Dress shirts, especially often-worn favorites, can show signs of aging after twenty or thirty wearings. Check your cuffs and collars for signs of wear. If you see darkness at the edges, you’re seeing the interfacing through worn fabric. Don’t forget the elbows. Thinning fabric that’s been stressed by elbow bending can tear or burst, never at a convenient time. You can trust our shirt laundry to keep your business wear working for you as long as possible.
Love your Uggs.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Ugg boots are here to stay and keeping the soft suede clean can be a challenge. If your boots are smelly, be sure they’re always dry after wear – crumple newspapers to absorb the damp and add baking soda to neutralize any odors. A suede brush can remove surface grime; use a damp cloth to finish. Never wet the leather and always stuff damp boots with socks or newspapers to preserve the shape. For near-miraculous cleaning and restoration, trust us with your snuggly Uggs along with all your leather and suede.
Ruffles and flourishes.
Wondering how to make a dress look as good as it did when you bought it? A trip through your washing machine simply removes crisp details like ruffles and pleats. Even careful home ironing can’t get them back with the risk of scorch from high heat. We not only have the latest pressing and finishing equipment, but our staff specialists always add the professional’s finishing touch, the perfect crease, without iron marks or shiny patches.
Hand-washable in the machine?
Most washing machines have a Delicate setting, some go so far as to label it Hand Washables. When the care label calls for hand washing, it’s calling for gentle squeezing rather than machine agitation to minimize stretching and mis-shaping. If the label says delicate or gentle machine washing, the garment will stand up to longer, more active laundering. Any time you want to reduce agitation and stress on the garment structure, use a net “lingerie” bag. Or skip the extra steps and bring your delicate sweaters and garments to our experts. We provide gentle care, every day.
Hanger humps.
We’ve all seen sweaters with humped shoulders from incorrect hanging. Sweaters and knits should be folded and hung over the padded hanger bar. Better yet, stored flat on a shelf or in a cedar-lined drawer. The weight of the fabric pulls and stretches, even while wearing. Hump not: we can get garments blocked back into shape as part of cleaning.
Extend garment life.
Contrary to some beliefs, frequent dry cleaning actually prolongs the life of a garment. Not only do stains set with age, but ground-in dirt and soil can act as an abrasive, causing rapid wear of fibers. In storage, insects are attracted to soiled clothes (particularly to food or drink stains) and will eat holes in the fabric. Home ironing, or over-pressing, can cause a flattened glazed appearance on some fabric, especially gabardine. We’re very careful to use best practices for pressing and press maintenance here in the shop. Our finishing adds so much to the wearability of your garment.
Women dress for work.
In our lifetimes, we’ve seen women’s workplace attire move from conservative jacketed suits to denim and t-shirts. For a pictorial history showing how fashion has changed since women started office work, Mashable’s photo story shows the shift from crinoline hoops to thumb rings and tattoos. One thing will never change and that’s a woman’s desire to look her best, whether she’s chairing the board or changing the oil. You can count on us to help with everything from loose buttons to changing hemlines, coffee stains to crisp pleats. When you look good, so do we.
Lipstick stains?
After a boisterous New Year’s Eve you may find a little incriminating stain on your collar. Innocuous or not, removing lipstick can be more difficult than explaining how it got there. Our stain experts can whisk most lipstick stains out of almost every fabric. If you want to try an easy home remedy, soaking in liquid dishwashing detergent seems to work amazingly well. Rinse well before laundering, with bleach for white fabric.
Resolutions.
First, Peace. Followed by the usual list: eat better, smile more, lose weight, learn something new, share, drink more water, walk. To that we’ll add “Say Hello” to someone new every day. We say hello to a lot of people every day as part of our job. Seems like the more we do it, the more we like it. Drop by soon and we’ll be happy to remind you how good it feels to be greeted as a friend. We’re closed until Friday, see you then.
Glittering holidays.
Here’s a very tiny tip: When the shine comes off, and the carpet’s covered in glitter from ornaments, decorating and celebrating, grab a ball of Play-Do. Roll it over the mess to pick up the loose bits of shine. That’s about as much housecleaning as we’re going to do today.
