By brightleaf
Cabernet or Chablis? Don’t think of red wine as the enemy. White wine spills are just as damaging if left untreated. The sugar will oxidize leaving a brown haze around the original spill. And just like other stains, please do not try and pre-treat – it can cause the sugar to set into the fabric. Bring the item to us as soon as possible and remember – always let us know what you spilled – we have the best success when there’s no guess work.
From:: Wine Spills
By brightleaf
New fashions mean new fabric combinations. Remember to read the care labels and always follow the designer’s request for professional cleaning. DIY cleaning mishaps are the number one reason those favorite designs don’t hold up – trust our professional textile experts to take special care of your delicate fabrics like lace, suede, leather, fur, plastic and even metal.
From:: Reading Care Labels
By timheitzman
What a wonderful holiday: celebrate the love in your life. While the pandemic has put a wrinkle in romantic restaurant dining, there’s nothing stopping a just-the-two-of-you candlelit celebration. Dress up a little, turn down the lights and set the mood. A crisp white tablecloth and napkins, fresh flowers, champagne, a favorite entree and a chocolate desert should be sure-fire passion starters. If things get a little messy, remember we can remove lipstick, wine and food stains.
From:: Happy Valentine’s Day
By timheitzman
Why is one garment called a pair? Even the earliest pair of pantaloons were attached in the middle. Linguists call this a plurale tantum, Latin for plural only. English has lots of pluralia tantum: electronics, odds, surroundings and thanks. Items that have two symmetrical or attached halves are popular examples, like scissors, pliers, and glasses. They all are a pair despite being a single item.
From:: Pairs of pants.
By timheitzman
A few minutes prepping laundry before throwing it into the machine saves grief and adds life to your clothing. Unroll shirt sleeves and pant cuffs. Zip up zippers to avoid snagging the metal teeth on knits and woven garments. Unbutton button-down collars and button-front shirts to avoid stressing buttons and buttonholes. Tie drawstrings together so they don’t snake into the sweatpants or hoodie. Turn dark colored garments inside out to minimize fading. Make the most of your home laundry using our professional prep tips.
From:: Prepare for clean.
By timheitzman
When a favorite knit garment starts growing, it’s time to bring it back to shape. We can block it to the right size and shape when we clean it. We’ll even keep measurements on file for special garments – remember, we’re customer service specialists. May we serve your sweater’s special needs?
From:: Saggy sweater?
By timheitzman
When powder makeup gets on dark clothing (always when you’re in a hurry), ignore the instinct to brush it away. Instead of rubbing to spread the mess and push the powder into the fabric, blow off the powder, using canned air, hair dryer or your breath. Makeup remover on a cotton ball should pick up what’s left. We can remove stubborn stains – even professional stage makeup. Tag the stain with masking tape and our stain removal experts will get to work on it next time.
From:: Makeup explosion.
By timheitzman
Velour, velveteen and velvet all rely on cut pile for the luxurious look and feel. Velvet is woven, cut and crushed while velveteen is simply woven and velour is knit. All the “v” fabrics are comfortable, warm and susceptible to wrinkles, creases and pilling. Always hang velvet on padded hangers, steam to remove wrinkles. Professional cleaning is always recommended for velvet.
From:: The plush life.
By timheitzman
Free-flowing robes and tunics are as ancient as civilization, but pants are only about 3 or 4 thousand years old and were created by nomadic horse-riding people for pretty obvious and practical reasons. Greeks thought pants-wearers were barbaric, that’s what Persians, Scythians and other Asian people wore. The Romans hated pants, thinking them unsophisticated and a sign of aggressiveness. In 476 when the aggressive and unsophisticated Visigoths sacked Rome and soon pants were worn throughout western civilization.
From:: Who invented pants?
By timheitzman
Clothing was an important indicator of wealth and social standing in ancient Roman culture, and fullonicas provided laundry services to clean their white woolen togas. The best cleanser for sweaty togas was ammonia, and the best source of ammonia was urine. The garments were soaked and agitated in a mix of water, alkalis and urine, then rinsed and dried in the sunshine. A vigorous brushing with thistle restored a fresh look to the togas. Keeping citizens looking neat and tidy, the fullonica laundry was a respected and essential part of ancient Roman society.
From:: Ancient Roman laundry.
