"Geeky" Stain Tips Archives - Page 2 of 2 - St Croix Cleaners Dry Cleaning

Grass Stains

In honor of the world coming together in the world cup games in Brazil, we thought we might remind you on how to remove the notorious grass stain.

Grass contains chlorophyll which is the substance that makes plants green. The green is what you see on the surface of this stain. Bleach can work great on white items however use caution with this because sitting in bleach too long can cause damage to the fabric. If the garment is not able to withstand bleach, try soaking it in a solution of water and detergent, then gently brush or dab the area. Be sure not to rub the stain because that may cause the stain to spread. After, wash the item. Before drying it be sure to check the stain is gone. Drying a stain such as this can cause the stain to set and make it very difficult to get out.

The quicker you deal with the stain, the better chance you have of getting it out.

When all else fails and the stain is a bit stubborn to get out at home. Bring it to us and our experts can work on getting the stain out.

June 12, 2014 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Dry Cleaning Tips, Green Cleaning, Press, Specialty Cleaning, Uncategorized, Workplace

Eco Friendly Dry Cleaning

As you know, we pride ourselves on being an Eco-friendly dry cleaners.
But what exactly does that mean? What sets us apart from our competitors?

We offer numerous green options in all aspects of our product.
Including biodegradable plastic bags, recycling hangers, and most importantly our actual dry cleaning solution.

You may have heard of the harmful effects of PERC recently on the news.
Studies have shows that PERC can cause harmful effects to the body if exposed.
This is why St. Croix Cleaners had decided to be one of the few cleaners to offer a newer, organic, option called K4.

K4 is a extremely innovative solvent that is safer for you and your family.
It has very different properties than conventional dry cleaning solvents.
It is Halogen free, 99% pure, and not to mention its outstanding cleaning ability that keep your clothes looking great.

For more information on K4 visit our About section on our website or go directly to the source at http://www.systemk4.com/en/products/solvonk4.html

June 3, 2014 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Dry Cleaning Tips, Green Cleaning, Specialty Cleaning, Uncategorized, Workplace

How Does Dry Cleaning Work?

As Featured on WCCO’s “Good Question”:

What happens between the time you drop off your most treasured garments at the cleaners and when you pick them up?

John Lauritsen of the WCCO team asked this “Good Question” last week, and we invited him to take a tour with St Croix Cleaners’ Owner, Dave Nemec, of our main facility here in Stillwater, MN. There’s a little more to dry cleaning than you might think! Take a look:

Or watch the video here: Check out the video here: CBS Minnesota’s Good Question

April 21, 2014 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Green Cleaning

Ways to Prevent Color Fading on Your Clothes

Do you ever have items that seem to fade and wear out in certain parts of the garment? This is often due to wear over time. Certain fabrics such as cotton, linen and ramie are more susceptible to this kind of wear. It also depends on your lifestyle and the quality of the item itself. Unfortunately, their is no way to prevent this. But, their are ways to prevent the wearing out and loss of color on your items and we’re here to share a few helpful tips with you!

Wash darks with darks, and lights with lights. Though this may seem to be common sense to some, many people mix loads. This is a leading cause of fading in both dark and light colored garments. The best way to prevent this is doing separate loads.
Do not stuff the washer. We know that doing separate loads may be time consuming. But in the best interest of your clothes, it is important to not over stuff the washer. Your items will not get cleaned properly and it also leads to more time in the dryer which leads to our next tip…
Don’t spend all day drying your clothes. The more you over stuff the washer, the more you over stuff your drying, the more time it needs to fully dry. Too much time in the dryer is bad for fabrics. It can cause the color to fade and wear out. The clothes need to move freely in the dryer.

July 2, 2013 In "Geeky" Stain Tips

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.

May 6, 2013 In "Geeky" Stain Tips

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!

June 30, 2012 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Dry Cleaning Tips, Fashion

10 Summer Fashion Tips

We can’t all be as fashion forward as him!

Let’s face it, fashion can be confusing. Most of us can follow basic trends, but when it comes to the latest and greatest, it can be hard to keep up! That’s why we here at St Croix | White Way have compiled ten fashion tips sure to make you stand out this Summer!

1. Bright Neon Colors
With neon, a little goes a long way! Skirts, dresses, cardigans and jeans wear this trend well. You can also add neon to your wardrobe in more subtle ways (think belts, shoes, purses and jewelry) to accent base neutrals (black, white, khaki and navy) and give them a fresh look this season.
2. The Chic Sheath
Classically cut and sleeveless, sheaths pair easily with jackets, cardigan sweaters and a variety of shawls and wraps when you want to dress them up. While still a great choice, think beyond the LBD (a.k.a. the little black dress) when it comes to this style. White, brights and those with subtle prints offer a fresh twist on this perennial favorite for work and social events.

3. Beige Shoes
Beige shoes in a variety of styles and heel heights complement bold colors and soften dark neutrals. They work well with and without hosiery – just ask Kate Middleton!
4. Bold Prints
Worn on a single piece of clothing and well-coordinated with a solid top or bottom, strong, bold prints become the centerpiece of an outfit and can help you stand out in all the right ways. While not the easiest look to pull off, strong prints are also being worn from head-to-toe this season. Consider a wide belt at the waist to break up the pattern a bit. Two different prints on two different pieces of your outfit can also work well when each print contains a consistent color theme, fabric, weight and style.
5. Soft, Pleated Skirts
Soft pleats falling from the waistband of a skirt made of a light-weight summer is a chic and ladylike way to dress this season. Some styles are short, some are long and others graze the knee. For work, pair a knee-length pleated skirt with a structured short jacket for a current and appropriate look that shows off an hourglass figure. For non-working hours, a tight tank tucked into the waistband of a pleated skirt can show off a toned upper body while camouflaging fuller hips.

6. Oversized Earrings
Combine them with other bold accessories such as bold cocktail rings, weighted cuffs, thick, woven belts and platform wedges or wear them on their own. If you decide to coordinate a necklace with them, long layered options tend to work best. Large gold and silver hoops may be all you need to tackle this trend!
7. Structured Bags
Their signature “clutch” handle makes them more structured than hobo-inspired looks. Many feature longer straps so you can wear them messenger style across your body. Pick a hue you love and wear it with everything!
8. Crochet & Lace
We are not talking about your grandmother’s tablecloth and curtains here! Instead, think of these two textures working in a modern way to give spring and summer outfits some clout and feminine style. A crochet maxi skirt with a flat sandal, tee shirt and fun accessories that work with the weight of the crochet is easy to wear and hides less than perfect legs. If you have a black lace dress tucked away in your closet, pair it with a beige sandal or peep-toe pump to freshen it up for the season.
9. Bronze Metallics
While silver always works in warm weather and gold hardware still adorns most designer bags and the like this season, bronze has snuck in as the metal of choice for fashion A-listers. Naturally warm and vibrant, it looks particularly well with navy’s, plums and, of course, black, white and khaki. Bronze is also a significant make-up trend – brush it on your cheeks as well as eyelids and lips!
10. Patent Leather
This high-gloss, waterproof material has been used primarily to make black shoes for decades. Although you can wear it year round these days, it still shines best with lighter fabrics and styles. This season, expand your patent leather collection beyond a pair of black patent shoes. A red patent peep- toe can brighten up a navy suit and a straw bag with patent detailing can go to the office as well as the beach. Even flip-flops go from drab to fab when created with patent leather!

And of course, be sure to bring all your fashionable garments in for regular cleaning at St Croix | White Way!

June 9, 2012 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Dry Cleaning Tips

Production Spotlight: Clothes Barcoding

St Croix | White Way Cleaners does a lot of dry cleaning; 19 stores worth to be exact. With the amount of drycleaning and laundry we do, you may wonder how we keep track of it all.

Some cleaners use permanent marker to write a customer’s name on their clothes; others use less invasive systems like temporary plastic tags or wash resistant paper. While these options “work” they are not ideal, and can easily lead to lost garments, especially when dealing with high volumes.

At St Croix | White Way we’ve gotten keeping track of garments down to a science. Using a sophisticated barcoding system we’re able to keep track of your items no matter where they are in the process.

Barcodes like this one identify store information about your garment in our computer.

The first time you bring in a new garment, a barcode is added to that item. This barcode is then associated with your account and preferences, so that anytime you bring the item in we can instantly see who it belongs too. We can also see your cleaning preferences, such as starch levels or boxes vs. hangers for your dress shirts. It also identifies the garment by color, pattern, fabric and brand label so that we can easily identify which of your garments we have and where they are in our process at any time.

Garments move through many stages to restore them to their optimum condition. Each step of the way we read the barcode and record data about who, how and when it was processed. All of this information is available to us in our computer system. Once your garment is cleaned, pressed and inspected, it is sent to our automatic assembly system. There an employee scans your item’s barcode and places it on a hanging conveyor system attached to the bagging machine.

The computer system is smart enough to read the barcode and group it with your other garments, being careful to never put more than 4 garments inside an order. Once four of your items are on the assembly system, the computer system offloads the garments together with a printed ticket and advances them to the automatic bagger, all without human intervention!!! The bagger then pulls a custom, biodegradable plastic bag over the clothes, careful not to waste any extra plastic.

The barcoding system is extremely useful. It lets us know all the details of your garments very quickly; how many times we have cleaned a garment, who pressed it, who marked it in and where it is stored can all be figured out with one quick scan. There have been many times where we’ve noticed a customer dropped a garment in our parking lot on the way to or home from one of our stores. We give the garment a quick scan and know everything about the garment in an instant. Without our barcode we’d never know whose garment it was, much less who to contact!

Keep watching our blog for more Production Spotlights!

May 10, 2012 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Dry Cleaning Tips

Rug Badger Don’t Care About Dirt!

One of the things we pride ourselves on at St Croix | White Way Cleaners is the fact that we’re not you’re average Dry Cleaner. We do a lot more than just Dry Cleaning around here; we love to clean comforters, drapes, pillows and rugs as well!

With that in mind, we thought we’d share a little bit about our newly improved rug cleaning process, and introduce our newest tool, the RugBadger.

At St Croix | White Way, rug cleaning is a seven step process that entails the following:

1. Deep Clean Dirt Removal (RugBadger!)

2. Pre-spray and Spot Removal

3. Rotary Agitation with Cleaning Solvent Added ( Basically a rug scrubber)

4. High Pressure Extraction

5. Grooming (Like a hair brush, for your rug!)

6. Drying

7. Final Vacuum

As you can see it’s a pretty involved process, and it’s all started off by the RugBadger.

The RugBadger’s specialty is getting the deep down soil and dirt out of your favorite rug and it does this by employing a time tested rug cleaning technique; beating. This isn’t your grandma’s rug beater, though. Just look at the results!

The RugBadger works it’s magic by vibrating over 40,000 times a minute, getting all that fiber damaging sediment out of your rug. This sediment is normally pretty tough to remove; simple washing or even vacuuming just can’t reach it the way our RugBadger does.

So what’s the benefit of this deep cleaning? Well, besides a cleaner rug, you are also extending it’s life. You’re also improving your home’s air quality, reducing collected pollen, pet dander, dust and other air pollutants. And that’s before we even finish cleaning it!

When you drop a rug off with us you can be confident you’re getting some of the best rug cleaning in the Twin Cities.

April 26, 2012 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Dry Cleaning Tips, Green Cleaning

What is "Green Dry Cleaning"?

“Earth Friendly.” “Non-Toxic.” “Environmentally Friendly.” “100% Toxin Free.”

Not exactly the words that come to mind when you think about Dry Cleaning. So what really is the meaning of ‘green’ dry cleaning, and what does it mean to you, the consumer, when a dry cleaner claims they are ‘green’?

First of all, we should probably explain what Dry Cleaning itself really is. It isn’t actually the act of cleaning your clothes when they are dry. They still are saturated and become ‘wet,’ just not from water. For over 100 years, Dry Cleaners have primarily used a chemical called perchloroethylene, also known as “Perc”, as the solvent in the dry cleaning process. This is a harsh chemical which cleans your clothes very well, but with each wash can fade the colors and roughen the fabrics Perc is also responsible for the chemical smell most people associate with Dry Cleaners.

But besides just bad smells, Perc is also considered a hazardous chemical and some researchers have declared it to be a carcinogen. It is taxed by the government to use, and must be disposed of properly. Every dry cleaner in the nation must pay into a drycleaners’ “superfund” for hazardous waste cleanups (even if the dry cleaner doesn’t use Perc!). If there is a spill in a dry cleaning facility, it can be very expensive to clean up.

In the past few years, new technologies have emerged allowing Dry Cleaners to try different solvents for cleaning garments, most with the focus of being more environmentally friendly.

Since building our new plant in 2007, St Croix | White Way Cleaners uses a Hydrocarbon solvent, which, along with being odorless, biodegrades within days of being exposed to air, water or earth. Oh, and it cleans pretty well too! (Just look at our five straight Seal of Approval wins from the DryCleaning and Laundry Institute!)

Other benefits include:

Softer Feeling Clothes

Extended Garment Life

Virtually Odorless

No Color Loss

Safe on Delicate Fabrics, beads, sequins and other embellishments

We have also invested in another new technology called “Wet Cleaning”. These machines use water but, unlike “washing machines”, wet cleaning machines infuse detergents, softeners and other cleaning agents via different computer programs to efficiently & effectively clean many garments that previously could only be “dry cleaned”.

St Croix |White Way Cleaners is committed to being an environmentally friendly Dry Cleaner. We are no longer considered a hazardous waste producer by the MN EPA. Not only do we use non-toxic solvents and recycle hangers, but we were the first in the Midwest to implement the use of bio-degradable plastic bags. These bags are kinder to the environment, and will help preserve our future.

We also use a state of the art water circulation system, effectively recycling and reusing the water supply in our dry cleaning plant. Since installing this system, we have reduced the amount of water used in our plant by over 35%! It effectively makes our environmental footprint even smaller.

While other Dry Cleaners may say they are “green,” (isn’t everyone, these days?) Most are still using unnatural solvents to clean your garments. Though Perc is still being used in the majority of dry cleaners, it is commendable that many dry cleaners are working as hard as possible to use more earth friendly technologies and solvents. If you want the best of both worlds right now, green cleaning is the clear choice and St Croix | White Way Cleaners is proud to be one of the leaders in the movement.