The entertainment industry has known for years how to keep a wardrobe in place using double sided fabric tape.  Whether you are in the spotlight or not, we recommend double sided fabric tape for temporary repairs and quick fixes.

Double sided fabric tape comes in a little roll that looks similar to a roll of scotch tape.  You can find this item at a fabric store, drug store, grocery store and online.  It’s inexpensive, clear, and won’t leave a residue or damage your clothes.  The application is quick and easy with no need to iron or sew.  Fabric tape can be used on a variety of fabrics including leather and denim.  However, be careful when applying to delicates such as silk.

Most common uses for double sided fabric tape:

Quickly repair a hem in your pants or skirt.  Turn the garment inside out and lay it flat.  Cut the amount needed and place sticky side of tape below the hem stitching on the backside.  Fold over the fabric of the outside of the hem and smooth with your hand.  Press to secure.

Secure a bursting button down.  Place one side of the tape right above the buttons.  Connect the other side secretly underneath the part of the shirt that loops over the button

Tape down the top of a gaping shirt.  Tape along the top edge of a shirt that gaps when you bend over.  Connect the other side of the tape to your own skin so that it doesn’t reveal all when you bend down to pick something up.

Other uses for double sided fabric tape include: 

• Tack down a button down shirt collar
• Fix a peek a boo bra strap to spaghetti strap tank tops & party dresses.
• Secure a wrap dress
• Secure a loose sling back shoe
• Keep your scarves and belts in place  

We recommend having double sided tape on hand now before you really need it.  It’s especially handy when traveling this season. 

What have you used double sided tape for?  We’d love to hear your tips! 

If your garment needs permanently altered or repaired, Classic Cleaners has a full service seamstress at our main plant on Bash Street in Castleton.

The holiday season is creeping up on us and that often means fluffing pillows and straightening curtains for guests. If you’ve started the fluffing and the straightening, you might have noticed that your home could use a little extra polish. In light of Classic Cleaners’ limited time offer on household cleaning (take 20% off all of your household cleaning needs Sept. 25-Oct. 15), here are some tips for prepping your home for holiday guests.

CLEAR VIEWS

A thorough window washing — inside and out — can make a huge difference in how the inside and outside of your home looks. A cloudy window can make even the cleanest things in your home look a little dingy. Your draperies can also improve the view. To remove signs of dust, stains and pressing, bring your linens to Classic Cleaners. From lined to swag, casual to formal, Classic Cleaners makes your drapes look as good as your wardrobe.

HANDSOME TABLES

If you are hosting guests, chances are you are cooking. Be sure the table on which you are serving is as pleasing to the eye as your food is. If your table is treated with a polyurethane finish, consider sanding down worn areas and giving it a fresh coat of poly. It will help repel stains and give it a great shine. Treat your table linens to the spa treatment with a visit to Classic Cleaners. Crisply pressed tablecloths and spotless napkins can go a long way in setting the holiday table.

SUMPTUOUS BEDS

One key to making up a welcoming bed is regular cleaning. Before tossing anything into your washer or dryer, check the label. This is not an area in which you want to be a rule breaker. Be sure you aren’t crowding your washable bed linens in the washer. You want them to have plenty of room to move around when they’re being agitated. After washing, it’s best to lay out blankets and comforters flat in a dry place or line dry them. If you don’t have a large washer and place to dry your linens effectively, drop all of your bed linens by Classic Cleaners. We can handle it.

SPA-WORTHY PILLOWS

When your guest’s head hits the pillow, be sure it’s a fluffy one. To add a little life back to your pillows, give them to the “pillow-rejuvenation spa” treatment at Classic Cleaners. Once the down and feather filling has been thoroughly cleaned, we add new filling to return the pillow to its original volume. The filling is then placed in brand new, dust-free ticking.

With beautiful local venues like the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Ritz Charles in Carmel, it’s no surprise that people flock to the area to tie the knot. For others, travelling to tropical locales for a destination wedding is more appealing. Understandably, brides-to-be are often concerned about the proper way to care for wedding dresses before the celebration. Sometimes, dresses are folded and placed into boxes for easier transportation, and even for delivery or storage. Gowns stored, even temporarily, in boxes or travel bags are often tightly packed will require pressing to remove wrinkles and creases. With a gentle touch and attention to detail, we carefully de-wrinkle dresses, careful to avoid damage to beading and other special designs.

Here are some tips on caring for your dress before the wedding:
Stuff with tissue paper. To avoid squishing the dress, pack it tightly with acid-free tissue paper.

Choose your method of travel wisely. Traveling by car might be the safest option, but for those traveling by plane, there’s one rule to remember: never check your dress. Bring your gown on the plane with you as a carry-on. Ask a flight attendant to hang it in the first-class closet.

Promptly remove the dress upon arrival. If you’re transporting a dress, regardless of the distance you plan to travel, hang it up as soon as you arrive at your destination. Sometimes, it’s necessary to have the gown pressed by a professional.

Whether it’s before the wedding, or after, our bridal services keep dresses in ready-to-celebrate condition. By staying on top of the latest trends in wedding dress design, we ensure that our team members are trained to properly care for even the most intricately designed gowns. Brides can rest assured knowing that the pros at Classic Cleaners are prepared to handle the last minute touch-ups that make dresses dazzle on the big day.

For these and other tips on traveling with a wedding dress, visit the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists website.

Over time, down- and- feather- filled pillows become a little less soft and fluffy and a little more flat and lifeless. Dust and potentially harmful bacteria sneaks in and settles comfortably within the filling, making once-dreamy pillows an unfortunate nightmare.

But even the flattest, dustiest, most bacteria-saturated pillows are given new life with our down pillow rejuvenation process. We begin the spa-like treatment by gently removing and discarding existing ticking, separating the filling from the fabric. Next, special rotating tumblers with soft brushes sift out dust and dirt, break up clumps, and fluff feathers. Bacteria-killing lights and germicidal ozone sanitize, deodorize, and refresh the down and feathers. Finally, brand new, clean, crisp, and 100 percent cotton ticking is filled with new feathers and down that supplement the freshly cleaned filling, restoring the pillow to its original volume.

A good night’s sleep with clean and freshly fluffed pillows will leave you feeling well-refreshed and reinvigorated. Instead of simply replacing exhausted pillows, bring them to Classic Cleaners for down pillow rejuvenation and an unmatched spa-like treatment. Learn a little more about the service here.