Suede and Leather Cleaning

Monday, July 19, 2010

Summer is the perfect time to clean and recondition all your suede and leather garments for the fall. These skins must be kept moist to retain their supple feel or they will dry out, crack and loose their luster over time. I recommend that you have all your suede and leather pieces, which includes bags and shoes in addition to jackets and coats, cleaned and conditioned to help keep them looking like the day they were purchased. After cleaning, we package all our garments in a breathable zippered garment bag to keep the air circulating and protect them from dust and direct light. Make sure you keep them in a cool dry place. Check out our savings coupon at www.edricks.com and call me directly at 860-677-2030 of you have any questions.

Drapery Cleaning

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Its Spring Time. Now is the time you should be looking to clean your draperies, curtains and valances.   

The technicians at Edricks will come to your home to clean all types of draperies and valances including swags, jabots, padded valances, fabric blinds and other intricate window treatments. No need to remove these items from your home and our cleaning process is guaranteed not to shrink, fade or remove sizing or resins from the fabric. This service is also great for removing dust and other allergens from your home or office without the inconvenience of taking down and re-hanging your draperies.

Call us at 860-677-2030 or email at info@edricks.com for more information or to schedule a no cost estimate at your home.

Garment Storage Tips

Monday, March 08, 2010

Valued Customers and Friends

Here are some storage tips for your clothing when you get them back from the drycleaners

• Always remove plastic bags from garments before putting in a closet or drawer. If left on the clothing, the moisture in the air will get trapped between the plastic and the fabric and may cause yellow staining.
• If you need to cover a delicate garment, drape a cotton sheet over the items before storing.
• You may keep the shoulder covers on the clothing to protect from dust and dirt.
• We package all sweaters and bedding in breathable bags so it is safe to store in a closet or drawer
• Try to keep clothing in a temperature controlled environment-----heated in the winter and cooled in the summer 
• To protect against moth damage, clean all woolens and other natural fabrics before storing after the winter season. We offer a free storage program and all garments are thoroughly cleaned and moth proofed for the season.

Recycling

As part of our green clean program, we recycle all our packaging. This includes hangers, poly bags, sweater/comforter bags, and all other packaging materials. You may return to the store or leave for your driver on pick up days.

If you have any questions about storage or recycling, please contact me at david@edricks.com or 860-677-2030.

David

Home Laundering Tips

Monday, February 22, 2010

Hello Cleaning Fans,

On a daily basis, we get requests from customers on how to sucessfully launder garments at home. Here are some useful tips help avoid disaster and keep your launderable garments looking new.

1. Read all care labels on the garment to see if laundering is an option. If it is, make sure you follow the directions regarding water temperature. If you would like to launder a "dryclean only" garment, talk to me first and I will give you some good advice.(I will adress the process in a future article)
2. There are 2 ways to remove stains: mechanical action(using the different agitating cycles) or soaking.
3. For tough stains, soak first for 30 minutes before washing.
4. If you want to apply a stain stick, test first on an unexposed seam before proceeding. You can also use a small amount of detergent mix and rub the stain between your fingers to help loosen.
5. Test for color fastness by mixing soap and water-rub or blot 10 times on a hidden seam to see it if bleeds.
6. For most garments and stains, use a detergent with a bleech additive like Tide with bleech. For garments with an oil stain, use a soap like Era that is specially formulated to remove oil or grease stains
7. If stains remains-do not dry in dryer.........hang dry and bring to me to evaluate
8. When using a dryer for garments other than underwear, socks etc, do not dry completely. This will cause shrinkage and pilling on some garments. When garments are almost dry(slighly damp to the touch) hang or lay flat to dry(for all sweaters or knit itmes)
9. For delicate garments, use Ivory, Woolite or Dreft to process

 Please call me at 860-677-2030 if you have any specific questions.........Happy Laundering

David

Ask David!!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Over the years, I have gotten many requests(some serious and some funny) for advice on:

• How do I clean..........
• Oh Darn I just ruined my favorite..........Heeeeeelp!!
• My child just spilled .........on my favorite.........
• My waiter spilled........on me at a restaurant. What should I do?
• Should I dryclean or wash my ...........

I thought it would be a good idea to create an ASK DAVID forum to get answers to your most popular questions. I will post your anonymous questions on the blog and some answers that I hope will help. To submnit questions to ASK DAVID, email me directly to david@edricks.com. Of course if you have an emergency, call me directly at 860-677-2030. I look foward to your questions and hope to give some good advice.

Holiday Stain Removal Tips

Thursday, January 07, 2010

During the holidays, I get many emergency phone calls from customers about food stains on clothing. Here are a few tips for safely removing unwanted stains from your favorite holiday garments.

The first step is to gently blot the stained area with a dry white cloth napkin. Never rub the garment as it may chafe the area and may also remove the color. This will help get rid of some of the stain before drycleaning. If the garment is washable and you want to attempt yourself, you may pre-treat before washing with a stain stick after testing on an unexposed area. For the gravy, soak in cold water with a grease boosting detergent(like Era) for 30 minutes before washing. For the chutney, use a detergent with a bleach booster like Tide/w Bleach. If the stain is still present, hang dry only as the heat from the dryer will only set the stain. If you would like for me to then try removing the stain, call Edricks Fine Drycleaning at 860-677-2030 to arrange for pick up and delivery service.