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.

Eventually even the softest towels can get stiff and faded. And it is one of life’s cruel ironies that the more you launder your towels, the dingier they can get. Build-up from detergent and fabric softener is the main culprit as to why your comfy linens can get rough. To help combat the build-up and help loosen up the fabric, try these home remedies.

• Soak towels in hot water and 1/4 cup (or less) ammonia. The ammonia will help remove residue.
• Add 1 cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle to help soften the fabric.
• When the machine is full of water, add 1 cup Epsom salt. This will help remove chemical build-up.
• Do not overload the washing machine. It is important not to smash and compact the fibers during the wash.
• Use a round brush to bring your towel back to life. Lay the towel flat on the bed and use long brush strokes. Follow the brushing with a wash without detergent.
• Do not hang your towels out to dry. Though quaint and environmentally friendly, line drying can contribute to the stiffness of towels. Tumble dry instead.

Try some of these tips next time you find your towels more scratchy than soft. And for all your other laundering needs, please visit your neighborhood Classic Cleaners.

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.

Like most other dry cleaning establishments, you probably think of Classic Cleaners mostly in terms of working with clothing. But that’s not all we do – we can also keep clean your house’s apparel! Classic Cleaners offers specialized services for cleaning of bed linens, rejuvenation of down pillows, cleaning and drying of window treatments like curtains and draperies, and cleaning of table linens.

And for certain Classic Cleaners customers, this service will be even better, as it’s more affordable. We’re now offering 25% off cleaning of household fabrics purchased at Drapery Street, within one year of purchase.

Drapery Street is a textile shop based in downtown Carmel with a unique philosophy. They believe that everyone should have access to high-end fabrics, and that you should be able to have the tools to easily visualize and plan a project for your home. They’ve turned that philosophy into a workshop where the customer can browse affordable but still high-quality fabrics with larger samples than the minimalist 2”x6” pieces provided by most retailers. Drapery Street hopes to be a place where customers can enjoy creating new décor for their homes, rather than making it a torturous chore.

So the next time you’re looking to update the look of a room in your home, think about Drapery Street – and if you do, you’ll have a friend in Classic Cleaners to keep your new household fabrics looking like new.