Store Winter Garments Safely Away. Spring means the return of long awaited warmer weather, leaves on the trees, and 4-hour little league baseball games. Of course spring is also when the human species sheds its cumbersome outer shell — overcoats, sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets and the like. But don’t make the mistake so many people do — just sticking your winter coats in a closet all spring, summer and fall, or jamming your sweaters into a drawer. You will pay the price for this behavior, common as it is, in the form of visible, often irreparable, insect damage — that is, holes in your clothes. So the first thing you need to do is have your winter wear cleaned. Why? Because soil, food stains, perspiration and moisture that remain in your garments attract moths, silverfish and other insects — like a good restaurant attracts people. Insects are looking for a place to eat and relax. Cleaning your winter garments before putting them away removes the attraction, minimizing the risk of infestation. Once garments are clean, proceed with proper storage. This means three things: 1) never sealing them up in plastic — this only promotes condensation and heat which is attractive to insects, 2) covering them properly, and 3) placing them in the right environment. If space is a problem at your house, check with us about storage services. If storing them at home, here’s what to do. First, hang coats on a good wooden hanger, covering them with a breathable cloth sheet or paper “cape.” Be sure to hang them in a closet with adequate ventilation (never in hot, humid attic spaces or damp basement areas). Cleaned sweaters are ideally wrapped in acid-free tissue and placed in a drawer. Added protection against insects can be gained by using cedar blocks inside drawers or on closet shelves. Properly cleaned and stored, your winter garments will be fresh and “hole-free” next Fall when you need them.

Leave Tough Picnic Stain to The Experts Name one thing you are apt to find at a picnic besides hot dogs, sodas, potato chips and ants. How about stains? The kids playing softball are going to end up with some nasty grass stains on the knees of their blue jeans — they just are! Perhaps even a blood stain or two if the competition is fierce. And then there’s the stain hazards around the picnic table. Little Steven squirted too much mustard on his hot dog. So now he’s wearing a yellow mustard splotch shaped like the state of Florida on his new white t-shirt. At the office picnic, Mr. Howard, head of purchasing, is so excited about all the free food choices, he’s managed to accumulate a multi-food-group stain down the front of his shirt that will require a PhD in chemistry to remove. Such is the story of summer events and the stains that accompany them. The best advice we have is to simply avoid mishaps that leave stains. If you get one, blot as much of the stain from the garment as possible using a clean, white napkin or paper towel. Do not rub. Other than that, leave it alone, and remember to act quickly by taking the garment to us, where we’ll know the best techniques for removing stains of all types — even the big purple one Freddy got when the 2-liter bottle of grape soda he was spinning around decided to erupt. Happy picnicking!

Crisp Shirt Ideas Ever try to iron a cotton shirt you laundered at home? Iron, iron, iron, iron…still wrinkled. Professional shirt laundering and finishing provide the ideal solution and results. Here are some tips to help you keep your shirts fresh and attractive for a long, long time. Stains are a shirt’s worst enemy. Be wary when eating. Let us treat your stains promptly. Untreated stains can harm cotton fibers and reduce shirt life. Point out missing buttons so we can replace them. Have shirts laundered and finished after each wear to remove damaging soils and keep them looking fresh and new. Avoid unnecessary wear on the elbows – where shirts often wear out first. Avoid harsh cleaning detergents and processes. Trust us, your Sanitone® Certified Master Drycleaner, for gentle care.

When We Pick Up, You Pick Up More Time. For no additional cost whatsoever, we will pick up the clothes you leave out for us, and deliver them back to your door, fresh, clean, finished and bagged. It’s like having our customer counter on your doorstep. Our Pick-Up and Delivery service saves you time, gas, dollars and the stress of packing one more errand into your day. It organizes your drycleaning needs into an efficient routine, so you won’t put it off until the last minute. We schedule a pick-up and drop-off for the same day each week. Never again will you have to shuffle out to your car with an armload of clothes with kids in tow. Never again will you pick up your clean clothes, put them in your trunk and forget about them for days. And with our free Pick-Up & Delivery service, you will pay less for your drycleaning simply because of the travel time and expenses you save throughout the year. If the pace of life tells you something’s got to give — give up those trips to the drycleaner. Stop the run around. Go with our Free Pick-Up and Delivery service.

Why Sweat About Perspiration? One bit of advice regarding the successful care of garments is this — never underestimate the negative effects of perspiration on clothing. Of course perspiration has never been seen as a positive thing (especially on a first date), which is why so many products exist to postpone or cover-up the problem. Many of these products, antiperspirants especially, will themselves stain clothing. But perspiration can be much more than just unsightly. It can be downright harmful to your clothing. Perspiration will not only discolor clothing, left alone over time, it can actually degrade the fabric’s fibers — even more so in garments made of silk, such as silk blouses, dresses and sweaters. But let’s face it. You’re going to sweat. It’s going to be absorbed into your clothing — a little at a time or a lot all at once. It happens. All one can do is be aware of its presence in clothing and be sure to have garments cleaned promptly and properly. So relax — before you start perspiring!

Give Fine Linens Immediate Attention for Stains Clean, crisp table linens bring an elegant touch to any occasion. Unfortunately, keeping them clean isn’t always possible. The threats are many — gravy, sauces, wine, coffee, chocolate, blueberry pie filling, tinted icings, and more, many requiring their own stain removal approach. The knowledge and experience we provide is invaluable, and immediate action — not waiting to send your linens out for cleaning — is highly recommended. Stains will “set” within a week and sometimes sooner, after which complete removal becomes very difficult. Proper “blotting” of a fresh stain can sometimes be effective. Use either a clean white towel or white (no printed design) paper towels. Blot using one towel under the stain and one above. Do this until nothing more is transferred to the towels. Do not rub, as this can easily damaged the surface of fine linen. Oil- or fat-based stains such as gravy, butter, salad dressings and sauces should then be left alone. Water-based stains from drinks such as wine, beer and fruit juice and food such as cranberry sauce can then be diluted with water and blotted again to remove as much of the stain as possible. While these measures can’t guarantee complete success in removing a stain, they can help to lessen its long-term effect on your linens. In all cases, it is important to have stained linens professionally cleaned as soon as possible and, for best results, within a week. Then you’ll be sure to have a fresh set of linens, clean and folded, waiting for your next occasion.

Caring for your clothes. Caring for the environment. As a Sanitone® Certified Master Drycleaner, we utilize the industry’s premier cleaning process to ensure your clothes look their best and are cleaned in an environmentally friendly manner. Think of our Sanitone cleaning process as a fine salon shampoo for your clothes. We return your garments in “fresh-as-new” condition, cleaned, shaped and pressed, while using environmentally friendly materials, equipment, processes and disposal methods: • We use detergents and sizing based on natural, renewable raw materials • We permit independent inspections of our cleaning process and procedures to maintain cleaning quality • We maintain our equipment to reduce air emissions • We dispose of process by-products via licensed haulers who purify and recycle the materials • We recycling hangers and plastic materials Look your best in freshly cleaned clothes — feel good about the way we’re cleaning them!

Help Your Draperies Hang In There. Many people forget how important it is to clean draperies and other window treatments regularly. It’s only natural. Draperies, even the elaborate, fitted, pleated creations that require a major investment, are expected to blend in and complement their surroundings. But in reality, draperies do much more than that. Especially in homes with forced-air heating, cooling and ventilation, draperies can actually perform as giant, secondary air filters, trapping air-born dust, dust mites, dander, cooking vapors, soils and much more. So what can you do to help? Vacuuming draperies at least weekly will help keep the buildup of soils to a minimum. In addition, periodic professional cleaning is recommended at least every 3 years. Draperies and other window treatments, properly cleaned and finished, will ensure your home looks its best, with all the color and crispness you originally envisioned.

Solid Know-How with a Soft Touch. One of the reasons we have such loyal customers is the trust we’ve earned cleaning and finishing delicate, valuable, even heirloom garments without harming them. It’s our job to pay attention to the fabric and construction of each garment, to follow care-label instructions and to not take careless risks with your finer, delicate garments. Intricate construction such as beaded trims, fancy knits and unique buttons can be susceptible to snagging, and we know when to avoid the tumbling cycle that puts such garments at risk. Delicate wools such as angora and cashmere, as well as synthetic blends and microfiber construction require accurate judgment about the best cleaning processes, temperatures and detergents to use for each situation. Trust us to handle your delicate garments carefully, expertly, every time.

The Beauty of Cotton Does it seem that cotton garments have been popular forever? That’s because the production of spun cotton goes back some 4,000 years, with use in clothing beginning in the first century in Spain and Italy. Much later, around the early 1600s, cotton was introduced to England and eventually made its way to America. Being a natural product, cotton has a reputation for being simple and basic. The reality is that cotton in clothing has evolved into a highly sophisticated fabric, thanks to surface treatments and fabric engineering techniques that make cotton shine, stretch, twist and perform incredible feats of endurance, comfort and wearability. Still, the real challenge remains — maintaining the appearance of cotton. It is a fabric notorious for wrinkles that won’t go away easily. Professional finishing is to this day the one truly effective means for making a laundered cotton shirt look great. If you have ever tried ironing a cotton shirt at home you know it’s a job well beyond the capability of the home iron and ironing board. Our professional finishing systems work very differently, reaching all areas of the shirt at one time, applying steam, starch, heat and pressure to remove wrinkles and leave impressively smooth, crisp surfaces in their place. Cotton is indeed a fabric that deserves, and receives, much respect, especially when professionally cleaned and finished.