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Greener and cleaner.
Spring’s a great time to change habits for a cleaner, healthier environment. Start by cutting down on water waste with shorter showers, full loads of laundry and dishes, filtered water instead of bottled. Repair and recycle appliances, furniture and clothing. Instead of tossing (eventually into a landfill) repair worn heels, replace zippers or restitch a…
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Spring cleaning the bedrooms.
The next sunny day’s a good time to strip off winter bedding and clean pillows, comforters/duvets, quilts and blankets. Our commercial-size machines treat your fine bedding gently and we press and finish to perfection with professional equipment. Now’s a perfect time to clean everything before storing winter heavyweights.
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Spring cleaning early?
Start with the closets. Review your collection of winter wear and donate everything you didn’t use this year. Now inspect the keepers for damage, stains and wear. Mark problem areas with masking tape and we’ll repair, clean and press everything before it goes into storage for the season. Ask about seasonal storage and non-plastic packaging.
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Watch for wear.
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…
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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…
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The jean jacket.
The denim coat was first seen on 19th century Japanese firemen, marked with bold indigo symbols. By the end of the century, Industrial Revolution factory workers wore blue jackets, source of the phrase “blue collar.” In 1905, Levi’s “Type I” was the choice for rugged workwear. By the 1950’s, Brando, Presley and those crazy beatniks…
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Science to the rescue.
It’s not your imagination that some workout clothes reek after ten minutes while old-school all-cotton stays relatively sweet. NPR reports that researchers have found there are certain malodorous microbes that only thrive on polyester. The traditional solutions for stinky gym clothes like vinegar or baking soda just can’t fight the tenacious Micrococcus bacteria. Impregnating polyester…
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The gender politics of buttons.
Why left handed buttons for women? In Victorian times, right handed maids did most of the buttoning for fashionable women. Left-handed buttons indicated wealth (you had enough to pay a maid to do the tedious work). As with everything, there’s an answer on the Internet. By the time sewing machines and patterns became popular in…