26 FABRICARE check the warnings on powdered drycleaning sprays for any cautions against use on acetate fibers. Wetside agents including steam can disturb sizings. Work over a towel in small areas to control the amount of moisture in the fabric. Dry fabric from the outside to the inside to prevent wetside rings. Drycleaning Most garments and household items made of acetate are drycleanable. Drycleaning solvents will not damage acetate or triacetate fibers. Wetcleaning Wetcleaning is not recommended if acetate is present in a fabric unless indicated on the care label. Shrinkage and wrinkling of the fabric is likely. Test colorfastness and allow extra time for finishing an acetate fabric after wetcleaning. Do not wetclean velvets made with acetate – the vel- vet pile will be permanently crushed. Triacetate is washable but other fibers and fabrics in a garment may affect care. Caution: Remember that outer fabrics of a dress or jacket may be safe to wetclean but if lining fabrics are ac- etate, wrinkling and shrinkage is likely to occur. Finishing Steam finishing will not harm the fibers. Finish ac- cording to fabric and garment construction. Hand irons should be set on low temperatures be- tween 350-375°F (176 -190°C). Triacetate has very good wrinkle recovery and may not require much finishing if items are hung promptly after the care process. Caution: Acetate can lose its luster if the fabric is sprayed with water and then steamed. The luster can sometimes be restored by spraying the area with 28% acetic acid and allowing it to dry. Fiber Identification of acetate: In a burn test, a synthetic fiber will melt and form a hard bead. Acetate or triacetate may give off the odor of vinegar, which however can be difficult to detect. Solubility testing is a much better way to identify acetate or triacetate in a fabric. Ace- tone which is available at the hardware store or found in nail polish removers will dissolve both fibers. Remove a small piece of the fab- ric from an unexposed seam, place a drop or two of the acetone on the sample and observe if the fibers dissolve. If acetate is blended with other fibers only the acetate will dissolve. BULLE TIN NO. 569 Blue coloring is bleeding out from the acetate fabric as it dissolves after contact with acetone.