You’ve spent hours, days, weeks, maybe months looking for the perfect dress for your wedding day.  Once found, now all of your energy & efforts might be focused on the ceremony specifics and celebration details of the big day.  You probably haven’t thought yet about what you’ll do with your dress after the wedding.

If you haven’t thought that far and your immediate goal is to just make it to the reception, let us put a little bug in your ear.  Delegate someone in your wedding party to take the dress to the cleaners as soon as possible after your wedding day to have it cleaned.   We suggest having it preserved right away too.

What is bridal gown preservation?

Preserving a bridal gown – or wedding gown – is to carefully package the gown for storage to keep it in perfect condition.  When you take the dress out of the box years and decades later, it will be maintained, in tact, & free from deterioration and decay.

First, during a detailed, gentle, hand cleaning, all contaminants that can cause the dress to turn yellow such as body oils, sweat, deodorant, perfumes, lotions, food stains, etc. are removed.  Metal items such as clasps, buttons and hooks are treated carefully and beads and sequins that are sharp are covered so they don’t get damaged (and so they don’t cause damage to the dress).

After hand cleaning, an anti-sugar stain treatment is applied.  Sugar stains are spills that contain sugar, salt and acid that often dry clear and cannot be seen.  These stains do not dissolve during ordinary dry cleaning and turn an ugly brown over time.  The anti-sugar stain treatment ensures all sugar, salt & acid is removed.

We may be able to repair the fabric, lace, beads and other areas as needed. The goal is always to make the gown just as beautiful as the day it was first worn.

The gown is then layered with an environmentally pure, acid-free tissue and carefully folded into an acid-free, museum quality, archival wedding chest.  We store metal buttons and findings and shoulder pads separately, stuffing the sleeves, bodice and folds with additional acid-free tissue to prevent hard wrinkles. The preservation box, designed especially for this purpose, allows the gown to breathe, keeping it in perfect condition for many decades to come.

If you choose a Certified Wedding Gown Specialists™, such as Classic Cleaners, to preserve your gown, you will receive a written 100 percent guarantee against sugar stains and yellowing. (If at any time in the future stains appear or discoloration occurs, we or any participating specialist in more than 500 cities around the world will restore the gown for free.)  When the gown is to be worn again, you may take your gown to any participating Certified Wedding Gown Specialists™ in the country to have it inspected and pressed at no charge before the gown is worn again.

Preserving a gown now will save you time and resources later if you believe you may want to pass the dress down to a relative or friend, re-sell it, or use the material to create other heirlooms such as baptismal gowns or baby bedding.

Do you know anyone who has worn a gown that had been previously preserved?  We’d love to hear the details and see pictures if available!

- S.O.

It’s wonderful that individuals and companies are using the word “green” to describe their practices but what exactly does “green” mean?  And what about  “organic”, “natural”, “Eco-friendly”, etc.?

Here’s a cheat sheet on what these “green” terms mean.  There are other words for “going green” but the following tend to be the most commonly used.

* Eco-Friendly:  Eco-friendly means earth-friendly or not harmful to the environment.  At a minimum, the product is non-toxic.  Eco-friendly products also prevent contributions to air, water and land pollution.

* Farm Raised Fish:  According to the USDA this means fish or shellfish that have been “harvested in controlled environments” and have been protected from predators or provided nutrients.

* Free Range:  This indicates the animals that produce the meat or eggs were raised to range freely for food, rather than being confined in an enclosure.  Free Range is not a certification and it does not always mean the product is ”organic”.  Free-range food doesn’t have to meet any particularly stringent, or even legal requirements.

* Natural:  If it describes food it means the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.  If it’s describing clothing it means it was made without petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances or dyes.  If there are any sulfates, they are naturally derived.

* Naturally Derived:  This describes goods made with ingredients that were produced with raw materials from a natural source, like botanicals and fruit extracts, but were chemically altered to be used in the final formulation.

* Non Toxic:  A Non Toxic product, substance, or chemical will not cause adverse health effects, either immediately or over the long-term.  It is not poisonous, harmful, or otherwise destructive to an organism upon exposure.

* Organic:  To receive the official USDA Organic certification, the product must have been produced without the use of genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, sewage sludge or the use of synthetic fertilizers.  “Organic farming systems rely on ecologically based practices such as cultural and biological pest management, exclusion of all synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones in crop and livestock production”.

* Sustainable:  Sustainable products have the least or no health or environmental degradation on humans and our planet, and promote social welfare.  Items are produced in ways that minimize their environmental impact.  Examples include energy saving light bulbs, electric vehicles, solar-powered items, and biodegradable packaging.

What are some other terms that you’ve seen on products to indicate “green”?  What “green” terms do you look for when you make a buying decision?

- S.O.

Did you know that 90 percent of dust comes from people and fabric?  We constantly shed tiny flakes of skin from our bodies and our clothes, bedding and households constantly shed barely visible fibers.   These flakes and fibers settle on the surfaces of your home and float from place to place as people pass by and doors open and close.

All of these little particles can trigger allergies because up to 500 dust mites can live in just 1/2 teaspoonful of dust.  They live in pillows, bed covers, mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpeting, even clothing.

You can’t eliminate dust but here’s how you can reduce dust and possibly reduce allergies.

1.     Vacuum floors and upholstered furniture once a week.  Use a vacuum with a powerful agitator on carpet.  Turn the agitator off when vacuuming wood, tile or vinyl flooring because it blows dust into the air.  Take upholstered cushions outside and beat them with an old tennis racket.  This will remove dust better than vacuuming.

2.     If your forced-air heating/cooling system is equipped with a good  filter, switch your  thermostat to “fan on” when you vacuum.  This will filter the air even while the system isn’t heating or cooling.  Leave the blower on for  about 15 minutes after you’re done cleaning to filter out the dust the vacuum agitator whipped up while vacuuming.  Don’t forget to switch back to “auto.”

3.     Keep your closet clean and the floors clear so you can vacuum easily & regularly.  Closets are full of tiny fibers from clothes that get whipped up every time you open the door or walk through.  Use garment boxes, bags, and clear plastic containers to store items on shelves to lock fibers in and dust out.  Dust the top of them and the shelves during your weekly cleanings.

4.     Capture dust by using a damp rag or an electrostatic cloth to wipe down furniture.  Use the rag to wipe down tops of doors, window frames and window sills too.

5.     Wash your sheets and blankets weekly.  You shed skin and the bedding sheds it’s own fibers every time you roll over.  Launder in the hottest water tolerable according to the care label.  Dry clean only items can be shaken out outside in between professional cleanings.

6.     If your comforters are filled with feathers or down or if you have wool blankets and comforters have them professionally cleaned often.

7.     Shake out area rugs regularly, professionally clean them once or twice a year and opt for hardwood or tile on your floors.  Carpet is the the biggest dust reservoir & absorbs dust like a giant sponge.  Hardwood, tile, or linoleum flooring are easiest to keep clean.  Shag carpeting is the worst type of carpeting for a person allergic to dust mites.

8.     Control the humidity by keeping it below 50% throughout your house.  Ensure good ventilation, especially in your bedroom. Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner, but clean them thoroughly according to the manufacturer’s directions, especially if you’re also allergic to mold.

9.     Keep furnace filters clean.  While your furnace keeps warm, it can also carry dust and mold spores throughout your house.  Clean the furnace filter every 3-6 months.

Other small tips that make a big difference in reducing dust settling:
*      Limit knickknack decor
*      Instead of heavy drapery opt for lightweight curtains
*      Avoiding stacking piles of mail, newspaper, magazines on open shelves
*      Only keep clothes you wear regularly in your bedroom or closet and store the rest
*      Keep stuffed animals out of your room or store them in a closed toy box.  Regularly wash stuffed toys in hot water.  Put a favorite stuffed animal in a plastic bad and in the freezer overnight every few weeks to help kill dust mites.

If you’re living in your home, it’s impossible to avoid dust but the above tactics could cut back on the amount of dust you have week to week and reduce allergic reactions to dust.

Have we missed something on our list to help reduce dust and allergies in your home?  If so, please share your tips with us!

- S.O.

Shoes are an important part of your wardrobe and a Clean Crisp Image.  Therefore we offer a variety of shoe care, including shoe shine & repair, alongside our eco friendly dry cleaning and family wash service.

Our shoe shining service guarantees each shoe is hand shined by experienced professionals – no automated machines are used.  Using the highest quality products, we specialize in conditioning, buffing and stain removal.

Our repair service includes replacing your worn out tips, soles, insoles, and heels as well as replace zippers, buckles, velcro and the spikes on your golf shoes.  We can do a total restoration on your shoes including stripping (if needed), re-dying and replacing the shoe strings.

Our shoe care service is available for the following types of shoes:

*  Dress and casual shoes
*  Sheepskin Boots(UGGS)
*  Military shoes
*  Cowboy boots
*  Work boots
*  Combination leather/rubber
*  Dance shoes
*  Golf shoes

Our shoe care service is easy and convenient to use.  Drop off your shoes with your other cleaning or leave them for your route driver and they will be returned to you looking as good as new.

If you need a repair, please place a specific note with the shoes indicating what you’d like fixed.

Please contact us with any questions.  We look forward to extending our quality VIP service to your shoes!

- S.O.