October 29, 2024 In Dry Cleaning Tips, Fashion, Specialty Cleaning, Workplace

2024 Award of Excellence!

We are thrilled to announce that St Croix Cleaners has been honored with the 2024 Award of Excellence in Quality Cleaning and Customer Service from the International Drycleaning Association’s Drycleaning and Laundry Institute! This marks an incredible 17th recognition since the program began in 2005, and we couldn’t be prouder.

Our Commitment to You

Receiving this prestigious award is not just a milestone for us; it’s a testament to our dedication to providing top-notch cleaning services and exceptional customer care. To earn this recognition, we underwent a thorough evaluation, demonstrating our commitment to quality. We successfully tackled the challenge of removing six difficult stains from a silk swatch and submitted it for assessment, showcasing our expertise and attention to detail.

Mary Scalco, CEO of the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute, emphasized the importance of this program: “The program helps motivate St Croix Cleaners’ staff, inspire innovation, and sustain consumer confidence in the drycleaning industry.” We believe that continuous improvement and education are key to serving our customers better, and we’re proud to uphold these values.

A Reflection of Our Team’s Hard Work

This award reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team. Owner Dave shares, “Receiving the Award of Excellence shows the level of dedication that my staff and family commit to the communities we serve. It’s an honor and a privilege to help our customers look their best. We are humbled by this award, but we see it as a byproduct of our service, not an end result.”

Thank You for Your Support

We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our loyal customers and the community. Your support inspires us every day to strive for excellence. We’re proud to serve the Twin Cities Metro Area and to be your trusted partner in caring for your garments.

Founded in 1960, St Croix Cleaners has grown to 15 locations, and we remain committed to providing you with the highest quality cleaning services. Whether it’s your favorite outfit or a treasured heirloom, we treat every piece with the care it deserves.

Thank you for being part of our journey. We’re excited for what’s to come and look forward to continuing to serve you with excellence!

Here’s to looking and feeling your best!

0
October 22, 2020 In Dry Cleaning Tips, Fashion, Specialty Cleaning, Workplace

Costume Care 101: Properly Clean & Preserve

Halloween is right around the corner, and it’s one of St Croix Cleaners & Treasured Garment Restoration’s favorite!

Halloween Costumes and Costumes in general, can certainly end up being a really big expense which is why it’s so important have them properly cleaned and cared for! No matter if its a Halloween costume for yourself or your child, chances are you want to keep it in great shape so you can wear it more than once! We understand the importance of cleaning and preserving to get the most out of your investment. That’s why we want to share with you…

Top tips in order to keep your costume protected for future use:

  • Before storing a costume, or any garment for that matter, always clean it first.  Dirty garments tend to attract insects and bugs.
  • Be sure to check the care label and follow its instructions.
  • One of the best methods to ensure your purchased Halloween costumes are cleaned and properly taken care of is to utilize a professional dry-cleaning service. Having your Halloween costume dry-cleaned by professionals helps to preserve the fabric and material.
  • Visit one of our locations if you have questions about the instructions. We’re happy to take a look and let you know if it can safely clean it at home or if it requires professional cleaning.
  • Once it’s clean, store it in a clean, cool, dry, and dark location.

Check out some of these cool costumes we’ve cleaned in the past! Can you pick out where they might be from!?

Our Nationally Renowned Cleaning Specialists have some pretty unique things in their workshop this time of year.  As the premier cleaners for Costume Rentals, Inc, The Guthrie Theater, The Children’s Theater, the Minnesota Opera and dozens of other theaters throughout the Twin Cities metro area, we have worked with some pretty elaborate costumes over the years.  Many times, the costumes must be hand-cleaned due to the amount of beads, unique fabric, feathers & fur that might be part of these exquisite costumes.

The Specialty Cleaning team also has the opportunity to clean many mascots – many of which you’ve probably heard of!  Almost all of the mascot costumes are hand-cleaned and can sometimes take hours to completely clean.

How creative is your costume this year?
Bring it in to St Croix Cleaners for its after holiday cleaning and let us be the judge!

Happy Halloween!

0
January 13, 2015 In "Geeky" Stain Tips, Press, Specialty Cleaning, Workplace

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

Capture

0
January 8, 2015 In Green Cleaning, Press, Specialty Cleaning, Uncategorized, Workplace

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.

white_way_early_1900s
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.

0
August 21, 2014 In Press, Uncategorized, Workplace

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.”

0
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

 

 

0
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

0
July 8, 2013 In Fashion, Workplace

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.

iron

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. 

0
July 27, 2012 In Green Cleaning, Workplace

Help St Croix | White Way Meet our Hanger Recycling Goal!

As we’ve talked about before, on this very blog, being environmentally friendly is more than just lip-service for us here at St Croix | White Way Cleaners.

We have been leaders in “Green” dry cleaning technology; from our state- of- the- art water circulation system to the use of earth friendly solvents, St Croix | White Way has been committed to do our part.

Now though, we need some help from our amazing customers as well!

We are excited to announce our participation in the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute’s “Cleaners Care: Hanger Recycling Program.”

DLI’s goal is a big one, as the group is looking for its member drycleaners to recycle 25 Million hangers in 2012.

To put that into context, 25 million hangers is roughly equivalent to 750 tons of steel -enough to create six Statues of Liberty!

So far, along with us, nearly 300 environmentally-conscious drycleaners from around the world have pledged to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than 19 million hangers and the resources it takes to make them. With your help, can we make it to 25 million?!!

So be sure to drop off your extra hangers with us on your next visit, and remind others to do so too! With your help, and continued support we’ll be able to meet our goal, and DLI’s!

0