-
Collars and cuffs.
Time to take your business wear out of the closet for a bright-light inspection for signs of wear on collars, cuffs and pockets. Take a good look at the elbows, too. Shirts, sweaters and jackets take a beating at the elbow, even if you’re not a professional arm wrestler. Mark trouble spots with masking tape…
-
Happy Valentine’s Day
What a wonderful holiday: celebrate the love in your life. If you didn’t plan ahead with a restaurant reservation, 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…
-
Superbowl Sunday.
It’s time for TV snacks and Superbowl is the ultimate party food event for fans everywhere. We can’t help with the outcome, but we can help get the stains out from salsa explosions, wing sauce drips or out of bounds cheese dip. Don’t give up on stains and spills – no matter who wins the…
-
Socks.
“The Tooth Fairy has a sister named the Sock Fairy, which is why every time you open the dryer a sock is missing and instead you find coins.” Keeping the footsies in pairs won’t be a challenge if you launder every pair in a mesh lingerie bag. That’s how we do it. But until they start…
-
Getting the most from your cleaner.
Our expert service starts when we tag and inspect your laundry – we look for stains, tears, broken buttons, snagged zippers. You can help by telling us (or marking with masking tape) trouble spots and stains. Our stain removal expertise is always enhanced when we know what caused the problem so we can use the…
-
Wet shoes.
Downpour, puddle or snowstorm, soaking your good shoes is more than uncomfortable, it’s a good way to ruin your investment in quality footwear. First, stuff the shoes with crumpled up newspaper and slowly dry away from direct heat which can crack the leather. When they’re almost dry, replace the paper with cedar shoe trees to…
-
The brush off.
Brush your good clothes before putting them back in the closet to remove dust, grime and surface soil before it can penetrate. Use short, quick strokes against the grain, then finish with long smooth strokes in the opposite direction. A bonus benefit, you’ll be able to spot stains, tears or damage that need cleaning or…
-
Save the memories.
Wedding gowns are not the only heirlooms that deserve special treatment. Careful cleaning, mending and archival storage can benefit any textile. Grandmother’s lace tablecloth, Dad’s letter jacket or uniform, antique tapestries or christening gowns. We’ve seen it all and can recommend the right procedures and products to preserve your treasure.
-
Best fitting chinos.
America’s favorite work-casual pants, chinos look even better when they fit properly. First, they should not need a belt to stay up. Avoid pleats — unless you want to look like your stomach is bigger. The legs should be comfortably close, without pinching or causing resistance when you move. Choose a length so there’s a…
-
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,…