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July 8, 2013

What is "Business Casual"?

There is a lot of uncertainty around acceptable business casual attire. Your customers may appreciate these guidelines distributed by a law partner to his “fashion challenged” colleagues.

From ABAJournal.com, “If You Can’t Dryclean It, Don’t Wear It!” “Harrumph! After receiving several complaints, the office managing partner of a national law firm has decided the firm’s poorly dressed male lawyers need some business-casual guidelines.

No. 1 on the list: “If you cannot dry clean it, don’t wear it.”Above the Law published the entire memo from the unnamed partner who set out to help the “fashionably challenged.” The advice includes:

* Socks are required in a business environment no matter what Esquire says.

* Polo-type shirts which look like they have been crumpled in the back corner floor of your closet do not count as acceptable business casual. This is true even when you attempt to smooth them out for 15 seconds before you put them on in the morning.

* Slacks should be pressed and have a crease….”

Click here for full article.

July 2, 2013

How to Remove BBQ Sauce

As the 4th of July approaches, backyard barbecues are favorite family activities, especially if Dad does the cooking. However, it’s easy to get a barbecue sauce stain on your clothing. Here’s a few simple steps to get that barbecue sauce stain out in no time. If you still can’t remove the stain after all of this, bring the garment to us, and we’ll give it our best shot!

Remove excess barbecue sauce off the stained item. Dab it off with your finger, a sponge or a paper towel. (But do not start rubbing the stain – this can damage the fabric.
Rinse the stained fabric with cold water. Run the water through the back of the barbecue sauce stain to help get the stain out of the item.
Rub detergent into the barbecue sauce stain. You can use a regular liquid detergent or a solvent such as glycerin. Use your fingers or a sponge to work the detergent into the fabric. Continue rubbing the stain with detergent until the stain no longer appears and then rinse with cold water.
Use a spray or a gel stain remover and apply it to the barbecue stain. Allow the item to sit for 5 to 15 minutes for best results.
Wash your item with detergent in a regular wash cycle.
Check the item for any remaining evidence of the barbecue sauce stain after washing. If any stain remains, bring the garment to us.
Dry the item in your clothes dryer or hang the item in the sun to dry.

**do not put the garment in the dryer unless the stain has been removed or the stain will set.

June 20, 2013

June Fashion Trend: The End of Mom Jeans?

Could we be seeing the end of ‘Mom jeans’ and age-appropriate clothing? Is the next trend in-style no matter your age?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/marisakabas/the-end-of-mom-jeans

May 14, 2013

2013 Green Business Award-Winner!

Pictured (from left to right): Patrick Hanlon – City of Minneapolis, Environmental Services, Polly & Dave Nemec – Owners, St Croix | White Way Cleaners, Kelley Nemec – Marketing Manager, St Croix | White Way Cleaners, and Mike Nelson – MN Pollution Control Agency.

In April, St Croix | White Way Cleaners’ owner, Dave Nemec was invited to the Minneapolis City Hall to receive a “Green Business Award” in recognition for their eco-friendly cleaning methods. The dry cleaning company which is based in Stillwater, MN, switched to eco-friendly cleaning solvents in 2007 and have never looked back. “We are always looking for the next best technologies and opportunities to clean clothes with sustainable and eco-friendly practices. We have been working very hard to continue increasing our quality standards while staying as earth-friendly as possible. It’s such an honor to be recognized for these efforts,” Nemec stated.

Why eco-friendly? Because when your garments are cleaned using earth-friendly solvents, they smell better, stay brighter longer, and are softer to the touch. St Croix | White Way Cleaners has also installed a water re-circulation system, uses bio-degradable plastic bags and recycles hangers at all of their 20 Twin Cities Metro locations.

May 6, 2013

Cleaning Tips with our Dry Cleaning "Geeks"!

Yes – we call them our Dry Cleaning “Geeks” because they know all about garment fabrics, stains and their reactions – and they can’t get enough of it! They study new and unique ways to clean your garments and absolutely LOVE learning more about it. In this segment, we asked Duane, our Certified Dry Cleaning Specialist,

“How do you remove mud stains from “dry clean only” clothes?”

Duane: Great Question! “Dry Clean Only” fabrics ARE sensitive to water, and can get ruined if water is used to get stains off them. Mud can be a stubborn stain to remove. Follow the steps below for mud or dirt stains to keep them from setting in. Be sure to bring them in to us as soon as possible! Our award-winning stain removers love “dirty” jobs!

1. Allow mud/dirt to dry completely. Do NOT attempt to wipe away wet mud/dirt. It will spread and grind into the fabric fibers

2. Do NOT add water to the stain or use a wet cloth to try and wipe it off. This will only set the stain further into the fabric

3. When mud’s dry, gently use a plastic knife or spoon to scrape off excess, being careful not to grind the dirt into fabric

4. Gently brush at the dried dirt with small brush or toothbrush

5. Bring into your dry cleaner asap!

April 5, 2013

Professional Rug Cleaning – Quick Facts!

365 trips outside every morning, 63 rain storms, 14 blizzards and twice daily doggy slobber… your rug is begging for a “spa” day!

It’s highly recommended that rugs get a thorough cleaning about once a year, and the results are staggering!

Your rug will last longer, smell better, and withstand daily use with the right cleaning process. Here at St Croix | White Way Cleaners we combine the latest technology with hand-cleaning processes to make sure your rug looks (and smells) like brand new!

Here are a few fun facts about rugs:

Rubber-backed rugs should not be placed in a washing machine! This breaks down the rubber, and over time it will become crackly and uncomfortable
Fringe on all rugs needs to be hand-cleaned. Because each “fringe” is small and has the possibility to get very soiled, it needs to be hand-cleaned
with a detailed eye. Once each “fringe” has been cleaned, we then place a protective coating over it to help it last longer.
The Rug Badger “beats” your rug 1,000 times faster than someone could do with their hands! Remember in the old days when you’d have to hang your rug on the clothesline and beat it to get the dirt out? Well the rug badger does this, but faster, safer, and it works better! Who doesn’t love technology that makes cleaning that much more awesome?!
Large Persian & Fur rugs require a very special cleaning process, and can only be cleaned by experts who understand the different fabrics, the care for vintage items and the garment care process. You’re in luck! Our specialists at Treasured Garment Restoration are exclusively recommend by the Minnesota Historical Society and are the premier cleaners for the Children’s Theater, the Guthrie Theater and the Minnesota Opera. You can trust us with your special area rugs!
If your pet decided to relieve themselves on a special rug of yours, a special deep cleaning and de-orderizing process is needed. Let us know if this has happened and we can get started on it right away!

Check out an awesome review our Rug Specialists received this week!

We have 20 convenient Twin Cities locations that you can drop your rug off at, OR we can come pick up your rug from your home for FREE! Call for more information: 651.491.7501