Table linen care at Classic Cleaners

If you’re like most families, it’s not an everyday occurrence, dining at home on a table spread with tablecloth and fine cloth napkins, that is.  Still, there’s no denying the fact – nothing adds elegance to a meal like crisp, clean, perfectly pressed table linen. 

And, at Classic Cleaners, we know table linen.  We give linens the old one-two-three :

1.   Our first task is removing stains. We’re so proud of our stain removal process that we guarantee removal of 100% of fresh stains (or the cleaning is free)!
2. Next comes laundering the linen in a special cleaning solution that helps restore the original beauty of the cloth.
3. At Classic Cleaners, drying and pressing happen in a single stage, which is possible only because of our large, professional press. Try as you might, it’s impossible to duplicate our process at home.  In fact, most dry cleaners cannot provide this kind of finish for table linens.

Two important reminders for you:

• Linens are breathers, too! Avoid storing clean table linens in plastic bags. (Tip: Clean pillowcases make great storage bags for fine linens.)
• It’s important to bring in all the pieces of a matching set to be cleaned at the same time.  Even if only seven of the dozen matching napkins were used, it’s best to bring in the entire set. As yourvalet.com points out, the same advice  holds true for matching sets of drapes and seat covers, sets of bedspreads, pillow shams, and drapes, and the top and bottom halves of suits. 
  

With Classic Cleaners’ professional expertise, you can be sure the color will be a perfect match! 

 by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Classic Cleaners Spnsors the Ice Cream Social

Social? Free? Ice Cream? What’s not to love about that threesome? 

Classic Cleaners, always looking for ways to give back to the Carmel community, is involved again this year as an event and a game prize sponsor at the Village of West Clay’s annual family event.  (Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, for our Ring Toss, and YOU could become the proud owner of a beach ball or Frisbee from Classic Cleaners!)

The annual Village of West Clay Ice Cream Social will be held Sunday June 27th on the Village Green.  If you’ve never been to this event, you’re in for a treat, beginning with the big bike parade.

At Classic Cleaners, we get a kick out of sponsoring events like the Ice Cream Social at the Village of West Clay.  Our work, though, starts when the social ends.  After all, when you combine face painting, cupcakes, ice cream, grass, sweaty kids, and sometimes sweatier parents, what do you get? A lot of stained clothes, that’s what!

Perfect opportunity for you to try our Fluff and Fold laundry service. That way, the only reminders of all the fun – and all the resulting messes – will be baskets of fresh, clean family clothing.  And, if Dad’s gotten a little “hot under the collar” (when Junior beat him at Ring Toss), not to worry.  Classic Cleaners’ professionals will pay special attention to the inside collar of his favorite golf shirt, delivering it crisply pressed on a hanger.  (What’s not to love about that?)

Taking care of your flag

There’s nothing we like better at Classic Cleaners than a clean, bright, red-white-and-blue American flag flying proudly in the wind.

 In fact, one of the special things we do to earn our “Best Dry Cleaners in Indy” rating is to clean any American or state flag (3’x5’ or smaller) free of charge.  (That’s not one of the famous Classic Cleaners monthly specials – we do flag-cleaning all year ‘round!)

 This month is the perfect time to have your flags cleaned, though. After all, we’re smack dab in the middle of flag season, what with Memorial Day a couple of weeks ago, then Flag Day this week, and Fourth of July coming up. Sure enough, at Classic Cleaners we see a lot of flags being turned in every June.

 There are actually dozens of “flag days”, including:

•  Inauguration Day (January 20)
• Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12)
• Army Day (April 6)
• Labor Day (first Monday in September)
• Constitution Day (September 17)
• Navy Day (October 27)
• Veterans Day (November 11)

 But, as capital flags.com reminds us, as a U.S. citizen, you may display your flag any day you like!

 Our Classic Cleaners’ professionals can help guard the colors of your flag and remove dirt and stains, but guarding against tears is often something the owner needs to do. It’s important not to fly your flag where it will come in contact with tree branches, wire cables, or even nails and hooks protruding from a building’s walls.

 Capitalflags.com advises protecting your flag from exposure to storms and abnormally high winds, because any of these things can shorten a flag’s life.  While many flags today are made of weather-proof material, high winds can tatter any flag.  At Classic Cleaners we want to add that, if your flag gets wet, spread it out to dry before bringing it to be professionally cleaned.  Putting the flag into a bag while wet can cause some of the colors to “bleed”.

 At Classic Cleaners, we want to help you keep those American – and those Indiana State – flags flying high and proud!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Heirloom toy dinosaur

Dinosaurs haven’t roamed the earth for 65 million years – except for one very special one, that is, who showed up at Classic Cleaners last month. According to the Guardian, most dinosaurs did well to survive thirty years; our Classic Cleaners’ find was fifty years old!

So what’s the story? The dinosaur is a stuffed animal given to our customer fifty years ago as a birthday present from her brother.  Now, she would like to give it to her grandson, so she asked the professionals at Classic Cleaners for help cleaning and repairing the creature. As you can see, our dino friend survived handsomely!

To preserve treasured heirlooms of any kind and of any age, we use the same advanced technology and techniques we employ for wedding gown restoration, carefully cleaning, treating, and repairing each item to bring it back to life. Dino is not only prepared for immediate enjoyment by our client’s grandson, who knows? He may bring joy for generations to come!

In a different restoration assignment, a Classic Cleaners’ customer brought in a once-beautiful pair of cloth-trimmed shoes.  Because the shoes had been stored for fifteen years in plastic, the leather on the shoes had turned the lace overlay yellow.  While we normally don’t recommend preservation for shoes, this pair, we were informed, held great sentimental value. With expert and painstaking hand treatment, our Classic Cleaners technicians were able to bring the shoes back to their former beauty.

Before

Shoes after restoration

At Classic Cleaners, we try to bring beauty back to the eye of every beholder!

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

Top 10 things to look for when choosing a dry cleaner

Post series intro

10. Knowledge of dry cleaning
9. Membership in a dry cleaning association
8. Clean stores
7. No odor on clothes
6. Properly removed stains
5. Skillful ironing
4. Intact buttons
3. Simple repairs made
2. White garments white
1. Ready to wear!

My Dry Cleaner advises,

Do not accept any odors on your freshly cleaned clothes. The store may have a smell which may originate from the plastic bags that are used, but under no circumstances should your clothes smell. Do not be shy about sticking your nose in your clothes and taking a deep sniff.

Since dry cleaning is about “cleaning” things, then there should be no odor on the clothes, right? That’s correct, but the odor to which they’re probably referring is dry cleaning solvent. Solvent can remain on clothes for a variety of reasons, most of them not acceptable.

If the smell of solvent is on all of the clothes, then that dry cleaner’s process simply is out of whack. If there is the smell of solvent on a particular garment, that’s not great, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the dry cleaner is incompetent. Certain materials are prone to holding tiny amounts of solvent, and it only takes a minuscule amount to produce an odor. In such a case, you should ask the dry cleaner to redo the garment.

At Classic Cleaners, we’re proud to offer “odor-free” cleaning, and we think you’ll be very pleased with the results!

–Matt
The Classic Cleaners Blog Team

Top 10 things to look for when choosing a dry cleaner

Post series intro

10. Knowledge of dry cleaning
9. Membership in a dry cleaning association
8. Clean stores
7. No odor on clothes
6. Properly removed stains
5. Skillful ironing
4. Intact buttons
3. Simple repairs made
2. White garments white
1. Ready to wear!

My Dry Cleaner says,

Check out the cleanliness of the store. Some stores are dirty. If a cleaner cannot keep his store clean, how can they be trusted to clean your clothes?

This may be the most obvious point on the list! Very little elaboration is required. The only thing I’ll add is that any business ought to be clean–it’s not brain surgery to pick up a mop and swab the deck, right?

Dry cleaning your clothes right, however, is as tough–and as complicated–as brain surgery! And we do that perfectly!

We invite you to visit any of Classic Cleaners’ 17 spotlessly clean locations and check out how spotlessly clean they are for yourself! Then check out your clothes–if you’ve cleaned them with us, they’re spotless too!

–Matt
The Classic Cleaners Blog Team

Top 10 things to look for when choosing a dry cleaner

Post series intro

10. Knowledge of dry cleaning
9. Membership in a dry cleaning association
8. Clean stores
7. No odor on clothes
6. Properly removed stains
5. Skillful ironing
4. Intact buttons
3. Simple repairs made
2. White garments white
1. Ready to wear!

My Dry Cleaner advises,

Talk to your dry cleaner about your garments. See how knowledgeable he/she is about textiles.

We agree. We invite you to talk to anyone at Classic Cleaners about your cleaning needs–our associates at our stores and plants are ready to answer your questions. In addition, your route driver (click here for information on FREE dry cleaning and laundry pickup and delivery) is another expert who is ready to help.

We’ve been doing dry cleaning for 25 years and pride ourselves on having the most advanced equipment and techniques in the state of Indiana. In addition, our executives get their hands dirty at the plants and take a leadership role in continually upgrading and advancing our technology. They are ready to answer your questions personally.

Should you ever have a question, simply contact us. We’ll respond quickly and, we believe, to your satisfaction.

–Matt
The Classic Cleaners Blog Team

Who truly enjoys washing clothes at home? Here’s some good news: You don’t have to do it yourself! Classic Cleaners offers the best laundry service (fluff and fold, family wash) in Indianapolis. Here’s how it works:

• Simply take all of your unwashed clothes and put them in your Classic Cleaners laundry bags (if you don’t have your own Classic Cleaners laundry bags yet, come on in for VIP-level customer service!).
• Put items to be dry-cleaned in separate bags–we’ll take care of those for you too!
• Bring your bags into your favorite Classic Cleaners location.
• Or use our FREE home delivery route to have your laundry picked up–and then dropped off once it’s perfectly clean and fluffy!

You’ll save lots of time and hassle! Try it today–you’ll be amazed by the convenience!

–Matt
The Classic Cleaners Blog Team

•For immediate help with cleaning, please call (317) 845-5244 or email us
•Share your Classic Cleaners stories and photos on this blog
•RSS this blog

You’ll be noticing some changes on our Classic Cleaners website! Of course, we are constantly working on the site to make it better. We have brought the blog over from the WordPress server to make the appearance of the blog and the website uniform and improve the user experience overall.

As before, however, we’ll be exploring the wide world of dry cleaning with a special focus on the great services offered by Classic Cleaners in the Indianapolis area.

There’s a simple reason why dry cleaning and laundry are interesting and important: Clothes are an essential part of everyone’s life, and how one cleans and maintains them has a substantial impact on both one’s appearance and pocketbook. As a Classic Cleaners customer and a member of the blog team, I appreciate how well Classic Cleaners takes care of clothes while helping customers save money and enjoy greater convenience.

In this blog, we’ll be presenting the following:

• Information about technologies and trends in the dry cleaning industry.
• Links to news items about dry cleaning.
• Stories and photos from customers.
• Questions from customers with answers from our experts.
• Stories about and by the employees of Classic Cleaners.
• Stories about Classic Cleaners’ technologies, facilities, and equipment.
• Updates on specials and other offers and opportunities for customers.
• Classic Cleaners news of every type.

How can you participate? In addition to commenting on posts, please email us with any stories, photos, questions, or comments you might have related to dry cleaning and Classic Cleaners. For example, we would love to hear your stories about how Classic Cleaners made a difference in your life and see your “Before” and “After” photos of stain removal and restoration work! In addition, should you ever have any concerns about our service or results, we will address them immediately and personally.

Thank you again for reading, and we look forward to hearing from you!

–Matt
The Classic Cleaners Blog Team