In cleaning their clothes, Civil War soldiers knew that, to avoid shrinkage, they had to be aware of three elements:

•   Mechanical action
•   Moisture
•   Heat

The stains on their uniforms, which were made from wool or a cotton-based (denim-like material), generally fell into three categories:

• Grass and mud stains      
• Black  powder
• Food stains

Civil War re-enacting is a fun hobby and a terrific way to study history.  Classic Cleaners’ partner Steve Arnold certainly thinks so. Posing at the far left of the photograph below, Arnold was taking part a  2001 re-enactment of the first major battle of the Civil War, Manassas, which took place in 1861 in the state of Virginia. The uniforms worn by the re-enactors  were actually reproduced on 100-year old looms, copied from photographs of the original uniforms of the Liberty Hall Volunteers from Lexington, Virgina. 

Clothing back in Civil War days was made to last for many years. Garments would be reworked and repaired until they were threadbare, and yet people took a lot of pride in the appearance of their clothing.  Needless to say, battlefield solders had to make do, brushing their uniforms as best they could, as well as washing their garments in lakes or streams.

Hand-brushing garments, as a matter of fact, is still one of several hand-care techniques used at Classic Cleaners today for treating challenging stains and for restoring “nap” to fabrics (although black powder is rarely a problem nowadays!).  In place of the crude lye soaps of Civil War times, skilled Classic Cleaners technicians have available an assortment of specialty cleaning chemicals to help restore and clean garments of every vintage!

Classic Cleaners' Steve Arnold in Civil War Re-enactment at Menasses Battlefield

Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Sometimes you’ve got to take back in order to give, that’s all there is to it!

Dry cleaning plastic bags

One of the small but very important ways in which Classic Cleaners fulfills the dry cleaning industry’s highest standards of environmentally responsible practices is how we handle – bags.

It’s simple.  Plastic bags help keep clothes clean and fresh while they’re being transported from our plant to customers’  homes.  But, as the first dry cleaners in the Indianapolis area to receive Certified Environmental Drycleaner certification, we know throwing away those plastic bags isn’t good for the environment.

Some 89,000,000,000 plastics bags are used each year in the U.S.. According to Earth911.com, plastic bags are produced from natural gas.  When bags are recycled, the energy is available for new products, not only for bags, for products such as composite lumber and decking.  A five-year long study by the Ocean Conservency found that plastic bags make up 9% of the debris found along U.S. coasts.

We make it easy for our loyal customers to do the right thing, reminding them to return those plastic bags (and, wherever possible, hangers as well) to us by putting them into the cleaning bag along with their next order.  Classic Cleaners has contracted with a green recycling firm to turn that plastic into trash bags and other reusable items.

Our Classic Cleaners team has made a commitment to the environment.  We believe keeping our planet a safe place to be is every bit as important as producing quality cleaning. Plastic bag recycling is just a small part of that commitment.  We stay up-to-date on environment regulations of all sorts for proper waste handling and dry cleaning operating procedures and follow them all to the letter.

 At Classic Cleaners, we’re proud that we’ve never been cited for an environmental violation, and that we’ve never been required to clean up any of our sites.  You can bet, everyone on the Classic Cleaners team is proud of our “clean” environmental record!

Bags to give back, anyone?

Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Dress For Success Indianapolis Clothing donations

More than seven years and 100,000 suits and blouses later, we’re proud to say Classic Cleaners’ partnership with Dress for Success Indianapolis has been nothing but successful .

The April 17th “Super Sort” at the Classic Cleaners Bash Street plant is just one aspect of the ongoing partnership between Classic Cleaners and Dress For Success Indianapolis. DFS Indianapolis staff members, volunteers, and interns gathered Saturday morning to help sort the donated clothing and prepare it for delivery to the Dress For Success boutique at 820 North Meridian.

Susie Fucik, Professional Women's Group Program Manager, Juanita Galvis, first time volunteer, Mehida Perez, volunteer

The mission of Dress For Success is “to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.”

Classic Cleaners contributes to DFS Indianapolis in several other ways as well :

• Super Sort is the culmination of Send One Suit Week, during which individuals at a local business, place of worship, or organization host a private drive.  These individuals lead an on-site collection with their co-workers, associates, family or friends to collect 1 suit, 1 blouse, and monetary donations from each person to benefit DFS Indianapolis.  For the fourth year, Classic Cleaners was a sponsor for the private drives by giving each donor a coupon for $10 off a $20 or more order of dry cleaning.
• Throughout the year, Classic Cleaners acts as a collection site, accepting interview-appropriate suits and blouses on hangers, cleaning donated garments as needed, then delivering them to the DFS Indianapolis Boutique at 820 N, Meridian. (Other items such as shoes, jewelry, purses, and accessories may be dropped off at  DFS Indianapolis during open clothing donation days.)  
       
• In August of each year, Classic Cleaners runs a special DFS Indianapolis promotion. For every dry cleaning order of $20 or more, $2 is donated to Dress For Success.  A check is presented to the organization at the DFS Indianapolis’ annual September fundraiser, “Stepping Out in Style”. In each of the the past two years, Classic Cleaners September donation was more than $13,000.

Why does Classic Cleaners contribute to worthy organizations like Dress For Success Indianapolis? Simple!  It’s our way of showing our appreciation to society and to being good citizens of the human family.

By Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Classic Cleaners vs. The Toughies

Every profession has its special challenges, and dry cleaning is no exception. Over many years of perfecting the art of garment care, Classic Cleaners professionals have honed tools and techniques for dealing with special problems.  Here are some of the more common “toughies”:

Toughie fabrics:
Leather
Suede
Multiple fabrics in one garment – wool with spandex, cottons with silk

Toughie reds:
Red garments
Red wine stains, beet stains

Toughie stains:
Mustard
Ink (especially on silks)
Caramelized sugar stains
Oxidized oils

Toughie mysteries:

1.    Stains the customer forgot about (For example, champagne spilled on a wedding gown will dry clear, with the stain showing up only after the fabric is cleaned)

2.    Stains the customer doesn’t tell us about (The more we know about a stain, the more likely we are to be able to remove it.)

3.    Customers forgetting to notify us to suspend route service while they’re on vacation.

The old cliché “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” might have been coined to describe the Classic Cleaners team of professionals.  Our goal – keep you lookin’ good!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

putting up arms

There are several expressions in the English language that involve “arms”.

“Taking up arms” means starting a fight, and, well, the only sort of fight the professionals at Classic Cleaners are interested in taking up is the fight against stains!

“Putting your arms up” signifies surrendering. Over the twenty-five years of Classic Cleaners’ existence, millions of garments and household items have been “surrendered” to our dry cleaning and laundry professionals – and we always “surrender” them back better than we found them!

Today, though, let’s talk about underarms, and those embarassing yellow “sweat stains” that can appear on the underarms of garments. While most customers are under the impression underarm stains are caused by perspiration, that’s actually only half the truth.  It’s really the combined effect of sweat and deodorants that changes the color of clothing dyes.

There are several preventative steps you can take to help avoid underarm yellowing on your prized garments:

1.       If you use spray deodorant, spray your body, not your clothes. Allow the spray to dry before putting on your shirt, blouse, or dress.  The same advice holds true for cologne and hairspray, by the way.  The alcohol in toiletries can leave deposits that won’t be visible until after the garment has been dry cleaned.

2.     Be aware that natural pH deodorants (without aluminum chloride or acids) are kinder on your clothing.

3.     Use shields inside silk garments or other delicate articles of clothing.

4.     Don’t try to bleach out underarm stains.  When you “surrender” the garment to the professionals at Classic Cleaners, point out the discoloration.

No need to “throw up your arms” (in despair).  Let Classic Cleaners “take up arms” on your behalf!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Have you every wondered what exactly happens to your clothes between the time you drop them off to be dry cleaned and when you pick them up again? After being carefully checked for special label instructions, loose buttons and fasteners, and foreign objects (things such as plastic pens that might dissolve in the solvent and cause problems) by our Classic Cleaners professionals, your clothes will actually be spending some time in a drum!

Dry cleaning machines look something like a combination of everyday washing machines and
dryers. Inside the machine, the clothes are held in a “drum” or inside container within an outer shell. The dry cleaning solvent is in that outer shell, and the liquid feeds into the drum while the clothes are being gently agitated inside. The dry cleaning solvent separates the soil and stains from the garment. Afterwards, the solvent is removed and distilled so that soil particles cannot be absorbed back into the clothes. During the drying cycle, your garments are tumbled in warm air that circulates throughout the drum. Finally, a deodorizing aeration cycle cools your clothes and removes the last traces of solvent. 

High tech machines can do a lot these days, but we also use professional hand tools such as steam guns and specialized brushes, and choose carefully from among tens of  different stain-fighting solutions.  It takes that Classic Cleaners combination of high-tech and high-touch to ensure your clothes are returned to you looking their absolute best so that you can look your best!

Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

When you arrive at Classic Cleaners, you know you’ve come to the right place to find premium dry cleaning and laundry services.  But, if you’ve got a little time to listen, you’ll find that, along with their specialized expertise in taking care of your clothes and household items, many of our employees have some very unusual life stories to share.

Plant manager Rosa Benevidez

Production Manager Rosa Benavidez is a perfect example. A proud member of the Classic Cleaners family for going on sixteen years, Rosa has managed the Bash Road plant for the past twelve of those years.

As children, Rosa and her eleven siblings became migrant workers, following the tomato crops along with their parents.  With her entire academic history consisting of two weeks in the third grade, Rosa “learned from life”.  “We were proud people”, she explains.  “Nobody owed us anything – we had to survive and make our own way.”

After years of working as a presser in various dry cleaning establishments in Virginia, Rosa and her husband, a former commercial fisherman, moved to Indiana sixteen years ago. Hired as a shirt presser at Classic Cleaners, Rosa had found a “home”, working her way up to her present managerial position.

“My five bosses”, she says, “they give good opportunities, treat you fairly, and make us feel special. I’ve been working all of my life, and this is the best place I’ve ever been.”

Benavidez shared her ideas on good business management: “Morale must be high.  You can be a manager, but if you don’t have happy workers, you’re nobody,” adding that “We’re all in this together, and at Classic Cleaners, we’re all about keeping our customers satisfied.” 
  

At Classic Cleaners, we’re used to restoring heirloom garments- in fact, that’s one of our specialties. From wedding gowns to vintage clothing that’s been in the family for generations, we take special pride in bringing special garments and prized linens and quilts back to their former glory.

Just last month, though, we were able to work on one of the most unusual garments ever to come into a Classic Cleaners store.  Have you ever wondered what would happen if clothes could talk?  Well this skirt had lots to say…
 
This May, alumni of the old Fishers High School will hold their 50th high school reunion. (The 1960 graduating class numbered only twenty students!)  In preparation for the reunion, one of those former students asked us to help restore her fifty year-old senior skirt! The skirt was badly stained and the dye had “bled”. 

That’s where the professional expertise of our own Leon Neal came to the rescue! By knowing exactly the right kind of cleaning solvents to use on each part of the garment, and by using specially designed tools for meticulous hand cleaning, Leon was able to restore the precious senior skirt to new life, well in time to play what is sure to be a starring role at the Fishers High fiftieth. 

Is there some special garment that has precious memories for you?  Perhaps there’s an embroidered pillow cover, a tablecloth, a quilt, or maybe a certain shawl or kilt that holds a story? Let Classic Cleaners professionals bring those memories back to life! 

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Hear ye, hear ye!

Our Classic Cleaners special for the month of April is here – $3 off dry cleaning of men’s or women’s blazers or jackets.

While Classic Cleaners’ history doesn’t date back quite as far as the original term “blazer”, with at least a few of its owners being history buffs, we thought it would be fun to share three explanations of how blazers came by their name.

Version #1:
In 1837, as at least one account goes, the commander of the H.M.S. Blazer was informed that Queen Victoria would be inspecting his ship. In preparation for the visit, the commander ordered new uniforms for the crew, deciding on a short jacket with brass Royal Navy buttons.  The queen was so impressed, the legend holds, she required all sailors to be in similar uniform.

Version #2:
The oarsmen at St. John’s College at Cambridge University wore red striped sport coats.  When the sun shone on the water, it looked as if the coats were “ablaze”.

Version #3:
In the 1800’s British nobles “emblazoned” their jackets with their family’s coat of arms.

Whether or not you’re a history buff, remember that at Classic Cleaners there is a special every month, in addition to our Classic Rewards program.

Whichever version of the story is your personal favorite, celebrate the history of “blazer-dom” by taking advantage of the very modern April special-of-the-month at Classic Cleaners!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

It’s our anniversary, but you get a present!

As a thank you to all our loyal Classic Cleaners customers, we’re having a one-week, 50% off sale on golf shirts (in fact, on any knit shirts), beginning on Easter Sunday April 4 and continuing through April 10.

CyberLinksGolf.com reminds golfers to keeping moving every day in order to stay healthy, and recommends eating five small meals each day. 
Our Classic Cleaners team, meanwhile, reminds you to drop off those knit shirts and take advantage of our anniversary special!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team