Dry Cleaning Information

Drycleaning standards and quality workmanship vary as much as clothing designers, car manufacturers, and most other products you purchase. You choose a product depending on your needs, desires, and standards. We pride ourselves in being a quality- and service-oriented drycleaner who will go beyond your expectations.

We have three Clothes Clinic locations to serve you, as well as the Clothes Clinic Valet Home Delivery Service. Clothes Clinic offers Same-Day Service for Drycleaning and Shirt Laundry Monday through Friday.

What is Drycleaning?

You drop off your garments at the drycleaners and pick them up a few days later looking good as new. But what happens to your clothing in between?

To many people, professional drycleaning is a mysterious process, and you may be surprised to learn that professional cleaning consists of more than one process. In fact, we may employ more than one technique to give your garments that "like new" appearance.

The Drycleaning Process

Drycleaning uses solvents to remove soils and stains from fabric. In fact, the term "drycleaning" is misleading; it is called drycleaning because the solvent contains little or no water and does not penetrate the fibers as water does. Among the advantages of drycleaning is its ability to dissolve grease and oils in a way that water cannot.

Drycleaning helps return garments to a "like new" condition using precautions to prevent shrinkage, loss of color, and fabric distortion.

The drycleaning process begins with the pretreatment of spots and stains using special cleaning agents by our professional cleaning technician. The garments are then loaded into a machine resembling an oversized front-loading home washer. It produces similar mechanical action to loosen embedded dirt. Throughout the cleaning process, the solvent is filtered and distilled to ensure its clarity.

Our Plant

At Clothes Clinic, we start with the basics; Our plant, equipment, and solvents are meticulously maintained on a daily basis, so your clothes come out their cleanest. Our high standard of quality control in all aspects of the plant is a critical priority to ensure top-quality results.

Counter and Pre-Inspection

When you entrust your garments to us, we continually inspect them before, during, and after processing. Upon taking in an order, we carefully tag your garments and enter them into our computerized inventory system. Our software ensures the most accurate tracking of garments. Next, we inspect the general condition of your clothes, checking the manufacturer's care instructions, noting the fiber content, looking for unusual or designer buttons or accessories, possible color loss, holes, etc., and note any special attention needed. If we think you may not be aware of damage prior to processing your garments or if there is a possibility of a problem, we will call to inform you of the related risks. We believe you have the right to make the final call on treatment of your garments.

Professional Cleaning Steps

Professional cleaning involves many different operations, all performed by skilled people and designed to give your garments a fresh and clean appearance. Procedures include:

1. Checking the labels for adequate care instructions and fiber content.
2. Classifying the garments according to fabric type, color, and degree of soiling.
3. Removing spots and stains using special equipment, special stain removal agents, and water.
4. Reapplying any sizing, water repellency, and other finishes when necessary and possible.
5. Finishing the garment on professional pressing equipment to restore its original shape and appearance.
6. Inspecting the garment by our skilled quality control inspector.
7. Packaging the garment neatly in protective wrapper.

How You Can Help

Here are some garment care tips that will help you get the most from your drycleaning dollar:

• Bring a garment in for professional cleaning as soon as possible after staining occurs.
• Discuss any stains with your cleaner. Be especially sure to point out any light-colored or invisible spills, so that we can treat the stain prior to putting the garment through the drycleaning process.
• Keep perfumes, lotions, deodorants, antiperspirants, and other toiletries from coming into contact with your clothes. These products likely contain alcohol, which can affect some dyes. Allow them to dry before you dress.
• Protect your garments from excessive perspiration (especially silks). Perspiration left on fabrics too long can cause many dyes to discolor.
• Have matching items cleaned together so that any color loss will be uniform and the pieces will still match.
• Protect your garments from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight or strong artificial light. Even normal lighting can affect some dyes.
• Don't press stained or soiled clothes. The heat may set some stains.

Sometimes certain stains cannot be removed, worn or torn areas cannot be reversed, some colors cannot be prevented from fading, and poor home spot removal procedures cannot be corrected. But, with a little bit of prevention, you can do your part to help ensure satisfactory drycleaning and a longer life for your garments. You can rest assured that if a stain can be removed, Clothes Clinic will remove it!