noessss!!

  • velvetychocolate replied 11 years ago

    That's awful rae! Thank you for the warning, but I do hope you can get those oily looking spots out...gah...that would be very upsetting!

  • Meredith1953 replied 11 years ago

    Absolutely unbelievable! They better offer to make restitution!

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    They said that the stains will come out if I keep putting the items back in the dryer 20 mins at a time... I guess this is not an isolated incident.

    Kind of scared to do that, though, because it sounds like I'd be baking the oil in...

  • Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

    Hmmmmm....yeah, I don't know about that...did they offer anything if the stains don't come out?

  • christieanne replied 11 years ago

    Can you try a hair dryer on just a spot (maybe in out of the way place) and see if that works?

    Sorry this happened. I used Dryel when it first came out and keep forgetting to try again. Will look for that over the Woolite in future.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Shannon, they did not say so, but if it doesn't come out, we will call again.

    Christieanne, I read about people having sucess with baby powder. Some others got oil stains out with Dawn dish detergent. I think I will try those first, because then I can still try the dryer afterward if need be.

  • texstyle replied 11 years ago

    Rae, not sure if this will work on their type of oil, but I have successfully removed oil stains on fabric by pouring very hot water *through* the fabric stain over a big pot in the sink. Sometimes it has taken me a couple of tries.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Thanks, texstyle! That makes sense; the oil should flow better and come off easier when it is hot.

  • Jaime replied 11 years ago

    Mouth gaping open. I have this and have used it (I don't think it left stains), but thanks for the warning and I will stick with Dryel. Let us know what the company says.

  • Sveta replied 11 years ago

    That's awful! I hope you can save them. Thanks for the warning!

  • Victoria replied 11 years ago

    that is just awful! I hope you are able to save your clothes that was stained:(

  • Ana replied 11 years ago

    Oh no, Rae! I hope you are able to get the oil stains out. Thanks for the warning! I have some of that stuff that I haven't used yet. I'm going to throw it away right now.

  • Joy replied 11 years ago

    Thank you for the warning. I'd have done the same thing and bought the Woolite brand if Dryel wasn't on the shelf.

  • replied 11 years ago

    Sorry you had such a terrible experience with the Woolite - how frustrating!
    There is a product called Janie Stick that works very well for removing oil based stains. Supposedly it is the same formula used by dry cleaners (though I have no way of verifying that). It's a clay based matetial that absorbs the oil, then you brush it off.
    I've used it on several stains, including some that were weeks old, and it has completely removed most of them.
    Several vendors sell it through Amazon; a web search would likely yield other sources as well. There seem to be a few versions - I have used the one that comes in the black case.
    Good luck!

  • Amy replied 11 years ago

    That's terrible Rae! I'm so sorry :(

  • lynne replied 11 years ago

    That's awful! Thanks for the warning, and let us know what happens.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Thank you for the tips and sympathy, ladies. I did as the company said and dried the articles for about an hour total. The stains are definitely lighter, but they are definitely still there. :T

    I am going to keep trying, though! I will definitely try the home remedies suggested here.

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I'm just your average working stiff who loves nice things and hates to pay for them. This blog outlines my efforts to navigate that treacherous shopping/saving divide through swappin', thriftin', and even a little resellin'. Many of the pieces in my wardrobe cost me just $1! We've heard a lot about people "living above their means" in recent years; I'm championing the concept of living large *below* your means - whatever that means for you. :)