June 25, 2014 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Dry Cleaning Tips, Green Cleaning, Specialty Cleaning, Uncategorized

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.

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

Eco Friendly Dry Cleaning

eco friendlyAs 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

 

 

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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

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May 2, 2014 In Dry Cleaning Tips, Green Cleaning, Press, Specialty Cleaning

Winter Storage Tips

We stopped by the Twin Cities Live studio yesterday to share some winter storage tips for your favorite garments!

Here are a few of the tips for storing your winter garments until next season:

  • -Clean your clothes before you put them away.  Food and beverage stains can attract clothes moths and silver fish.
  • -Once you get your clothes back from the dry cleaners, remove them from the plastic garment bag.  Your clothes need to “breathe”.   And, don’t store your sweaters on hangers.
  • -When storing winter bedding, make sure to wash and completely dry your comforters.  Remember, comforters can take up to 8 hours to completely dry.
  • -Use lemon rinds and baking soda in your closet.  Lemon rinds keep bugs from burrowing in your clothes.  The baking soda, just like in the refrigerator, will eliminate odors in your clothes.  Don’t use mothballs!  These will leave a permanent odor on your clothing.

Watch the video here.

TCL - Still

 

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April 22, 2014 In Green Cleaning, Press

Featured in the Stillwater Gazette

We’ve got a lot planned for 2014 and are excited to continue to help our customers look and feel their very best – every single day!  Check out the recent article in the Stillwater Gazette about this expansive regrowth plan:

“St. Croix Cleaners, a locally owned dry cleaning service, announces it will add two new locations and an extensive renovation and rebranding plan for 2014.

The two new urban locations will be on the skyway level of the Soo Line Building City Apartments in Minneapolis and inside Lunds in the new Penfield Luxury Apartments in St. Paul. These new locations will join a network of…”  Read the rest of the article on the Stillwater Gazette’s website.

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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!

 

  1. 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.

  2. 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…
  3. 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.


 

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March 31, 2014 In Dry Cleaning Tips, Green Cleaning

It's Earth Month! Let's Conserve Water

This April (usually known as Earth Month since Earth Day falls on the 22nd) we’re excited to share more and more reasons why innovative technologies continue to make dry cleaning a relatively eco-friendly practice!

St Croix Cleaners is one of the largest dry cleaning facilities in the Twin Cities metro, if not Minnesota, and that means that A LOT of water is being used clean and press garments.

water-tower2

At a dry cleaning plant, though typical ‘dry cleaning’ does not use water, many other things do require the use of it.  Water is used for washing clothes in some machines, for attached laundromat’s machines, and it is also used to create the heat and steam so that we’re able to press your garments to make them look their best.

With 20 locations across the metro, we were cleaning and pressing quite a few garments a day – and that meant we were using A LOT of water ever day.  After a bit of research on how we might be able to save some of this water, we invested in a water circulation tower in 2010 that is now on the roof of our facility.

The water conservation tower recycles and purifies the majority of the water we use – saving over 2.5 million gallons of water a year!  That’s enough water to fill over 92 Olympic-sized swimming pools!

Just another reason we love to help you look and feel your very best – every single day.

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March 3, 2014 In Dry Cleaning Tips, Fashion, Green Cleaning

When is the Best Time to Clean My…?

UGGs?

The spring (March, April)  is usually the best time to clean these after you have trekked through the snow and salt all winter.  It’s important to remove the salt as soon as possible and to place a protective coating on your UGGs before letting them sit all summer.  That way, when the unexpected snow storm comes next October, you can pull out your UGGs and be ready to go!

Rugs?

Late spring, early summer  is best to clean your household rugs.  Just think about all the times you’ve stomped in from outside on that rug, and how much dirt and salt has built up on it. Vacuuming is only able to pick up the top layer – what about the dirt that has worked it’s way inside the rug?  It’s best to plan for annual cleanings – just once per year can help your rugs last three times as long!

Winter Coats?

At least once at the end of the winter.  Remember, you wear your winter coat almost every day in the winter – and you drive, eat, travel and more while wearing it.  Once the snow and ice finally decide to start melting away, and you’re able to switch to a light spring jacket, make sure to bring your coat in to us – that way it’s cleaned and properly stored until next winter!

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November 22, 2013 In Dry Cleaning Tips, Green Cleaning

St Croix Cleaners' Dry Cleaning Steps

  1. We check the labels for adequate care instructions and fiber content.
  2. We classify the garment according to fabric type, color, degree of soiling, and cleaning process, dry cleaning, wet cleaning or laundering.
  3. We remove spots and stains using special equipment, special stain removal agents, and water.
  4. We reapply any sizing, water repellent and other finishes when necessary and possible.
  5. We finish the garment on professional pressing equipment to restore its original shape and appearance. We replace missing or damaged buttons and perform minor repairs whenever possible according to plant policy.
  6. We package the garment neatly in a protective wrapping.

If you’d rather watch a video than read a list of words about how we do dry cleaning – check it out: “Dry Cleaning in 90 seconds”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4jq_PbwCHM

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