5 things you must know so you wil not be "Taken to the Cleaners!"

Choosing a Dry Cleaner. 

Many people do this without a second thought, picking the guy with the lowest rates or the store on the way home. This can be a costly mistake though. Choosing the wrong dry cleaner can "send you to the cleaners" when you favorite, expensive clothing items are lost, damaged, or worse. Today we are going to tell you five things to consider when choosing a dry cleaner.

1. Customer Service. I would have to rate this as the most important thing to consider in your dry cleaner search. Note the staff. Are they friendly? Helpful? Knowledgeable? Do they acknowledge you with a smile when you walk in the door? You want to find an establishment that actually cares about their customers, because they will be the ones, if something bad actually does happen, to make it right.

2. Experience. You don't want a "just out of the box" dry cleaner. What you do want is someone who has been in the business a long time, who knows all the in's and outs. This is very important! You want a dry cleaner who takes pride in their work, and not someone who is just worried about getting you in and out and taking your money. So definitely, look for someone experienced!
 
3. Cheapest Is Not Always Best. People often forget this point. Most people are only out to find the cheapest dry cleaner, and then they are disappointed when the quality of the work is not up to par. The fact of the matter is, there is no dry cleaner that can have the best employees, the best equipment, the best customer service, the fastest turn around, AND the cheapest rates. It is just impossible. So, remember, you have to sacrifice somewhere. I would rather pay a little more for better service.

4. Guarantees. A good dry cleaner should guarantee their work, no question about it. If you are not happy with their service, they should be willing to do whatever it takes to make it right. If that means a refund, if that means replacing your clothing, or cleaning your garment a second, or third, time. You want to make sure that you find a dry cleaner that stands behind their work.

5. Extra Services. This is not a requirement, but it can be very convenient to choose a cleaner who offers extra services. Some of these can include "green" dry cleaning, wedding gowns, leather cleaning, same day pickup, drop off and pickup services, repairs and alterations, etc. Like previously stated, these services are not a requirement of a good dry cleaner, but should be considered in your choice, if you will need these sorts of services.

Hopefully these tips will help your search for a dry cleaner to be an easy and rewarding one!

Please reconsider the sniff test! (or "How often should you dryclean your clothes?")

Studies have shown that 93 percent of what is believed about people in business is based upon visual messages, not on credentials or on the content of conversation. 

An invaluable resource for today's job market, How to Gain the Professional Edge, Second Edition helps readers answer a multitude of questions about behavior, attitude, and image to improve professionalism and open doors to advancement and career success. According to Susan Morem, the author, "your clothing is the first thing others notice about you. Make sure your clothes are clean, pressed, mended and fit well.

Look sloppy and you are sloppy. 

Look like a pro and you are one. 

It's that simple. 

You are what you wear! I was listening to NPR the other day, and they cited a study where over 50 percent of men use the Sniff Test to determine if a garment can be worn another time. If it doesn't smell bad, wear it again! Sounds reasonable.

However there are potential pitfalls to the sniff test . . . - I is true that perspiration can air out over time, so the odor may dissipate. But just because you can't smell it, doesn't mean you should where it! The alkalinity of the perspiration can greatly weaken a shirt to the point of tearing. Washing a shirt after every wear, or a hot day, may actually increase the life of your garments. - even if you can't see the soil, it will attract insects. That will end in holes and a shorter life for your garments - after a time stains can set making the garment unwearable - just because you don't smell anything, doesn't mean it doesn't smell. We are accustom to our own smells, and stop smelling them after less than a minute. Others, can still smell them! So what to do?

First, drycleaned clothes should be cleaned with the same frequency as washable garments. After all, they are subject to the same soils, and odors as the washable items. Second, run through this checklist to see if the garment is ready to wear;

is it:

• Odor free? 
• Stain free? 
• Lint free? 
• Fit properly? 
• Well pressed? 
• No tears or seems open? 

The moral of this story?  Preventative maintenance is a requirement for extending the life of most consumer products . . . and your wardrobe is no different!

How to Remove a Blood Stain at Home

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First thing:  Is your stained garment silk, rayon, wool, or some other dryclean only fabric? Then I recommend taking it to a well trusted drycleaner!

If you have a polyester or cotton and the label says launder or wash, then you are wise to follow my advice!

1) Best chance to remove a blood stain is to treat it as quickly as possible before it has a chance to set.  

2) ALWAYS TRY COLD WATER FIRST , since harsher chemicals may damage more delicate fabrics and/or pull color.

3) Let the item soak a little - then scrub - with a fingernail scrub brush, your fingernail.

Here is the most important tip: If the blood doesn't come out all the way, DO NOT GIVE UP!  Keep scrubbing.  If you need to take a break, that's fine.   - Leave the item soaking.  Scrubbing for 10-15 minutes or longer of is not uncalled for for a large stain, or if the stain has been sitting a little while.  Do be careful not to scrub a whole in the garment.

4) If you must - you can add a little soap.  The soap acts as a lubricant making it easier to remove the soils.  Using too much soap DOES NOT increase the chances of a stain coming out!

5) If soap doesn't do the job completely, try pouring ammonia straight over the stain and scrub again.

6) EXTREME MEASURES: Hydrogen Peroxide is another method - soak the entire stain in straight Hydrogen Peroxide 10-15 minutes and rinse with water.  Watch for color loss with this one. If the stains are all over - I would dilute the Hydrogen Peroxide in water - and soak the entire garment.  Watch it carefully - as soon as the stains start to move rinse and then wash the item completely!

Plastic Bags and Misinformation

I just read the best article I have seen on why banning plastic bags is not the answer.  I have gotten many requests for reusable bags from clients over the years - and I still do not provide them.  While I do use reusable bags for my groceries, I do not believe they are the answer for the drycleaning industry.  In a nut shell, the "reusable garment bags" are made of pressed fibers, not woven - so they don't last.  They will not survive multiple washings and the idea of putting clean clothes back in the dirty bags does not make sense.  When these bags wear out - or are discarded - they end up in land fills and they take more energy to create than the plastic.  These bags cannot be used for any other purpose than laundry (unlike grocery bags).

People who know me are surprised by my position on plastic because of my feeling about conservation and the environment.  My biggest challenge with drycleaning when I returned to the industry was the plastic! . . . . I found a solution, for me and my clients.  We collect the plastic and sell it to a US manufacturer of decking material.  I would name the company here, but they asked me not to.  They have been recycling plastic for 20 years, and produce an upscale product they feel would be denigrated if people knew it was created with recycled plastic.

The article I read was published in American Drycleaner Magazine and it was written by Bruce Luetzow, Partner, Luetzow Industries.

I have been unable to find an online version, and hope that they forgive my reproducing it here, in its entirety.  I hope to get some feedback on the article - thanks.

• A reusable garment bag ad states, "The simple step of switching (to product X) will help to reduce the estimated 300 million pounds of single-use plastic dry cleaning bags a year that continue to clog our landfills and kill our marine and wildlife"  Not True.
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• David Laist, a senior policy analyst with the federal Marine Mammal Commission, has stated: "In their eagerness to make their case (against plastic bags), some of the environmental groups make up claims that are not really supportable."
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• Some people believe that plastic bags "clog up" landfills.  Not true.  According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, plastic bags (including retail, grocery store, and garment bags) use up only 0.3% of landfill space.  Plastic garment bags make up a small percent of this figure.
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• Due to misinformation relentlessly spread by the media, many people believe that plastic bags kill many sea mammals and seabirds each year.  The San Jose Mercury News stated in an editorial, "Plastic bags kiss an estimated 1 million seabirds and 100,000 other animals every year, whether from eating the things or getting tangled in them." Not true.  The London Times exposed this myth.  The report on which the myth is based mentioned discarded fishing tackle that included fishing nets, not plastic bags.  David Santillo, a marine biologist at Greenpeace, told the Times, "It's very unlikely that many animals are killed by plastic bags."
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• Due to misinformation, some people believe plastic bags are not recyclable.  Not true.  Special plastic bag recycling bins have been installed in large supermarkets, retail stores and drycleaners throughout the country, or bags can be taken to local recycling centers or returned to the manufacturer.  Virtually all of the plastic bags deposited in those bins are recycled and made into new plastic, plastic bags, or composite lumber.
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• Due to misinformation, some people believe that paper bags are better for the environment than plastic bags.  Not true.  Paper bags result in between 2.0-3.3 times more greenhouse gasses than plastic bags.
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• Some people believe that items labeled or stated to be "green" are green.  Questionable.
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• An editorial in the London Times stated, "There is a danger that the green herd, in pursuit of a good cause, stumbles into misguided campaigns. . . . . Many of those who have demonized plastic bags have enlisted scientific study to their cause.  By exaggerating a grain of Truth into a larger falsehood, they spread misinformation and abuse the trust of their unwitting audiences."
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• Reusable garment bags ads state that they "protect the clothes better, are safer, are so much better for the environment, save drycleaners thousands, are waterproof, are water-resistant, breathable, better, much safer, cheaper."  Well, let's see.
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• Mr Dry Cleaner, with your cleaning processes and skills, you renew the life and put freshness into your customer's cleaned garments.  Finished packaging into a polyethylene garment bag showcases your professional work and markets the finished product.  It becomes a walking advertisement of your skills that others can expect if they bring their garments to you for cleaning.  Everyone can see the professionally cleaned finished product hanging from your slick rack.  The garments and bags sparkle as they hang, the garments are clean, identification is easy, the customer is happy, and the garments are now clearly protected.  A clear advantage of disposable poly garment bags is the guarantee of a clean, clear bag every time.
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• Most reusable garment bags are made of solid, opaque cotton, nylon or non-woven polyprpylene material, making it impossible to see the cleaned garments within.  The marketing of your cleaning skills stays hidden.  Identification of the enclosed garments is not an easy task, unless one likes constantly opening and closing the reusable bag.
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• Taking dirty clothes to the drycleaner in the reusable garment bag (now a dirty hamper bag) makes it necessary for the cleaner to not only clean the clothes but also the reusable bag.  Some reusable bags that are not effectively cleaned can have a negative effect on human health and the environment due to bacterial growth.  Many bags require hand washing if one really wishes them to be clean, which is time-consuming for the drycleaner or the bag owner.
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• Most reusable bags are manufactured and imported from China, and many have been found to contain lead, mercury and other heavy metals.  U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called for a federal investigation into toxic materials in reusable shopping bags.  Questions have also been raised as to whether or not the lead could be spread in landfills when the bags are discarded.
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• Reusable garment bags that wear out quickly also take up space in landfills.  Most are not biodegradable or compostable.  All the different materials used in their construction (zippers, drawstring closures, see through front pockets, etc.) make trying to recycle some of them an expensive nightmare at best, and may not be economically possible at all.
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• Early last year, the United Kingdom government Environment Agency published a life-cycle assessment of plastic, paper and reusable bags.  "The study confirms that reusable bags are not inherently better for the environment than plastic bags.  Reusable bags have to be used a tremendous number of times to provide an environmental benefit to conventional plastic carryout bags.  The reality is that huge numbers of reusable bags are being thrown away before they are used the requisite amount of times."
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• As the late President Ronald Reagan stated, "Trust, but verify." How true this is, especially with products that are labeled or stated to be green -- Bruce Luetzow  www.americandrycleaner.com