Manufacturer’s clothing care labels don’t tell all, but they do provide valuable information about your clothes.

Clothing Care Label

The Federal Trade Commission says care labels must:

• Be attached firmly to the garment
• Be easy to find
• Be readable for the useful life of that garment
• Explain one safe cleaning method for that garment 
• List any warnings about that cleaning method     

  GINETEX, (International Association for Textile Care Labeling) devised a labeling system based on symbols. That way, consumers, textile companies, and dry cleaners can all understand the label and avoid damage to the fabric. The dry cleaning symbol is a circle. 

1.  A plain circle means the article is cleanable in all the normally available dry cleaning solvents.
2.  A letter (usually P or F) tells the kind of solvent is safe to use on the fabric.
3.  A  horizontal line under the circle indicates restrictions on heat and agitation.
4.  An X in the circle means “do not dry clean”.

What if the care label indicates “washable”? Can you still have that garment dry cleaned? Possibly. (Remember that the FTC rule requires that only one safe method of processing a garment must show on the label.)  It’s best to rely on our professional expertise to judge whether dry cleaning or washing is the best way to handle the garment.

At Classic Cleaners, deciphering manufacturer’s clothing care labels is just the beginning.  We study the label first, then address each stain.  Over decades of stain-fighting experience, we’ve assembled an arsenal of tools and techniques, from compressed air to specialized brushes,  from steam guns to dozens of different stain-fighting solutions. Our goal: restoring each garment to its very best.. so that you can look – and feel – your very best!

The colors of your clothes and even of your sheets and bath towels can impact how you feel, image consultant Julie Carson says.  “Using a red towel in the morning can give you energy,” she adds, “but wearing red all day can make you excitable.”

At Classic Cleaners we know all about reds being “excitable”.  From a dry cleaning and laundry standpoint, red dyes tend to be less stable, with the color likely to lose vibrancy faster than other colors.  Professional dry cleaners refer to certain textile dyes as “loose”, and red, according to Wikipedia is “the main culprit”. Since we know red clothing has a tendency to “bleed” onto other fabrics, our professional technicians are very careful how those reds are handled. Not only are all red garments cleaned and handled separately from other clothes, the solvent itself is distilled after each use.

It’s no wonder we process a lot of red clothing at each of our Classic Cleaners locations – red continues to be a very popular color, not only for women’s clothing, but for men’s ties and sweaters as well. Famous designer Bill Blass advised, “When in doubt, wear red.” Renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright placed a red square signature tile on each of the homes he built in the 1930′s. The message you send by driving a vehicle that is Vibrant Red, according to http://www.squidoo.com/: Speedy, high energy, dynamic. Have you ever wondered why U.S. presidents seem to prefer red ties? Neatorama cites studies showing that red is most effective at enhancing our attention to detail.

No matter what the color of your clothing, be assured each garment will be given the specialized attention it requires. As longtime members of the Dry Cleaning & Laundry Institute, the premier international association for garment care professionals, we’re proud to “see red” (along with any other color garment you entrust to our care!).

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Worried because you’ve heard that dry cleaning plants can cause chemical contamination in ground water, air, and municipal sewers? Worry no more with Classic Cleaners.

 None of our chemicals ever go into city sewers or underground tanks.  Instead, used-up cleaning agents are saved in above-ground tanks ready to be removed by licensed chemical companies.  From there the chemicals are either recycled or disposed of through state-approved processes.  At Classic Cleaners, we’re really proud of our Indiana 5-Star Environmental Recognition award.

Classic Cleaners was the first dry cleaner in the Indianapolis area to become a Certified Environmental Drycleaner.  This designation comes from the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute. In the many years we’ve operated as a dry cleaning and laundry chain in the Indianapolis area, we have never once been cited for an environmental violation or been required to clean up any site. We’re very proud of our “clean” record (pun intended!).

We continue to grow and to open new stores in – and all around – Indianapolis.  For us, it’s all about neighborhoods. If we’re not already your neighbors, we will be soon. We aim to be the very best of neighbors, taking the best care we can of the environment.  We protect your heath while we take care of your clothes!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

“Remember that to him or her, a person´s name is the sweetest, most important sound in any language,” Dale Carnegie used to teach in his sales training.  At Classic Cleaners we’ve always known this to be true.  In the past couple of weeks, though, we got a wonderful reminder of the simple power in people’s names, in the form of a customer testimonial.

Classic Cleaners customer service

“I’m writing to you to let you know what wonderful employees you have in Nancy Leonard and Katherine Toler who work at the Village of West Clay location…There are many choices of dry cleaners in my area, but because of these two women and their superior service and friendly greeting I receive every time I’m in (they actually know me by my name!) I will go out of my way to support this location…”  (Leslie in Carmel)

It’s so interesting.  Classic Cleaners uses the latest technology, not only in terms of equipment, laundry and dry cleaning processes, garment tracking and recordkeeping, but in its environmentally friendly recycling practices.  But, when it comes right down to it, it’s the old-fashioned “little things” that keep our customers so loyal.  No matter how big we get, no matter how many thousands of customers we have, no matter many millions of garments we process each year, we never forget our goal:  taking care of customers, one at a time. 

In an old country music song, a woman laments, “You never even called me by my name!”
Each of our customers has a name, and we want to remember it and use it every time. We want our customers to know our employees’ names as well, names such as Delores Godwin, the district manager who’s been with our company more than 22 years, or Ohi Suhre, our seamstress who’s been with us more than eighteen years.

What’s in a name?  When it comes to Classic Cleaners’ customers and employees – everything!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team