CLASSIC CLEANERS’ NOVEMBER SPECIAL -           

2.00 OFF ALL OUTERWEAR ITEMS!

“You know you’re a fashion nightmare when you wear underwear as outerwear,’ comments ivillage.com, warning “nice ladies” that, “Unless you’re Paris Hilton, there’s a time and a place for lingerie.”

(Not that any of our fine female Classic Cleaners customers would ever fancy themselves the new Paris Hiltons, but, given our November special on all outerwear items, we thought a dictionary definition reminder might be appropriate:

                                  Out-er-wer: n. 
Garments, as raincoats or overcoats, worn over other clothing for warmth or  protection outdoors.

  http://www.dictionary30.com/meaning/outerwear gets even more definitive about outerwear, counting  jackets, coats, cloaks, and even scarves and mittens in the category.

At Classic Cleaners, our professionals dry clean coats of every description, including parkas, down-filled mountain-climbing and ski outfits, and we specialize in suede and leather coats.

The other day I heard a waggish WIBC announcer tell his listening audience how much he was enjoying the unseasonably balmy Indiana weather, “I’m beginning to think global warming is vastly underrated, ” he quipped.  Global warming or not, we all know November is the time to prepare for colder temperatures and even for some precipitation.

So, gather up those cloaks and coats and jackets and rainwear, the down-filled vests and ski suits and parkas.  With freshly cleaned outerwear, you’ll be prepared for whatever weather the autumn and winter to come might bring.

You know you’re fashion-savvy when you put your fine outerwear garments in the capable hands of our Classic Cleaners professionals!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

 ”If I have no heirlooms, what should I pass down?” is the question addressed by Emilie Sennebogan on tlc.howstuffworks.com. Sennebogan assures her readers that when it comes to leaving things to your descendants, “sometimes emotional value far outweighs any financial worth“.

Classic Cleaners’ customer Ladonna Hanson knows all about emotional value. Thrilled by the idea that her granddaughter might be able to wear the precious baby dresses which the new mom had herself worn as an infant, Ladonna brought several 24-year old baby outfits out of the closet.  Dismayed at the yellowing she found on the fabric, Mrs. Hanson asked for help.

Passing down treasured clothing items and household goods is a very old tradition. In fact, the significance of the “heirloom chest” goes back to the ancient Egyptians. And, while the  “trousseau’ or “hope chest” has gone out of fashion, as Erik Shimek explains in his ezine.com article Storing Heirlooms Inside of a Cedar Chest,  “it can be a joy to assemble a ‘memory box’ for young boys and girls to remember their childhood.” From baby clothes and dolls to baseball gloves, the treasures in the box help recipients relive special moments.

Seeing the beautifully restored baby clothes brought smiles and tears to the faces of Grandma and daughter, plus effusive thanks from Ladonna Hanson to the professionals at Classic Cleaners.

Alas, (at least for now) the little princess remains oblivious to how impressive a fashion statement she’s making, dressed in her sparking-clean, heirloom baby wardrobe!

 by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Halloween costumes

“Halloween costumes can be those interesting possessions that you like to carry on keeping for long,” we’re told in an articlesbase.com item.

(“Carry on keeping”? Odd syntax, but the sentiment sure makes sense…) Any costume is affected by the acidic constituents of sweat, the article goes on to say.  Costumes need to be kept clean and properly stored to protect them against heat, dust, and microbes, articlesbase.com cautions.

Certain costumes present special challenges when it comes to cleaning,  as one horror story in bhuz.com, Belly Dance Central’s website demonstrates.  One reader had apparently taken her gown to a dry cleaners and “most of the beads were melted together.  The dress was ruined.”

At Classic Cleaners, the dry cleaning of delicate costumes is part of the specialized professional services offered to customers at any season of the year. The weeks leading up to Halloween and the days following the holiday are busiest.  From sequins and beading on dance costumes to a wolf-and-three-little-pigs outfit made of colored felt and fake fur, Classic Cleaners has taken costumes from Halloween to Halloween with hardly a squeal!

Should you fancy the idea of dressing up as a dry cleaning professional yourself, there’s a video on 5min.com showing how to make a dry cleaning costume out of a hanger and a plastic bag.  (Please remember to bring those two items back to Classic Cleaners for recycling once Halloween has passed!)

At Classic Cleaners, we want you to have a happy Halloween -  before AND after October 31!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

It’s always a sad time when someone’s possessions have been damaged by fire, and at Classic Cleaners, we’re always gladdened if our expertise in restoring clothing or household goods can be of help.

Truth is, as Betty Feather of the University of Missouri’s Department of Textile and Apparel Management points out, “After-the-fire activities often cause more damage than the fire itself.” Fire, Feather explains, creates two types of smoke damage in fabric:

• Visible soot
• Invisible odor

There are good reasons to contact a professional, Feather explains:

When it comes to smoke odors, the cleaning process is different depending on whether the smoke came from burning wood, or burning plastic.

On draperies or other household textiles, homeowners trying to clean those on their own will usually only smear soot further into the fabric.

Classic Cleaners tips on things that can and should be done as soon as possible by homeowners after a fire:

• Separating wet garments or household items and drying them outdoors on a line or by blowing a fan on them until dry
• Keeping fire-damaged articles in a separate bag from undamaged ones
• Getting the items to the dry cleaners as soon as possible, dropping them off directly with an explanation of exactly what happened and when.

When helping you recover from even a very small fire, we understand that time and expertise are of the essence. Our professionals stand ready to come to the after-fire rescue!