At Classic Cleaners we talk a lot about cleaning.  Mostly it’s about your clothing items or wedding gowns like in our blogs “How often should you wash your clothes“, and “Preserving your fondest Memories“.   But what about all the other stuff laying around the home like your Curtains, carpet, and area rugs?

Do you ever wonder what’s “normal” or “average” for how often you should wash your sheets, pillows or towels?  Here’s a quick run down of when some of your household items need the once over.

Curtains - If your curtains are heavier weight, you can use the upholstery brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner each week when you vacuum your home.  If your window treatments are more delicate, then simply shake them out on occasion – probably right before you vacuum.  When washing your curtains, be sure to check the care label first.  Most washable curtains will need to be washed in cold water with a small amount of laundry detergent.   If you’re in doubt about your curtains, take them to a professional for dry cleaning.

Carpet -  How often you clean is based on how you treat the carpet, how many people live in the home and if you have pets.   If you take your shoes off, have no kids or pets, and vacuum frequently, then you can go two years easily without needing a professional.  But, if you are a family of 4 and neglect to always take off your shoes in the home, we advise you clean the carpets every season.  Dirt is an abrasive and if left alone, it will slowly grind away at your carpet and vacuuming is not enough to get all the dirt out.  Carpet also collects pollen, pollutants and fungus which can accumulate.  If you have pets and/or are prone to allergies, you may even want to have your carpets cleaned more frequently.

Area Rugs -
•    If the area rug is in the bathroom, it needs to be washed weekly if it’s a non rubber backing.  (Unfortunately, rubber backing rugs don’t do as well in warm/hot water so they should be washed every 3-4 weeks).  The rug gets damp many times (especially in kids bathrooms) and may not dry out all the way each day between uses.  Mold and mildew can grow easily if it’s not washed often.  Wash in warm water – maybe even hot water to ensure it gets really clean.  Let the rug  hang dry over the shower or outside on a line.  Only dry the rug in the dryer if it has a non-rubber backing. 

•    Other area rugs should be vacuumed regularly and rotated every 6 months.  If the rug is small enough to take outside and “beat”, we recommend doing that when you rotate the rug.  If not, you may want to call a professional to come pick it up and clean it for you.  Do not use the harsh chemicals that are sold for wall to wall carpeted rooms.  Area rug fibers are more delicate, colors can bleed and the excess moisture can ruin the floors underneath the rug. 

Sheets – You should wash your sheets every two weeks at a minimum and once a week is ideal.  You shed dead skin, oil, and sweat when you sleep and dust mites have a field day living, eating, and reproducing on your sheets.  For those who suffer from allergies, you could prevent them or lower them by simply washing your sheets more often.  Wash in hot soapy water and let them dry completely in the dryer.  Wash your bedding more often if there is reason to do so.

Duvet Covers – Depending on how you treat the duvet cover dictates how often you should wash it.  For example, if you have pets that lounge on your bed, you should wash the duvet cover weekly at a minimum.  In all other cases,  your duvet cover should be treated similarly to your sheets in terms of laundering.  If you sleep with a sheet between you and the duvet cover, you should wash the duvet cover monthly.  If you do not use a flat sheet and just sleep with the comforter covered with the duvet cover, you should wash the duvet cover weekly.  If you use a flat sheet, a blanket and then the duvet cover, you would be fine washing your duvet cover quarterly (four times a year) bearing there are no spills or stains incurred between washings. 

Pillows – Every six months you could throw your down or polyester pillows in the wash.  Washing them monthly could substantially cut down the dust mites and allergens.  Wash them two at a time with detergent on the gentle cycle then select the extra spin cycle to remove excess water.  Tumble dry low, fluffing the pillows every so often. 

Towels – Wash bathroom laundry towels every 3-5 uses.  Be sure the towel has time to dry off between uses to ward off mold and mildew.  If you use your towel more than 3-5 times before washing it, remember, each time you dry off (even though you’re clean) you are scraping off dead skin cells that collect in the fibers of your towel.  So you end up with 5 days worth of dead skin cells in your towel on that 6th use.  Yuck!

At Classic Cleaners, we are experts in cleaning your household items.  Check back with us May 7th, 2012 for our next Limited Time Offer where we are offering 20% off Households until May 26th, 2012.   We specialize in bed linens, down pillow rejuvenation, window treatments and table linen cleaning.   Count on us to help you clean large items like your comforters and duvet covers too!

We are unable to clean your area rugs but we can give you a great recommendation if you need assistance.

Don’t you cringe when your favorite shirt, blouse, jeans, or jacket is clearly on it’s last leg?  Sometimes your favorite, classic, still relevant pieces wear out before you’re ready to put them in the toss pile.  We can’t prevent the fibers from breaking down completely (washing & wearing naturally breaks them down little by little) but here are some pro-active steps to take when choosing garments followed by care tips to keep them looking new as long as possible.

Choosing a Quality Garment      

Wherever you choose to shop for clothing , check the quality of the fabrics & cut of the items.  Even an item thought to be a higher end garment could have a discrepancy.  Overstock stores are more popular than ever due to the ability to find “high quality” items at a reduced cost but always do your due diligence and check the item for the following:

• Note how the garment hangs on the hanger.   Do the seams hang straight?  If there is a lining, does it flow smoothly with the cut of the garment?  If you crush the fabric in your hand, does it resist wrinkling?If the garment has a pattern does the pattern line up at the seams. 
• Check the garments construction.  Look at the hems, stitching, zippers, buttons & button holes.  Hems that are 1-1/2 width are best and should be nearly invisible with no puckering when the item is hanging.  Seams should be straight and preferably wider v. narrower to prevent breakage and fraying.  Zippers should zip and unzip easily and buttonholes should be sewn tightly with no loose threads.
• Read the label.  Fiber content, blend level and care instructions are important clues to how the garment may perform over time.  Instructions that indicate wash in cold water could mean the fabric may shrink or the dyes may run or fade.  The hang tag also contains additional information such as the fabric characteristics and a description of it’s quality.  Cottons, linens or rayons have the potential to shrink, stretch or fade without proper care.

Caring for your garment:

As we mentioned last week, some garments can be worn more than once before washing.  Washing too frequently can shorten a garment’s life span.  Always follow the care label instructions for washing each garment and use the proper amount of detergent.  Detergent left in the fibers can damage the fabric.  Here are more care tips to help your clothes last. 

• Store your clothing properly.  Put your clothing away in a drawer or on a shelf and hang your hanging garments on good hangers to support your clothes.  Thin wire hangers can cause your knits to sag so we recommend folding your knits.  Never hang wet items on a metal hanger.  Heavier items such as suit jackets and blazers should hang on hangers that support the shoulders and allow them to drape naturally. 
• Weed out your closet to avoid over crowding and allow your favorite items to breath.  This can eliminate the need to iron or steam a garment before wearing.
• Remove stains and/or point them out to your Dry Cleaner immediately.  See our Tips on Stain Removal.
• Make repairs as needed either by yourself or choose a quality Tailor/Seamstress.
• Air dry clothing when you can by hanging or lying it flat to dry.  When using the dryer, be careful not to leave them in too long.  Dry them just long enough to remove wrinkles and moisture.   Overdrying garments can “set” wrinkles, increase static cling, and cause shrinkage. 
• If you need to iron, use an ironing board and stretch the garment flat.  Again, check the care label and follow it to a “T” when choosing your heat setting.  Keep the iron moving to prevent scorching or burning the garment. 
• Let items rest, give expensive investments extra care, and remove dust or lint regularly.

And last but not least, choose a reputable dry cleaner to ensure your dry-cleaned items and/or family wash items are receiving the proper treatment and care.

We love our sweaters and more times than not, we’ve paid a little more for them than other items in our wardrobe.  For your sweaters to maintain that just like new appearance, they must be stored properly on a daily basis.  If you want your sweaters to last until next winter, follow our very important tips on how to store them THIS season.

Sweaters should be folded when storing.   Hanging the sweater will result in a larger sweater than the last time you put it on as it will stretch.  Once the fibers are stretched out, it’s difficult to regain it’s original shape. 

Store sweaters dry.   Never put away a damp sweater.  This will encourage mildew or mold to grow and this cannot be removed.  The mildew and mold may spread to surrounding clothing and they all will smell bad. 

Do not store with moth balls.  They are stinky and they are unhealthy for human beings.  Use cedar balls or mixed herbal sachets as a safe alternative. 

Keep your wardrobe clean.  Give your sweater a good shake after each wearing to remove fluff and dust.  Remove dandruff, hair and lint regularly.  Also, dust and vacuum your closet regularly to avoid dust settling into the fibers of your sweaters when you aren’t wearing them. 

Remove stains immediately.  Even the smallest stain should be removed before you put it back into your closet.  The fresher the stain, the more likely it will come clean. And remember to never rub a stain; blot, blot, blot.  Click here to read our tips on stain removal at home.

Remove pilling from from your sweater regularly.  Pilling is caused by the sweater rubbing together in places like your side, under the arms, on elbows and on the chest during wear.  Remove them often this season because the pilling can become worse when you store them for the summer.  Click here to read how to De-Pill your sweaters.

Follow the washing care instructions on the label.   If the label says “dry-clean only”, we recommend having it professionally cleaned.  The manufacturer recommends dry cleaning because of a sweater’s design, bulk, trim, or fiber content and it should be entrusted to a reputable professional dry cleaner.  If the label says “hand wash only”, Click here to read how to do it properly.

Remove dry cleaned sweaters from their plastic bags.  There is usually some moisture involved in the cleaning and pressing of garments. The plastic bag traps in moisture and can cause mildew which is a real threat to the integrity of the clothing’s fibers.

Give your sweater a break.  Wearing it too frequently, even though you love it, will cause it to lose shape or build up hard-to-remove perspiration stains.  Alternate your favorite sweater with other sweaters or jackets. 

Let your deodorant and perfume/cologne dry or set before putting on your sweater.  Perfume or cologne is best sprayed on your body before you dress as it can weaken the fibers of your sweater.

Accessorize your neck with a scarf.  The scarf acts as a buffer between your face makeup and neck grime and the collar of your sweater.  As a bonus, if you are sensitive to a fiber the sweater is made of, such as wool, the scarf will reduce that discomfort.

At Classic Cleaners, we’re experts in caring for sweaters.  Let us help you maintain the integrity of your wardrobe with our current promotion of $3.00 off each dry cleaned sweater until March 3, 2012.  We’ll help your sweaters look just like new so they can continue to keep you warm and cozy year after year.  We’ll even come pick them up from you for free when you sign up for our free pick-up and delivery service.

Taking care of your clothes is easy. You just have to follow the directions. If you don’t know how to launder or clean a garment, the best place to look is the fabric care label. The Textile Industry Affairs organization offers a great guide to label symbols and what they mean.

Even dry cleaning has its own collection of symbols, which Classic Cleaners follows to ensure you clothing is cleaned with care. Here are the most common dry cleaning symbols and what they mean:

Dry clean: Dry Clean, any solvent, any cycle any moisture, any heat.

Dry clean, Any Solvent: Dry Clean, any solvent. Usually used with other restrictions on proper dry cleaning procedure.

Dry clean, Petroleum Solvent Only: Dry Clean using only petroleum solvent. Usually used with other restrictions.

Dry clean, Any Solvent Except Trichloroethylene: Any dry cleaning solvent other than trichloroethylene may be safely used.

Dry clean, Short Cycle: May be used with A, P, or F solvent restriction.

Dry clean, Reduced Moisture: May be used with A, P, or F solvent restriction.

Dry clean, Low Heat: May be used with A, P, or F solvent restriction.

Dry clean, No Steam: May be used with A, P, or F solvent restriction.

Do Not Dry clean: Garment may not be commercially dry cleaned.

At Classic Cleaners, we carefully check the care labels of your garments and use the dry cleaning or laundering process that will produce the best cleaning results. If that means cleaning your garments by hand, then that is what we will do. If you have made any special requests, we are sure to implement them throughout the process.

After dry cleaning, laundering or hand cleaning your garment, we again carefully follow the care label’s instructions to finish it in the proper manner, drying and pressing it as needed. Details such as collars, pleats, seams and cuffs get special attention to ensure they are finished the way you like.