While the Classic Cleaners’ motto is “the modern craft of clean”, actually “cleanliness” itself in the sense we now use the term is itself pretty modern.

It’s not that people in ancient times weren’t concerned with cleanliness.  They were.  The Bible tells of women going down to the river to wash their clothes, and dry cleaning actually dates back to ancient times.  In fact, in the ruins of Pompeii were found records of “fullers” who were the professional clothes cleaners of that time.

The first washing machine was invented by Sir John Hoskins in 1677, and, in 1848, the closest thing to dry cleaning as we know it was discovered by an owner of a textile dyeing factory when he found that the liquid from an oil lamp dissolved fat.

It’s just that hygiene in general, up until modern times, was viewed in extremely basic terms.  People generally washed their clothes – and themselves – in cold water unless they were wealthy. The great scholar Erasmus wrote about the bottom layer of medieval flooring being covered with rushes and left undisturbed, sometimes for twenty years, harboring spit, vomit, leakage of urine from animals and humans, and scraps.

In fact, since Classic Cleaners are wedding gown specialists, we know that one reason June became such a popular month for weddings is that, in medieval times, baths were annual, usually in may, so that June brides still smelled relatively fresh. (If not, the bridal bouquet was designed to divert attention from the odor!)

It’s obvious that our standards for both personal hygiene and the cleaning of clothes have been much refined.  Classic Cleaners is at the forefront of that trend towards spotless and sweet smelling, using the modern craft of clean!

By Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Once your stained garment has actually arrived at Classic Cleaners, you know it will receive the most expert of care. That’s because Classic Cleaners’ specialists are among the best in the country at identifying and scientifically removing stains.

After determining whether the stain came from oil and grease, dirt and grass, blood, ink, paint, cosmetics, or food, our technicians use a wide range of tools – steam guns, compressed air, specialized brushes, and tens of different stain-fighting solutions to carefully and skillfully remove the stain and restore the fabric.  And that advanced stain removal process holds true for bedding, window treatments, and table linens as well as clothes.

But, what about that crucial in-between time, when a spill has occurred and you don’t want the damage to “sink in” before you have a chance to get the item to your Classic Cleaners’ store or driver? Are there things you can do that will help and not hurt?

Thankfully, there are.

DO: Scoop and scrape
When ice cream, shoe polish, cosmetics, vomit, or any other “guck” gets on fabric, use a blunt instrument such as a butter knife or spatula to get rid of the excess. “Make sure the process is carried out in a well-ventilated area,” advises cleaningtips.net.
DO: Blot
Lay the stained area down on a couple of layers of paper towels to blot the backside of the stain and help the offending substance leech onto the towels. Blotting can be used with liquid stains – coffee, tea, urine, wine.
DO: Chill
When chewing gum is stuck to a garment, you can place the garment in a plastic bag and put the bag in the freezer.  The gum may then harden and separate from the fabric.

DON’T: Wait too long to get to Classic Cleaners.
As howtogetridofstuff advises, “The first thing you should always do before trying to remove stains from an article of clothing is to…make sure you’re not going to destroy it during your efforts.  If it’s dry clean only or you’re not sure, you’re better off taking it to the dry cleaners – why take the risk?”

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

 ”The race is not to the swift,” the Bible tells us.  But when it comes to dry cleaning in and around Indianapolis, the race may be to the fleet! That’s because, twice a week, our Classic Cleaners fleet of vans visits homes and offices all around the Indianapolis area to pick up and deliver items for our customers.

Classic Cleaners fleet

Our newly decorated vans, proudly displaying the Classic Cleaners motto “The Modern Craft of Clean”, travel from Fortville on the east, Pittsboro to the west, Cicero to the north, and 42nd Street in Indianapolis on the south.  It all adds up to thousands of locations, tens of thousands of garments, and twelve different routes.

How does the “fleetness” work?

• You sign up for the free home or office delivery service.
• You’re provided with large clothing bags.
• A Classic Cleaners driver visits twice a week to pick up and deliver. (There is absolutely no obligation to have anything to pick up every time.)
• If you’re not at home, your clothes can be left on special hanger hooks (which we provide to slip over the top of your door), with Fluff and Fold laundry left in recyclable boxes.  Or, you may choose to give the driver access to hang your clothes in a front closet, mud room, or garage.

Fast, convenient, efficient, and……clean!  As a Classic Cleaners customer, you’ll soon realize: The race may not be to the swift, but the real service IS to the fleet!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

2010 – 2011 winter was certainly UGG season for Classic Cleaners Carmel customers, with many already taking advantage of our new boot-cleaning service, which came about because of the enormous popularity of sheepskin boots. So, whether you own footwear made by designer boot company UGG® or any other brand of tanned sheepskin boots, now that the big snows are behind us (we all fervently hope), it’s time to freshen up those boots.

Both UGGs and UGG look-alikes are made from tanned sheepskin with the fleece attached, and have rubber soles. And, while dry cleaners – in Carmel or elsewhere – don’t typically get involved with shoes of any kind, with the approval of UGG® Australia, Classic Cleaners now extends its “modern craft of clean” to boot-freshening.

“Sheepskin boots are a casual type of boot…exceptionally warm and great for cold weather,” advises about.com. “However,” the article continues, “they should not be worn in excessively muddy or wet conditions.”

We at Classic Cleaners were rather amused by a question posed by one reader to Yahoo! Answer : How do you get rid of wet sheep small from UGG linings? Yahoo’s answer: make sure the boots are dry.  Our customers are more worried, we found, about how to get rid of foot smell in boots after a long, hard winter of wear!  

For fresh-smelling, fashionable footwear, ready to take you places next winter season, bring your sheepskins in for freshening.  That way, roomies and relatives will have no reason to think “‘Ew, Ugh”, when they really mean “Oh, UGG”!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team