Fashion Trends Summer 2015

Summer 2015 trends approach with a little bit of the old and lots of the new. Your dry
cleaning team at St Croix Cleaners keeps up on the latest cleaning trends and care for specialty designs and fabrics.
We stay prepared to clean just about anything!  Fashion can be hard to keep up with!
Below are a few of the top 5 trends we’re seeing lately:

1. Kimono
From loose fitting festival styled to a delicate, sheer Kimono jacket, this movie inspired look has
hit the runways in a number of variations.

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2. Bold Reds
Stand out of the crowd with a bold red. It looks incredible on all skin tones and
buying a red dress will never go out of style.

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3. Polka Dots
Polka dots are definitely one of the 2015 trends and this year they’ve come back bigger and better.
Polka dots can also be tricky when it comes to cleaning –due to the multi-patterned colors.
Be sure to read care labels and follow cleaning instructions carefully.
When in doubt, bring the garment to your local trusted dry cleaner

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4. White Lace
Another elegant trend coming down the catwalk is delicate white lace.
Lace is breathable and great to wear on hot summer days.
This one we recommend dry cleaning no matter what the care label states.
If not cleaned properly the lace can become distorted, torn, discolored and look worn fast.

white-lace-fashion-trend-spring-summer-2015 5. Gingham
This pattern can be worn in a variety of ways and is very chic this season!

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Storing Winter Garments

Spring is here! The snow is finally melting and it’s time to swap out the winter gear for those fresh spring looks.
Before we get too eager, it’s important to prep your garments for storage.
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 The first step is cleaning. The reason we clean items before storage is because any dirt or stains have the potential to become
bigger problems when left untreated for an extended period of time.
We often see garments come in that have stains that sat untreated all year, which makes them difficult to remove.
Some stains are easily forgotten about and can cause major problems on your garments. For instance, say you spilled some clear soda on your sweater and when it dried you couldn’t see it anymore.
Even though the stain has “disappeared”, you still have sugar and other chemicals that hide. Once they oxidize, it’s common for them to turn a yellowish/brown color. As mentioned above, the longer a stain goes untreated, the harder it is to remove. So even if it comes to our attention during the dry cleaning process, we still can have our experts
work on it rather than having it sit all year and turn into a much worse stain.

A huge mistake many of our customers make is storing items in the plastic you receive your garments back in. Storing your garments in plastic can cause discoloration if left for too long!
We suggest promptly removing the plastic bag when you get home.

Our favorite tip when tucking your clothes away is instead of using moth balls, try the skin of your favorite citrus.
They need to be changed periodically but you completely avoid the moth ball smell and instead are greeted by a citrus scent.

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Diamond Awards 2014

Congratulations to our Treasured Garment Restoration team for winning the
Mpls St Paul Magazines Diamond Award for Outstanding Bridal Preservation
This is a huge honor for us and we would like to thank everyone that voted for us!

“The expertise with which this eco-friendly company cleans your gown was not lost on our panel of judges. Their museum-quality preservation process and impressive customer services were an added bonus. Said one judge: “Brides can rest easy knowing that their precious gown is in good hands.”

See other winners of the Diamond Awards here and visit our Treasured Garment Restoration
page to click through a gallery of other preservations we’ve done in the past.


Diamond Award Judges Choice Diamond Award People Choice

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120 Years of Cleaning Service

This year celebrates our 120th year in business. As one of the oldest cleaners in the Midwest, help us celebrate!
We have a rich history of serving customers using top of the line methods to ensure a great product.

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Pictured above is out ELK location in St. Paul. Which was once owned by
White Way Cleaners until St Croix Cleaners acquired them in 2010.

Though we don’t deliver garments by horse and buggy anymore, we do pride ourselves
on the 120 years of experience we have gained.

Until the 1930s the dry cleaning process was limited to large central plants with delivery routes into all parts of the city. In 1935 the grandson of the original founder of Despatch developed the concept of the “package plant” or neighborhood dry cleaning store. He is credited nationally as the originator of the dry cleaning store concept. The first one in the country was a White Way, which he opened in south Minneapolis.

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Holiday Countdown

 

 10 days to go and counting until Christmas! It’s not to late to get last minute cleaning in.

We clean all of your unique holiday items from Tree Skirts, Stockings, to even Santa Suits!
Pictured below is a recent Holiday item we’ve cleaned.

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Feel free to speak with your local Customer Service Representative
about any of your cleaning needs regarding holiday apparel.
We want you and your home to look your very best this year and to start the New Year off right.

Here is a picture of Santa visiting our production facility last year.

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Stubborn Stain Tips!

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WATCH: Kare11 – Stubborn Stain Tips

 

 

 

 

 

Kelley Nemec from St. Croix Cleaners joined us with the dirt on stains and how to get rid of them. Here are some of her top tips.

Nylon sock: Deodorant’s worst nightmare

Rub the nylon sock lightly over the deodorant marks or foundation to remove the top layer of the stain before it blends into the fabric.

You can still wear the garment for the day, but make sure to clean it soon after, as remnants of the stain may still remain.

Dish soap: Grease’s toughest competitor

Create a solution with the following: 1 pinky’s dip worth of dish soap (the original Dawn works the best!) + 1 to 2 cups water

Flush the stain with this solution (do not just use straight dish soap). Then dab, do not rub, the stain.

Flush with water once more.

If the garment will still not come clean, bring it to the professionals!

Ice cubes: Red wine remover

Treat a red wine stain immediately by placing a paper towel under the garment’s stain Gently dab an ice cube on the top After a few minutes, place a paper towel on top of the stain and pull the stain away!

Vacuum brush: Increases longevity of your garments

Next time you’re vacuuming, take an extra few minutes and vacuum your clothes with a vacuum brush.

Dust finds its way into your closet and settles on your clothes, causing fume fading (color loss) of colored garments and browning of white garments.

By removing this dust, your garments will store and keep their color much longer.

AVOID using stain sticks or DIY stain removing tips found on the Internet. Every stain and fabric is different and some of these “fixes” can actually damage your clothing!

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Coats for a Cause

Today is the last day of our first-ever “Coats for a Cause” – supporting Ready for Success.  It’s an easy way to support your community.  Just donate your gently used, professional winter coat to any St Croix Cleaners location, and receive 20% your dry cleaning order.  We’re happy to announce we’ve collected over 200 coats so far – and in Minnesota, they are very much appreciated.  Thank you to everyone for helping with this great cause!

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St. Croix Cleaners & Merrick Inc.

Merrick, Inc is based a nonprofit corporation out of Vadnais Heights that works with mentally handicapped adults to assist them in taking part in a job in their community. St Croix/White Way Cleaners have been working with Merrick, Inc for over 17 years to provide jobs. This opportunity gives these individuals the skills and ability to build relationships, participate, and work towards something. The skills they acquire can help them with their future goals and bring them closer to their community as well.

St. Croix/White Way employees’ check the clothes in, clean, press, package, and then it is up to the Merrick team to deliver the garments back to the customers. They go to the West 7th street location to pick up the cleaned items and deliver them to the doors of the customers and also pick up more items to be cleaned.

There are currently 8 Merrick employees working as delivery helpers ranging from ages 25-late 50’s and on average have been with the company for 13+ years.  John, a St. Croix Cleaners employee raves about how much love and respect each individual gives their co workers and how much he enjoys working with them. He sees them four days a week and says to never having once had a problem with the deliveries.  Their hard work has gained them all a very well respected place in the St. Paul community.

A former crew associate says “With the length of service all of the crew members have on the crews is a testament to how much they enjoy their job and the tasks they perform.  Cindy has been a job coach for White Way/St. Croix cleaners for 14 years, Amy for 7 years.  There are a number of businesses whose employees know the clients by name and will socialize with them for a few minutes when dropping off and picking up clothes.”

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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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