Caring for Woollen Clothes

You just couldn’t resist that beautiful jumper, and the label assured you that you could machine wash it.  They were right, you could wash it.  What they didn’t tell you is that washing it that way would result in a pilled appearance. Fortunately there are small devices, electric shavers that can take off the pills from your jumper and help to restore its original appearance.

What is better is to take care of your jumper the way it needs in order to retain its color, shape, and integrity. As with all garments, inspect the garment care tag.  If it recommends dry cleaning, then please do this.  Garment manufacturers know their fibers, and following their recommendations will retain the original state of the jumper.

If your jumper is machine washable, then wash them carefully, using the gentlest cycle and coolest water temperature.  To avoid pilling, turn the garment inside out. Jumpers are especially prone to stretching when they are wet and improper handling while wet will ruin the shape of your jumper.  To avoid pilling, you should hand wash.

Any jumper made from wool, whether sheep, goat, or alpaca should always be hand washed in cool water to avoid the risk of shrinking.  Use a liquid soap specially made for wool or jumpers.  Fill the sink with cool water and mix the soap into the water before you put the jumper into the water.  Push the jumper gently under water with your fingertips.  Soak for 20 minutes.  Drain and rinse once or twice.  Once rinsed, gently squeeze the water out of the jumper, roll in a large dry towel to remove most of the water from the jumper.

Once you have removed the water, you’ll need to “block” the jumper.  This means you will want to shape the jumper back to its original size and shape on a flat surface and leave it there until it is completely dry.

Because of a jumper’s tendency to stretch, you should never, ever hang jumpers in the closet. They need to be stored folded in a drawer or on a shelf.  Keep out of the sun while storing to avoid fading of color.

Moths

Storing jumpers for winter wear is a common practice.  In order to ensure that your jumper is in perfect condition when you pull it out of seasonal storage, here are a few tips for you:

• First, always make certain that you clean your jumpers BEFORE you put them into storage.
• You can use the old standby, mothballs, but only if you want your kids and grandkids referring to you as “Grandma Mothballs”.
• Other choices include storing in cedar chests, or by making sachets out of 60 grams each of dried rosemary, mint, 1 ounce dried thyme and ginseng, and 8 ounces cloves. Weavers use this combination to protect their wools.

All this takes a lot of time and still thier is a chance you may damage your woollens. If you want the very best care for your woollen garments, book a FREE pickup and delivery of your clothes from Greener Cleaner dry cleaners. Just pick up the phone and give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

6 Tips to Basic Alterations

Alterations are necessary because most people don’t fit “off the rack clothes”. Whoever designs clothing has a specific size and shape in mind, and the average person doesn’t fit the specs.

As a result, when you buy something, the waist might be great but the bust is wrong, or the length of the pants is too long.

Here are a few alteration tips that will make your life easier.

Tip #1: It’s always easier to take something in than to let it out.  When in doubt, get the next size larger.

Tip #2: It’s always easier to hem something (dress, skirt, trousers, etc.) than to add length. Buy longer.

Tip# 3: Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale. If there is another outfit that fits a whole lot better, it is often cheaper to buy the more expensive outfit than to buy the one that’s on sale and then have to ask your seamstress to remake the entire garment.

Tip #4: Always ask your alterations expert if they’ve tackled the task you need done previously.  If they haven’t, you may want to shop around.

Tip #5: You usually get what you pay for.  You might find someone in your neighbourhood who will hem your slacks for $10.00, but you might have just ruined a $100 pair of slacks doing so. You don’t have to choose the most expensive one, but you shouldn’t choose the least expensive one either.

Tip #6: If you need alterations done on heavy material (denim), like hemming jeans or shortening the sleeves on a denim jacket, make sure the person doing these alterations has a machine that is capable of handling the job. Some pros only work on fine fabrics while other pros will work on any fabric.  It’s always a good idea to ask.

Get Referrals:

Finding a reputable shop that does alterations does not have to be difficult. One of the first places you obviously ask is your cleaner.  They often have an excellent list of referrals.

When you get the names of a couple of shops, visit each of them.  If you have several garments that need altering, you may even consider taking one to each place to evaluate their service.

Make sure they are concerned about you and what you need from the alteration of the garment.  They should ask questions.

Evaluate their level of skill and competence. Some people go into business thinking that they are skilled, but in truth, they really aren’t.  You don’t want to find out that they lack the necessary skills on Great-Grandma’s old wedding dress do you?

The very best repair and alterations service available in Sydney is Greener Cleaner’s mobile clothing alteration service with FREE pickup and delivery from your home. Just pick up the phone and give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

How do DryCleaners Remove Stains?

If you get something on a garment that is “dry clean only” it is in your best interest to get this garment in for cleaning as soon as possible.  Time is your enemy here. If too much time passes, even a fairly simple stain can become permanent.  Here’s why:

Stains are the result of anything liquid coming into contact with fabric. Even water will stain satins and silk. How long a stain remains on the garment will determine whether it will come out or not. When the stain first comes in contact with the fibres of the garment, most will stay on the surface for a while.  This is when they should be removed because it is easiest.  Once they permeate the fibres of the fabric and dry, they begin to react with the dye of the fabric.  A chemical change is taking place that will affect the colour of the fabric in this area.

Over time, stains become a permanent part of the fabric.  Once this happens, the more you attempt to remove the stain, the more damage will be done to the dye and fibres of the fabric.  Because the fabric dye has changed in this area, even once the actual substance that caused the stain in the first place has been removed, the “spot” will still remain, resulting in a permanent “stain.” What you’re actually seeing is the damage that the stain caused to the fabric.

If attended to quickly, most stains can be removed with the dry-cleaning process and require no additional effort than routine cleaning. Some stains are more stubborn and need special attention.  Removing stubborn stains requires a high level of skill, knowledge, and experience. This person knows that they need to do what they can to remove the stain without damaging the fabric.

As with all stains, the mildest solution and gentlest action will be used first. If the stain remains, they will then try something stronger, repeating the process until the stain is gone or the fabric begins to show signs of wear.

Party Ready:

There is nothing worse than planning what you’re going to wear to a holiday party and then discovering that you can’t wear it. You didn’t make sure the garment had been mended, cleaned, and stored properly and it is now unsuitable for the party.

A really good habit to get into is to take your party clothes to the cleaners as soon as your event or party is over.  That way, you know the next time you’re ready to prepare for your party, you won’t have to make a second rate choice in what you are going to wear.

We all have clothing that makes us feel really great.  These are the garments that we need to wear to a party, or to an office gathering where we want to look and feel our very best.

After you have gone out for the weekend, arrange with Greener Cleaner dry cleaners to have your dress picked up on Monday or Tuesday to be delivered back to your home again by Friday for the next weekend’s merriment. Just pick up the phone and give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

Silk Ties

The real truth of the matter is that silk ties aren’t really designed and made to be cleaned.  They are very fragile and most cleaning methods will tear them apart.

That being said, the frugal person will ask, “What? Throw it away? Not a chance!”

If you get a stain on your silk tie you have a couple of choices to try to remove the stain. None of these are foolproof.  However, nothing looks worse than that big red stain from last night’s spaghetti running down the front of your tie.

Silk is not very friendly with water, so avoid using water to try to clean a stain off of your tie. Handle them as little and as gently as possible to avoid puckers and pulling the tie out of shape.

The first thing I would recommend is taking your tie to your friendly local drycleaner. They will tell you up front if there is a good chance of removing the stain or not.  Most of the time, they are successful. If they’re not willing to tackle the job, here are a couple other ideas you could try.

Dab your stain with a little bit of rubbing alcohol.  (Use a light-colored cloth to do this, don’t use paper towels or tissues as the fibers will pill off into the fabric of the tie.) Blow the area dry to keep a visible ring from forming around the stain.  Do this three or four times and you may very well see a difference.

For oily stains like salad dressing, try using either talcum powder or cornstarch.  Place the tie on a flat surface and apply a fairly thick layer of powder over the stain, and then leave it overnight.  Again, you may have to do this three to four times to get rid of the stain.

Stain removers that women carry in their purse can sometimes help, but some of them will alter the color of the tie in the area of the stain (remember, the tie was a goner already…we’re just trying to save it!)

Next time, rather than chance it, toss that tie over your shoulder while you eat, or tuck it into your dress shirt.  It’s a whole lot easier getting stains out of your shirt than it is out of your tie!

What’s so Special about silk?

To quote Oscar de la Renta, “Silk does for the body what diamonds do for the hand.”

Silk is made from the thread spun by a silkworm and is the finest and strongest natural fiber in the world.  Silk clothing almost works like a second skin.

Silk has a beautiful sheen and caresses the skin of the person wearing a silk garment. It wears well, resisting soiling and odors.

Silk is natural wrinkle-resistant and is considered to be hypoallergenic because of its protein structure.

Cleaning Silk garments at home yourself can be a very risky thing to do. Colour lost is the number one mishap of home silk cleaning. If your garment cost a lot of money or has sentimental value its better if you let the experts at Greener Cleaner dry cleaners clean it for you. Just pick up the phone and give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

Need more room in that fancy dress?

It’s a fact of life, whether you have a perfect fit for your wedding dress, prom dress, or ball gown for the benefit fete, many women are stress eaters, and as a special event approaches, they find themselves just a little more “loveable” than when they purchased the dress.  It used to be that zippers were the norm for such gowns.  An additional kilogram would be a disaster.

An ingenious alternative is now available.

Replacing a zipper with Loop and Lacing closure. This is one of the best things that have ever been created. With a zipper, you are stuck with a specific size.  With the loop and lacing closing, even if you’ve gained five pounds or so, the dress can still be fastened in a beautifully flattering way and put your mind at ease.  (It can probably accommodate a bit more than 5 pounds, but don’t get carried away.)

The beauty of the loop and lacing technique is that you can adjust each portion of the bodice to fit your body exactly, just as you can with a loop and lacing corset. You may even remember seeing a number of over-dresses from the 17^th and 18^th centuries that were laced up the front.  This was done to accommodate the greatest number of sizes (for the purposes of hand-me-downs) as possible without recreating the entire dress.

If you are having a dress made, consider having a loop and lacing fastening up the back rather than the traditional zipper.  In order for this to work, you will need enough extra fabric to form a backing that is fastened to one side of the back opening.  This needs to be wide enough to span the entire distance between the back openings.  The lacing is then done on top of this piece of fabric.

If you have a dress that just doesn’t fit properly and this might be an option, ask your seamstress if there is enough fabric from shortening the dress to create a loop and lace fastening for the dress.  Most of the time when a dress has to be let out in the bodice it also has to be hemmed.  If you’re lucky, there will be enough fabric to create the loop and lace fastening to save the day.

Or, you could create an elegant bare-back design:

More and more formal gowns are being made with loop and lacing closure because of weight fluctuations that occur, especially before a big event like a wedding.

Even Kate Middleton, the bride of Prince William lost weight before her wedding. Kate probably has access to an alterations expert who will make sure her dress fits her perfectly the day of her wedding.

As you can see in this photo, the loop and lacing can be very elegant without the fabric backing.  A very nice option for the “common folk”!

Hand Cleaning of Wedding Dresses by Greener Cleaner dry cleaners. Just pick up the phone and give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

Stroller Care

Keep your little one’s ride as clean as your own with Greener Cleaner new Custom Stroller Detailing. Sweat, sunscreen and sippy cup spills can leave your Bugaboo looking bedraggled. Let me primp your pram using the same expert care and attention to detail you’ve come to expect from us.

As always, we use our custom cleaning and stain-removal processes to leave your stroller looking refreshed. We’ll even add stain repellent to most fabrics at no additional charge. You invested in the best. Let us help you protect your investment.

We are able to detail most stroller models in a few days. Additionally, we offer FREE pick up and delivery for your convenience. Best of all, we use our Eco-Care system–an environment and kid-friendly process–on all strollers and car seats, because safety matters as much to us as it does to you.

If you can’t stand the thought of cleaning your stroller by yourself, pick up the phone and give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online! And I will give you $10 off your first order to give my service a try!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

How Often Should You Clean Things?

• Wash sheets weekly – and you should have a protective mattress cover to guard against dust mites that can build up in your mattress.
• Pillows have dust mite problems too. In five years, 10% of your pillow’s weight is due to dust mites.  Use protective covers that can be washed weekly with your sheets, or get your pillows cleaned yearly.
• Towels – Once you dry off from your bath or shower, if you keep your towel open and let it air dry, you can get away with up to four uses.  If you fold your towel, where it stays wet for hours at a time, one or two uses and it must be laundered.
• Scrubbing the Shower/Tub – This one is a little tricky.  First it depends on how much you use it, but for daily usage, you should scrub once a week.  Forget those spray-on cleaners that promise to do the scrubbing for you.  They don’t touch that biofilm buildup that only goes away with a mechanical action like scrubbing with a brush or sponge.
• Toilets – Should be cleaned daily, but at the outset, at least once a week.  Moisture likes to hang around in bathrooms and bacteria loves moisture.
• Dishes – Really these should be done on a daily basis, but if you do have to leave them for a day or two, at the very least rinse them, or soaking in soapy water to avoid the growth of bacteria.  A drop or two of bleach won’t hurt either.
• Cleaning out the Refrigerator – This is an ongoing job.  Any spills should be wiped up immediately, especially if it comes from meat or fish. This will limit your exposure to E. coli or Salmonella.  If you have no major spills, then you can get away with cleaning this every two to three weeks or so.  Be sure to get rid of all the science experiments while you’re at it.
• Washing your fruits and vegetables – A lot of folks skip this step, and that’s a dangerous practice.  A lot of fruits and veggies are contaminated with E. coli or Salmonella before you even bring them home.  They should be soaked for five minutes with a small amount of citric acid, and then dried prior to eating.  Don’t eat a grape in the store, and don’t let your kids eat them either.

When Greener Cleaner cleans your pillow, we sterilize  and re-case the pillow with a brand new cotton cover for FREE. Give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online! Remember, I will give you $10 off your first order to give my service a try!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

Fabric Care Labels

Every garment sold in Australia is required to have a fabric care label attached somewhere inside the garment.  Most of them are at the back of the collar.  Others are more discretely hidden in a side-seam somewhere.

Fabric care labels are filled with vital information that will help you to take the very best care of your garment.  It will tell you the following things about your garment:

•              Size (S, M, L) or (10, 12, 14) or (1, 2, 3)

•              Where it is made (USA, China, Taiwan…)

•              Style Number – This is used to track returns for manufacturers.

•              Type of Fabric – Every garment must specify how much of each fiber is used in the construction of your garment when it is present in more than 5% of the total weight of the garment.  This is why you will see cotton/spandex blends that specify 95% cotton, 5% spandex.

•              Care Instructions – For most of us, this is the most important part of the label. The requirement in fabric labels mandates that all manufacturers provide at least one method of care necessary for that particular garment. This label should also warn you about things that could potentially harm the garment, such as never using a hot iron on a piece of rayon or acetate which could result in the melting of the fabric.

•              Laundry instructions are to tell you how to wash, bleach, dry, iron, and/or dryclean the garment.

Fabric Care Tips:

When purchasing clothing, pay particular attention to the care label.

If you have an activity in mind for the garment, but then discover that it would be too time consuming or costly to care for that garment, you may wish to purchase something more appropriate.

Knowing the best way to care for a garment will preserve its condition and value. Whenever possible, suit the ease of care to how often you will wear a garment.

If you don’t understand anything in particular about a care label, bring it into Greener Cleaner dry cleaner and I will gladly help you go through all the cleaning requirements. Or just pick up the phone and give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online! Remember, I will give you $10 off your first order to give my service a try!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

Some advice for laundry-challenged men

If you never had to do laundry before here are simple steps on how to wash, dry and fold your own clothes.

Laundry 101

Detergent: Liquid can be poured on top of the clothes; dry must be sprinkled in running water.

Water: Hot water gets whites cleaner, but today’s detergents and machines work well with cold and save energy.

Separate: Colors — whites, darks, brights, new blue jeans. Textures — fuzzy from smooths and from fabrics such as corduroy, which act like Velcro.

Tags/labels: Read them. Heed them: “Dry Clean only” or “Hand Wash Only.” If it says “Dry Flat,” don’t hang it over a line until the sleeves grow to orangutan length. Spread garment on a towel to dry.

Pockets: Empty them, unless you want clean money and shredded Kleenex stuck to everything.

Lint: It collects in a dryer screen; clean the screen after each load. (Lint is a fire hazard.)

Loads: Don’t overfill washer or dryer. They can become unbalanced and make strange noises. Clothes won’t get as clean, nor will they dry well.

Hanging: Shirts can be hung on hangers (plastic, not metal) to dry, instead of going into the dryer.

Folding: Smooth as you go to avoid wrinkles. In general, fold in thirds on a flat surface.

Closets/dressers: Where clean clothes go. Laundry baskets are not storage units.

If you can’t stand the thought of doing all of this laundry by yourself, pick up the phone and give me a Call on 1300 796 776 or go here and sign-up online! And I will give you $10 off your first order to give my service a try!

Your Neighbourhood Dry Cleaner,

Kris Anderson

www.willoughbydrycleaner.com.au

P.S. Call me at 1300 796 776 or go here and get signed up! Remember it doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your dry cleaning. Put your dry cleaning out and fill it up with as many clothes as you can for the $10-Dollars-Off special.

Basic Stain Removal Instructions:

Stains ruin clothing more quickly than anything else.  Here are some general stain removal guidelines that should help you maintain the good condition of your clothing:

• Treat stains as soon as they occur.  Most stains can be removed right away before the liquid has a chance to permeate the fibers of the fabric. If your garment is washable, pretreat it appropriately and launder it in cool water.  Check to see that the stain has been removed before drying it.  If the garment is a dry-clean only, take it to the cleaner as soon as possible and tell them about the stain, what caused it, and how long it has been there.
• There are many stain removal products on the market.  Read the labels carefully and make sure you know the fiber content of your garment prior to applying any type of stain removal product.  In fact, it is wise to test the solution on an inside seam or hem of the garment first to make sure it will not affect the dye of your fabric.  If you see a color change, do not use it on this garment.
• If you are using bleach, do not spot bleach.  Chlorine bleach is very strong, and it will begin to disintegrate the fibers of the garment. The stain might be gone, but you’ll soon end up with a serious wear spot, and eventually a hole there instead.
• Color-fast bleach is more of an enzyme cleaner.  It is still better to soak the entire garment in the solution rather than spot treating it.  This way you will avoid uneven color removal from the garment.
• If you use home dry-cleaning materials, never put these solvents in your washer.  It could cause a fire.  Also, make sure any garments you have pretreated in this way are totally dry before placing in the washer, for exactly the same reason.
• Never mix chemicals.  Never.  You can try one stain removal solution, rinse, dry, check for stain removal. Then move on to another option. Don’t combine them. You could produce poisonous gas.
• Launder pretreated clothing as soon as possible to avoid color removal of the garment by the stain treatment.

Dry Cleaning and Stain Treating Tips:

We all want to save time and money, and for some of us that means, we’re going to try to eliminate a stain by ourselves.

I have to caution you about this because stains are the most common reason people give for having to discard a garment.

Your dry-cleaner is an expert on fabrics and stain removal. Bring your garment in as quickly as you possibly can so that it can be treated before the actual fibers of the garment become damaged.  Even after a stain is removed, there will remain a mark because the fibers of the cloth have reacted chemically to the compound that created the stain in the first place.

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