With the month of February all but over, Classic Cleaners dry cleaning specialists are seeing the usual chocolate-y aftermath of Valentine’s Day.

And that’s not just in the U.S., our Classic Cleaners bloggers learned. In Japan, where Valentine’s Day was first introduced in 1936, Japanese chocolate companies make half their annual sales around the February holiday!

Not everyone views chocolate company Valentine’s Day profits in a positive light.  “They’ve got us exactly where they want us”, complains blogger Corine G. of helium.com.  “Vitamin D deficient, high on expectation but low on cash…already too fat to care yet early enough in the season to know we can start dieting later. All the chocolate industry has to do is package the cocktail of mood enhancers that is called chocolate …in a heart-shaped box.”

Whatever your particular take on the Valentine’s Day/chocolate connection, at Classic Cleaners we know it translates into chocolate stains on clothing and table linens. Howtogetridofstuff offers an important piece of advice:

“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?”

At Classic Cleaners, we agree. Our stain removal technicians are trained to analyze fabrics and fabric stains and select the most appropriate treatment. Meanwhile, remember never to rub a stain.  Instead, lay the stained area down on several layers of paper towels and blot the backside of the fabric with a heavy-duty liquid detergent.

Next, bring the garment to Classic Cleaners’ store – there’s one near you!

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

The profession of dry cleaning has challenges.  Some common “toughies” are:

• “Toughie” trimmings: beads, sequins, vinyl, feathers, fur, mesh
• “Toughie” fabrics: leather, suede, wool with spandex, cottons with silk
• “Toughie” stains: mustard, ink, caramelized sugar, oxidized oils
• “Toughie” reds – red garments, beet stains, and…wine stains!

When the going gets tough, Classic Cleaners gets going, and, as you can see from the before-and-after photos, the score was 1-0 in favor of the spotters. 

Savvy post-”game” commentators on the Spotters vs. Toughies might have mentioned several points:

1. Classic Cleaners spotters knew the stain was from red wine. The toughest stains are often those the customer forgot about; the dry cleaner needs to solve the “mystery” before deciding how to treat the stain!
   
2. The stain was recent. The sooner a stain can be treated, the better the chances for success in removing it without damaging the fabric.

toughie wine stain on wedding dress

Wine stain gone

Classic Cleaners - born, bred, and involved in local Indiana

CityofSoundcom thinks so. “Locally owned independent retailers contribute a vast amount to cities…  recent research from the US indicates that between 54 and 58 cents of every dollar spent at a locally-owned retailer stays in that local environment.” (The article goes on to explain why: Local businesspeople employ local accountants, local delivery services, local web designers, local signwriters, local architects, advertise in the local newspaper, and so on.

Staylocal.org of New Orleans lists no fewer than ten reasons to shop local:

1. Protect local character and prosperity
2. Community well being
3. Local decision making
4. Keeping dollars in the local economy
5. Jobs and wages
6. Entrepreneurship
7. Public benefits and costs
8. Environmental sustainability
9. Competition
10. Product diversity

Classic Cleaners is locally owned and locally operated. The first Classic Cleaners store opened in Indianapolis in January 1985.  Today, there are 17 stores in locations that include Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville and McCordsville along with Indianapolis.  Pickup and delivery service is available in the surrounding localities bordered by Fortville, Pittsboro, and Cicero.

As far as the Staylocal.org list, Classic Cleaners is certainly 10 for 10. Through membership in the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, the Carmel Chamber of Commerce, and the Fishers Chamber of Commerce, Classic Cleaners does its part to strengthen local communities.  Through its financial support of Dress For Success Indianapolis, local Girl Scout troops,  the Museum of 20th Century Warfare, and many other local charities, Classic Cleaners stays involved in local community needs, seeks to be an employer of choice and to protect the environment in all its operations.

Local, anyone? 

by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team

Ever since Maggie Ramsey’s mom spread the word about the excellent care her daughter’s Irish Dance Solo Dress received, other

Irish solo competition dress

dancers have turned to our professional dry cleaners for help keeping the elaborate solo dance costumes ready for performance time.

Today, of course, female Irish step dancers wear shoes, typically either “Ghillies” (low-cut soft shoes with criss-cross lacing) or hard shoes with fiberglass tips and heels. It’s fashionable to wear tightly curled hair (which might be “falls” or even wigs).  Unlike early Irish dresses, which featured heavy fabrics with embroidery, solo performance dresses today sparkle and shine with elaborate beading and sequins. In upper competitive ranks, tiaras and cloth “crowns” are popular. 

We usually associate Irish with the “wearing of the green”, but crimson and saffron and even teal and purple are worn for competition Irish dancing. In dry cleaning these elaborate costumes, the color itself can present a challenge.  For example, red dyes lose vibrancy faster than other colors.  The under skirts tend to be made of different fabric than the dress, with each fabric needing its own special kind of care. Even steam-cleaning can post risk where sequins are concerned.

Just as solo Irish dancers challenge themselves as they rise through the ranks in competitions, Class Cleaners technicians must rise to the challenge of treating these combinations of colors, sequins, and variety of fabrics. The normal dry cleaning label from the International Association for Textile Care Labeling couldn’t begin to cover all the parts of an Irish Dance Solo Dress!

Step dancers and Classic Cleaners – it must have been the luck of the Irish that brought the two together to create such winning results!

 by Reb of the Classic Cleaners blog team