News & Tips - Posts From Our Blog | Highlander Cleaners Professional Dry Cleaning Thu, 07 Dec 2023 17:45:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://highlandercleaners.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cropped-site-icon-32x32.png News & Tips - Posts From Our Blog | Highlander Cleaners 32 32 A Laundry Service with Free Pickup and Delivery! https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/your-laundry-done-for-you-wash-fold-dry-cleaning-more-with-free-pickup-delivery/ https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/your-laundry-done-for-you-wash-fold-dry-cleaning-more-with-free-pickup-delivery/#comments Tue, 16 Jul 2019 04:00:13 +0000 https://highlandercleaners.com/?p=600 Whether you’re a construction worker, a professional, a healthcare worker or a busy mom working to maintain a household, Highlander Cleaners offers laundry, wash and fold and dry cleaning services for you. From dress shirts, uniforms, work clothes, slacks, skirts, pants, suits, dresses and blouses, to your everyday laundry that you don’t have time to […]

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Whether you’re a construction worker, a professional, a healthcare worker or a busy mom working to maintain a household, Highlander Cleaners offers laundry, wash and fold and dry cleaning services for you.

From dress shirts, uniforms, work clothes, slacks, skirts, pants, suits, dresses and blouses, to your everyday laundry that you don’t have time to clean, Highlander can help with our free pickup and delivery service.

laundry basket filled with clothes

The Same Trusted Dry Cleaning Experience, Now with Free Pickup & Delivery throughout Central PA

Highlander Cleaners can pick up your laundry and dry cleaning at your home, corporate office or business location. We offer specialized uniform cleaning and have weekly routes that pick up at police stations, medical offices, law offices, retirement communities, accounting firms, banks and numerous other businesses locations.

If time is an issue, or there’s not a cleaner that you like locally, Highlander Cleaners can help! We cover numerous residential areas including some Harrisburg suburbs, Middletown, Hershey, Hummelstown, Palmyra, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Marietta, Hempfield and Landisville.

We Come to You: Home, Office or Anywhere

In addition, Highlander Cleaners provides specialized services for senior men and women who like the convenience of dry cleaning pickup and delivery, who may not be able to drive, or who have a disability and can’t easily travel to our store locations. We specialize in wash and fold laundry services for adults with disabilities and can make special accommodations to help with picking up laundry and returning it clean and folded, so they always feel and look their very best!

With weekly dry cleaning pickup and delivery services and laundry wash and fold services, Highlander Cleaners can serve the needs of business professionals, single individuals or families with busy schedules, seniors, retirees and disabled individuals at your home or office.

The Convenience You Need

There are many great advantages to Highlander Cleaners Laundry and Dry Cleaning Pickup and Delivery Services.

  • You get the same trusted dry cleaning and laundry experience that you receive at our store, with free pickup and delivery
  • Your clothes are returned to you clean, pressed, folded and wrinkle-free in the same amount of time
  • You can schedule a pickup from the comfort of your own home or office
  • You can schedule for regular weekly pickup and delivery or on-demand service – no weekly commitment!
  • You can schedule from anywhere using Highlander Cleaner’s Website or Mobile App, plus we have convenient online payment options
  • Highlander uses safe, clean, environmentally-friendly solvents and we strive to be a “green cleaner”
  • Our prices are competitive in the Dauphin and Lancaster County Dry Cleaning markets
  • Our focus is always to provide our customers with excellent service and exceptional quality cleaning

Hassle-Free Laundry Pickup and Delivery

We know life is short and moves fast. And we believe that our laundry and dry cleaning service will work with your schedule, not against it. So the next time your laundry is piling up, call Highlander Cleaners and we’ll take care of “laundry day” and deliver fresh, clean and folded clothes right to your front door!

We pickup and deliver 5 days a week. And you don’t need to be home during pickup and delivery. We typically pickup on your front porch or the front entrance of your business, but we can customize a location that works for you. For our customers in corporate offices, retirement communities, condominiums or townhomes, clothes are usually left in the main office, at the front desk or lobby area.

Your laundry bag will get picked up on the next scheduled pickup day or the day you scheduled in the Highlander App. Please place your bag at your pickup location by 8:30 AM on the scheduled pickup day.

You can use your own bag, or we will provide a personalized Highlander Cleaners laundry bag, which will be delivered directly to your home with your first delivery. Your Highlander bag will include your personal I.D. tag with your address and account information, so your clothes and delivery bagS always stay together.

folded laundry in a basket

Repairs, Tailoring and Alterations

We also have a full alterations and tailoring department if your clothing items need something repaired. And you can just include a note with your garment bag detailing the desired repair or schedule a time to come in and get measured for specific alterations.

5 benefits of choosing Highlander Cleaners for your laundry care service:

  • Affordability. The cost of our laundry care covers everything! Detergent, water, electricity, time, washing, folding and free pickup and delivery!
  • Convenience. Highlander will set a weekly schedule for you and will simply pick up and drop off your laundry. This completely removes the time and hassle associated with doing your own laundry.
  • Speed. We pick up your laundry and return it to you within 2-4 business days!
  • Cost. By the time you add up the cost of purchasing a high quality washer and dryer, the cost of running your washer and dryer, the cost of laundry detergent, and the cost of your time to do the laundry, in almost every situation you end up financially ahead by choosing a laundry service to take care of your laundry for you.
  • Professional Results. Laundry wash and fold is our specialty, so we have developed techniques and a wash process to make sure your clothes are gently cleaned, stains are removed, and your clothes are returned to you in pristine condition.

Consider Dry Cleaning and Laundry Pickup and Delivery

People often outsource their lawn care, house cleaning, window washing, grocery shopping and other tasks that they either don’t have time for…or don’t have the experience to do properly. Most people never consider signing up for a laundry service until they actually try our service and end up loving it!

The clothes we wear make an impression on others, so wearing clean and good clothes reflects our personality. We help our customers by offering a wide range of services so you can keep your clothing and garments well maintained and in good condition.

Learn More and Schedule Your Pickup Today

Watch: Check out the video on our homepage for an overview of our pickup and delivery service.

Get started: Schedule your pickup online or download our app for on-the-go convenience.

Learn more: For more information on our dry cleaning, laundry pickup and delivery or other services, email us at info@highlandercleaners.com or call (717) 367-4665.

Laundry Service Near Me: Schedule a pickup in these towns and cities:

Middletown, PA
Chambers Hill, PA
Hockersville, PA
Hershey, PA
Hummelstown, PA
Elizabethtown, PA
Mount Joy, PA
Rheems, PA
Bellaire, PA
Deodate, PA
Aberdeen, PA
Marietta, PA
Maytown, PA
Bainbridge, PA
Hempfield, PA
Lancaster, PA

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A Better Way to Approach Spring Cleaning https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/a-better-way-to-approach-spring-cleaning/ https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/a-better-way-to-approach-spring-cleaning/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2019 14:55:25 +0000 https://highlandercleaners.com/?p=597 Spring brings new energy, new opportunities and the chance to get outdoors after months of cold weather. It’s also an opportunity to bring “new life” to your wardrobe, to clean household bedding and freshen up drapes, tablecloths and other rarely cleaned items. What Does “Spring Fresh” Mean? At Highlander Cleaners, we help take care of […]

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Spring brings new energy, new opportunities and the chance to get outdoors after months of cold weather. It’s also an opportunity to bring “new life” to your wardrobe, to clean household bedding and freshen up drapes, tablecloths and other rarely cleaned items.

What Does “Spring Fresh” Mean?

At Highlander Cleaners, we help take care of your “spring cleaning”! As you’re working on planting a garden, moving around your patio furniture and preparing for the next season, it’s a good reminder to “freshen up” from the previous one…both for your physical health, but also for the cleanliness of your clothing, your bedding and your home accessories.

Our two Lancaster County dry cleaning locations in Elizabethtown and Mount Joy specialize in cleaning all different sized household items such as bedding, comforters, sleeping bags, blankets, bedspreads, quilts, afghans, decorative pillows, curtains, draperies, tablecloths, furniture coverings, small area rugs and more. As your local dry cleaner, Highlander provides gentle, convenient, timely and efficient service in handling those hard-to-clean items and you can pick them up, fresh and ready to use or put in storage for the next season.

Spring Cleaning of Bedding and Linens

Ironically, people spend about one third of their lives in bed, but don’t typically clean bed linens, comforters or sleeping bags nearly as often as clothes or other occasional use items. You may wash sheets and pillowcases regularly…but comforters, blankets and bedspreads may only get a cleaning once a year – or less.

Bedding can sometimes contain living and dead dust mites, dust mite excrement, dead skin and other bacteria. To make sure you’re keeping your family safe, you should consider visiting a dry cleaner to clean your bedding at least twice a year.

A full service dry cleaner, such as Highlander Cleaners, has special processes to clean “polyfill” and “down filled” comforters and pillows to ensure that they are not only clean, but retain their structural integrity and original loft. We have machines large enough to handle it properly and can clean it according to manufacturer’s instructions, whether laundry or dry cleaning.

For a cleaned comforter, we’ll fold it and place it in a comforter storage bag that you could use to store for a season.

Window Treatments, Draperies and Curtains

Window treatments, curtains and draperies are usually forgotten in the household. Sometimes, they stay hung for several years and have significant dust accumulation and sun damage from being in one position for so long. Also, dusty window treatments can develop permanent water marks if they are exposed to any condensation or moisture. It’s best to have these specialized fabrics cleaned by a dry cleaner once a year.

Tablecloths, Napkins and Food/Beverage Stains

Holiday and special tablecloths and napkins that are only used occasionally throughout the year, are notorious for not being cleaned after spills or stains.

Food and beverage stains can be difficult to get out, especially if they’ve been left to set in for an extended period of time. Highlander Cleaners provides expert cleaning of dining room items like tablecloths, linens and formal napkins…and have both “solvent-soluble” and “water-soluble” stain removal solutions.

It’s usually safer for a customer to not risk further damage by using an over-the-counter “all-purpose” stain removal product when you should instead rely on a dry cleaner’s expert stain removal capabilities.

For commercial work, Highlander Cleaners can specialize in regular cleaning of chef and wait staff uniforms, restaurant and banquet hall tablecloths.

Odor Removal/Smoke and Fire Damage

Highlander Cleaners also specializes in odor removal or discoloration from household cigarette smoke or removing soot and oil residue from a furnace that isn’t working properly in your home. Our customers are usually amazed at how garments, draperies and bedding will brighten and whiten up and our cleaning process takes away the yellow and gray stains that tend to sit on the surface of the fabrics.

In addition, Highlander can clean items damaged by fire as well, using specific ozone generators and processes that kill the odors and restore the items. The contact between ozone and the odors embedded in the textiles causes oxidation to reoccur, resulting in the elimination of the odors and the release of oxygen. These are safe and effective processes that are a dry cleaner’s specialty.

Wedding Gown Cleaning and Restoration

Highlander Cleaners also specializes in wedding gown restoration, so if you have a wedding dress that you’ve recently worn, but hasn’t been cleaned or restored for long-term storage, we can safely clean, preserve and package for you.

Cleaning of Pet Hair, Dander and Urine

Pets can also cause damage and stains on comforters, blankets, sofa covers, garments and more. Highlander Cleaners specializes in cleaning these items as well.

Don’t Delay Your Dry Cleaning Visit

It is extremely important to consider seasonal cleaning of garments, especially if they are stained, wet or have condensation. If the clothing item has natural fibers such as wool, linen or silk, and has any kind of stain, insects will be attracted to it.

As spots or stains adhere to the fabric or garment for longer periods of time, your success rate with cleaning drops. It’s always better to bring the item to the dry cleaner when the spot or stain is fresh. If a stain sits for 2-3 months, it tends to oxidize and bind itself to the fabric and the fibers and you have to invest more time in cleaning with less chance of success. Dealing with the stain quickly ensures an easier cleaning process that helps preserve the integrity of the fabric and minimizes any permanent discoloration from occurring.

Highlander Cleaner’s preference is to remove stains quickly and return the garment to its original brightness, with no color variations in the fabric. As we start using the processes for stains that have set for longer times, it can affect the entire garment and the time, cost and number of processes of treating the stain increases.

Also, with our full-service tailoring and alterations department, Highlander Cleaners can stitch seams, fix hems and sew buttons back on while your garments are on-site for cleaning.

Environmentally Friendly

Highlander is an environmentally friendly dry cleaner. Our dry cleaning solvents and cleaning processes are not harmful to the environment or to any individuals or pets. We use water based cleaning processes whenever possible and for items requiring a solvent cleaning, only the safest methods developed from many years of experience are used.

To learn more about Highlander Cleaners spring cleaning capabilities and our eco-friendly process, email us at info@highlandercleaners.com or call (717) 367-4665.

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Our Wedding Dress Tailor Will Make Your Dress Stunning! https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/lancaster-countys-hidden-secret-for-prom-dress-wedding-dress-fittings-alterations-and-preservation/ https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/lancaster-countys-hidden-secret-for-prom-dress-wedding-dress-fittings-alterations-and-preservation/#respond Mon, 18 Feb 2019 17:44:40 +0000 https://highlandercleaners.com/?p=590 Your big day is coming up fast, and you want to be sure your dress looks as beautiful as can be. But where is the best place to have it fitted? Who can alter it to make it even more stunning? When it comes to prom dress and wedding dress fittings and alterations, many people […]

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Your big day is coming up fast, and you want to be sure your dress looks as beautiful as can be. But where is the best place to have it fitted? Who can alter it to make it even more stunning?

When it comes to prom dress and wedding dress fittings and alterations, many people get their dresses fitted right at the bridal shop, not realizing there are better options available. Even if you’re buying your gown online, you don’t have to take it to an expensive bridal boutique to get the alterations you need.

Here are 10 reasons why Highlander Cleaners is Lancaster County’s hidden secret for dress fittings, alterations and more:

1) Skill & Experience

At Highlander, we have 30 years’ experience in prom / wedding dress fittings and alterations. Our two full-time dress tailors specialize in alterations for gowns of all styles and sizes. Their extensive capabilities ensure that your dress will fit perfectly and look incredible on you!

  • Precision fitting
  • Hemming
  • Fitting of the bodice area
  • Fitting of the sleeves
  • Adjusting the neck line if needed

2) Friendly Service

We love working with brides and prom goers (and their moms, bridesmaids and friends)!

For our experienced dress tailors, there’s nothing more gratifying than helping someone look ahh-mazing in their dress. We’re here to help you, and we’re committed to providing fast, friendly service at every interaction.

3) Affordability

In addition to our extensive capabilities, we are typically more affordable than most bridal shops. By choosing Highlander, you’ll save money on your dress fittings and alterations.

4) Easy, Low-Stress Fittings

We take the stress out of fittings! Our process is very simple. Simply call us to set up an appointment, bring in your dress, and our experienced dress tailors will determine what needs to be done to make your dress perfect. We’ll provide a quote for alterations and a timeline for completion. (Since all dresses are constructed differently, we cannot give estimates over the phone – we’ll need to see it in-person.)

We have a comfortable fitting area, where our skilled tailors will take measurements. A second fitting is sometimes required, because of the nature of the alterations: additional adjustments may be needed to make the dress absolutely perfect. For wedding gowns, a final fitting is often recommended before your big day.

5) Custom Alterations

In addition to the alterations mentioned above, we can make other adjustments to transform your dress according to your wishes. For example, we can turn your gown into an open-back dress, add straps to accommodate a larger bust, adjust the trim, beads, lace, sequins – whatever’s needed to make it truly your own.

We can also make alterations to veils and headdresses. Plus, if there’s enough fabric left over after other alterations, we have the ability to make a matching accessory, such as a handkerchief for the groom or groomsmen.

6) Great for Dresses Purchased Online, Too

It’s very common now for brides and high schoolers to buy their dresses over the internet, without seeing them or trying them on in person. But this has increased the need to visit an experienced tailor and alterations department.

Don’t be discouraged if your purchase doesn’t fit right! Bring it to Highlander Cleaners, and our skilled staff will make the alterations needed to make it as gorgeous as you envisioned!

7) Flexible Scheduling

In a rush? No problem. We’re faster than some bridal shops and can work with you to finish your dress on time. Just be sure to leave enough time for the alterations.

For prom gowns, you should allow 3-4 weeks before the event for fitting and alterations. For wedding dresses, you should allow 1-2 months or minimum of 4-6 weeks.

8) Cleaning, Finishing & Pressing

Another advantage of choosing Highlander Cleaners is that we can clean, finish and press your dress, prior to your picking it up. This is something conventional wedding dress shops usually cannot offer.

9) Post-Event Cleaning, Repairs & Preservation

Let’s face it — prom dresses and wedding gowns go through a lot on the big night. They often get dirty and damaged in a matter of hours.

You’ll probably want to keep your gown forever, but that doesn’t mean it needs to stay soiled! Highlander Cleaners offers a meticulous wedding gown preservation process, in which we thoroughly clean your gown and package it using non-buffered acid-free materials to preserve it for a lifetime.

Anybody can have their wedding dress preserved at Highlander, but if you also choose us for dress alterations, you’ll get an automatic discount on our preservation service.

10) Conveniently located in Lancaster County

We’re close by! If you’re having your wedding in one of Elizabethtown’s or Lancaster County’s many amazing wedding venues, know that Highlander is here to help!

Make an appointment today

Let us make your dress even more beautiful! Contact Highlander Cleaners today to schedule an appointment for your prom or wedding dress fitting and alterations or inquire about our wedding gown preservation service.

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Finding Eco Friendly Dry Cleaners https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/find-environmentally-friendly-green-dry-cleaning/ https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/find-environmentally-friendly-green-dry-cleaning/#respond Thu, 08 Feb 2018 01:37:27 +0000 https://highlandercleaners.com/?p=543 The term “dry cleaning” clothes is a misnomer. The process actually involves cleaning clothes in a liquid solvent to remove soil and stains. The process of using chemicals instead of water to clean clothes began with the Romans who used ammonia distilled from urine to clean woolen togas. The process of dry cleaning evolved through […]

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The term “dry cleaning” clothes is a misnomer. The process actually involves cleaning clothes in a liquid solvent to remove soil and stains.

The process of using chemicals instead of water to clean clothes began with the Romans who used ammonia distilled from urine to clean woolen togas. The process of dry cleaning evolved through the centuries until the 1930s when a chlorinated solvent, perchloroethylene, became the leading cleaning method.

The majority of dry cleaners, about 80 percent, still use the solvent perchloroethylene or “perc” today. However, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers perc both a health and environmental hazard. In the 1990s the United States Environmental Protection Agency began to regulate dry cleaning chemicals and encourage commercial cleaners to use safer, more environmentally friendly solvents. This action coined the term “Green Dry Cleaning”.

What is Green Dry Cleaning?

Green dry cleaning refers to any alternative dry cleaning method that does not involve using perc. One is wet cleaning which is a more gentle version of home laundering. Three other green cleaning methods follow the traditional solvent model but use carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, or silicon-based cleaners instead of perc. However, of the four types of alternative cleaning offered in the United States, only two are considered truly safe for the environment and consumers.

They are wet cleaning and liquid carbon dioxide cleaning. If you are looking for the most environmentally sound cleaning, ask your dry cleaner which of the methods is used in their cleaning process.

Wet Cleaning

Wet cleaning uses water and specialized detergents that are milder than home laundry products to clean clothes.

Wet cleaners have computerized washers and dryers and professional pressing, steaming and finishing equipment to make your clothes look their best. The EPA considers it one of the safest professional cleaning methods because there is “no hazardous chemical use, no hazardous waste generation, no air pollution, and reduced potential for water and soil contamination.” Extra care is taken before and after cleaning to treat stains since no solvent is used.

Liquid Carbon Dioxide Cleaning

Carbon dioxide (CO2) cleaning uses liquid CO2 as the cleaning solvent along with detergent. The liquid CO2 is formed by placing the nonflammable and nontoxic gas under high pressure. Liquid CO2 is non-toxic and is actually used to provide carbonation to soft drinks.

Clothes are placed in what appears to be a traditional dry cleaning machine and the ambient air is sucked out. The cleaning drum is then injected with carbon dioxide in both gas and liquid form. After the clothes are cleaned, the liquid CO2 is pumped back into a holding tank for reuse.

The process is, perhaps, the most environmentally friendly because the CO2 is captured as a by-product of an existing industrial processes. Since less than three percent of the CO2 used is lost into the air with each load of clothing, its impact on global warming is minimal.

The process uses less energy than traditional dry cleaning because there is no solvent to heat.

While CO2 is naturally occurring and inexpensive, the dry cleaning machines costs around $40,000 each making them cost prohibitive for many small businesses.

DF-2000 Hydrocarbon Solvent

Some cleaners promote themselves as green by using an “organic” solvent called DF-2000. This solvent is a hydrocarbon that must be made from petroleum. Production of these chemicals raises environmental concerns over greenhouse gases in particular.

Silicon Based Solvent

Some cleaners use the GreenEarth cleaning method to replace perc. GreenEarth is basically liquified sand (SiO2). It functions as a silicone based solvent called siloxane or D-5. Siloxane is similar to some of the base ingredients used in shaving creams and deodorant.

When GreenEarth is discarded, it breaks down into sand, water, and carbon dioxide.

The good news is that no chemicals touch your clothes. However, the manufacture of siloxane uses chlorine, which releases carcinogenic dioxin during the manufacturing process.

The Future of Greener Dry Cleaning

The state of California is leading the way toward green dry cleaning by committing to phase out the use of perc by 2023. The state offers grant money to cleaners that switch from perc to CO2 or wet cleaning. Other states are considering similar legislation. Search for dry cleaners in your area that use the wet cleaning and carbon dioxide cleaning methods.

By Mary Marlowe Levertte
(As published online at www.thespruce.com on 1/30/18)

To learn more about Highlander Cleaners cleaning solvents and eco-friendly process, email us at info@highlandercleaners.com or call (717) 367-4665.

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Benefits of Professional Dry Cleaning https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/benefits-professional-dry-cleaning/ https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/benefits-professional-dry-cleaning/#respond Tue, 30 Jan 2018 05:00:34 +0000 https://highlandercleaners.com/?p=544 The Benefits of Dry Cleaning from A to Z What are the benefits of dry cleaning? Let us count the ways – 26 of them to be exact. Alterations: Professional dry cleaners are full-service clothing care specialists. Alterations are one of the many services they may offer in addition to dry cleaning your clothes. Buttons: […]

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The Benefits of Dry Cleaning from A to Z

What are the benefits of dry cleaning? Let us count the ways – 26 of them to be exact.

Alterations: Professional dry cleaners are full-service clothing care specialists. Alterations are one of the many services they may offer in addition to dry cleaning your clothes.

Buttons: Dry cleaners repair loose buttons or sew on new ones, if necessary.

Convenience: All you have to do is drop your clothes off and pick them up. Your dry cleaner takes care of the rest. Why waste hours doing laundry and ironing when you get quality and convenience with dry cleaning?

Dry cleaning, the process itself: Dry cleaning uses fluids to remove soils and stains from fabrics. Among the advantages of dry cleaning is its ability to dissolve grease and oils in a way that water cannot. Natural fibers such as wools and silks dry clean beautifully, but can shrink, distort, and lose color when washed in water. Synthetic fibers like polyester also respond well to dry cleaning, whereas they can retain oily stains after washing. Dry cleaning helps to return garments to a “like-new” condition using precautions to prevent shrinkage, loss of color, and change of texture or finish.

Expertise: From fashions and fabrics to stain removal to the latest cleaning technologies, dry cleaners have the expertise to clean your clothes right. Why do it yourself or settle for a second-rate job from a so-called “home dry cleaning kit” when you could trust it to an expert?

Finishing: Thanks to special pressing equipment, professional finishing gives garments a crisp, wrinkle-free, like-new appearance that can’t be beat. There are no rumples or creases out of place. Plus, by taking your clothes to the dry cleaner, you don’t have to spend your weekend standing over an ironing board and a hot iron.

Garment storage: Have you got too many clothes and too little space? Some cleaners provide garment storage for out-of-season items. The garments are stored in a vault, which offers protection from insects, fire, burglary, flood, and mildew damage. Furs used to be the primary storage item, but today dry cleaners receive woolens, household items, and other items to store as well.

Household textiles: Dry cleaners don’t just clean clothes. Many dry cleaners also process household items such as blankets, comforters, decorative pillows, rugs, and even upholstery and draperies.

Inspection: Before they return a garment to you, quality dry cleaners conduct an inspection to make sure your order has met their own and your expectations. If they spot a problem, the garment gets sent back to receive further attention. Safeguards like this help ensure that your clothes will look their best when you come to pick them up.

Just right: That’s how your clothes will look when you pick them up from your dry cleaning professional.

Knowledge of fabrics and fashions: You may know what rayon, silk, and cotton are, but what about angora, faille or seersucker? There are numerous fabrics and fibers that dry cleaners must know about in order to care best for the clothes they receive. Each fabric can respond positively or negatively depending on the treatment administered.

Laundry: Dry cleaning professionals also have commercial laundry departments where they process shirts, cotton pants, and other items. With the convenience and superior level of pressing that comes with commercial laundry, it won’t just be your dry clean-only clothes that look like a million bucks. Your business casual and casual attire will look their best, too.

Moths, safeguards from: Clean clothes are the first step to preventing moth and other insect damage. Insects can damage clothes either directly or indirectly. Direct damage is caused by a group of insects feeding directly on a fabric. Indirect damage is caused when insects feed on spilled food or perspiration on the fabric. Moths attack the garment directly, especially wool and wool blends. Some cleaners provide mothproofing as a service. Mothproofing is a chemical treatment given to fabrics that provides protection from insects without leaving the objectionable odors that mothballs do.

Neckties: Ties are often made of delicate fabrics (such as silk) and require special care. Whether you’ve spilled gravy on your favorite tie or are just looking to spruce it up, a high-quality dry cleaner is best equipped to clean it.

Odor removal: Some dry cleaning establishments specialize in odor removal and flood and fire restoration of water- or smoke-damaged items. These dry cleaners use ozone generators to do an ozone treatment. The contact between ozone and the odors embedded in the textiles causes oxidation to reoccur, resulting in the elimination of the odors and the release of oxygen. This is a safe and effective process.

Preservation: Many dry cleaners specialize in the preservation of wedding gowns, christening gowns, and other family heirlooms. Preservation is a special type of storage that helps prolong the life of a garment for years and years. Cleaners often say that they aren’t just preserving a customer’s garment, they’re preserving a memory.

Quality: This is what dry cleaning experts should provide and you should expect from them. Accept no less.

Restoration: In addition to preservation, dry cleaners may specialize in the restoration of old wedding gowns, heirloom items, and antique textiles. These items often are very delicate and require great care. Restoration specialists have the expertise to take in these items, although the level they can restore them to depends on their condition at the time they are brought in. It is not uncommon, though, for a cleaner to restore a wedding gown originally worn by a bride-to-be’s grandmother well enough that the bride can wear it in her own wedding.

Stain removal: Dry cleaners use complex procedures and special stain removal chemicals to remove stains. Stains are divided into two major categories: solvent-soluble stains and water-soluble stains. Different stains require different treatments, which stain removal technicians are trained to administer. Why risk a disaster using an over-the-counter “all-purpose” stain removal product or trying a “home remedy” when you could rely on your drycleaner’s expert stain removal abilities?

Technology: Dry cleaners are on top of the latest cleaning and fabric technologies.

Upholstery: Dry cleaning professionals aren’t just clothes care specialists, they are textile care specialists. Some cleaners will even come into your home if you’d like to clean the upholstery of your couch, chairs, and other furniture. These cleaners have special, portable equipment that allows them to clean upholstery and draperies.

Value: A good value is what dry cleaners provide their customers through quality work, excellent customer service, and the extra free time to do the things they’d rather be doing instead of washing and ironing clothes.

Wetcleaning: Wetcleaning is a gentle form of cleaning that cleaners may choose to process sensitive textiles such as wool, silk, rayon, and linen. It gives dry cleaners more flexibility in processing items that may not withstand a dry cleaning process or that have soils that would be better removed in water. For example, many items, such as wedding gowns, are often trimmed with plastic beads or sequins that may dissolve or discolor in dry cleaning but generally perform well in wetcleaning. Items with large water-soluble stains are also more likely to come clean in a wetcleaning process.

Extend the life of your garments: Contrary to the belief of some, frequent cleaning does not damage clothes. Frequent cleaning extends the life of a garment by removing stains and ground-in dirt and soils.

Yellowing: Frequent cleaning removes stains that, if left untreated, could oxidize and cause yellowing. Exposure to heat or the passage of time can cause stains from food, beverages, and other oily substances to oxidize and turn yellow or brown, much the way a peeled apple turns brown after exposure to air. Once they become yellow or brown, these stains become much more difficult to remove and often cannot be removed.

Zip in and out: That’s how long it takes you to drop off and pick up your dry cleaning. Again, convenience is paramount to good dry cleaning.

(As published online at the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute International at www.dlionline.org)

To learn more about Highlander Cleaners cleans your garments from A to Z, email us at info@highlandercleaners.com or call (717) 367-4665.

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PA and DE Cleaners Association Wins Sales Tax Expansion Battle https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/pennsylvania-delaware-cleaners-association-pdca-wins-sales-tax-expansion-battle/ https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/pennsylvania-delaware-cleaners-association-pdca-wins-sales-tax-expansion-battle/#respond Sun, 21 Jan 2018 05:00:32 +0000 https://highlandercleaners.com/?p=545 After vigorous opposition and a coordinated effort, the PDCA was successful in removing the sales tax on dry cleaning from the proposed Pennsylvania state budget. Governor Tom Wolf has declined to sign or veto the latest version of the dry cleaning service tax proposal sent to him, so there is no sales tax expansion into […]

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After vigorous opposition and a coordinated effort, the PDCA was successful in removing the sales tax on dry cleaning from the proposed Pennsylvania state budget. Governor Tom Wolf has declined to sign or veto the latest version of the dry cleaning service tax proposal sent to him, so there is no sales tax expansion into the industry.

A new budget will be proposed in a few months, and PDCA will continue to protect members and their customers by keeping up to date with what is happening and maintaining the “no sales tax” position with legislators.

PDCA vice president Dale Kaplan recently hosted a group of legislators in his dry cleaning plant to voice opposition to any increase in taxes that would affect small businesses or increase costs to their customers.

The meeting was reported on March 3, 2017 on Harrisburg TV station, WHTM-ABC27.

 

To learn more about current changes and happenings in the dry cleaning industry and how they affect you as a consumer, email Highlander Cleaners at info@highlandercleaners.com or call (717) 367-4665.

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EPA Moves to Ban Trichloroethylene https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/epa-moves-ban-trichloroethylene-first-major-regulatory-action-chemical-reform-law/ https://highlandercleaners.com/blog/epa-moves-ban-trichloroethylene-first-major-regulatory-action-chemical-reform-law/#respond Mon, 01 Jan 2018 05:00:48 +0000 https://highlandercleaners.com/?p=546 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to ban certain uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) due to health risks when used as a degreaser and a spot removal agent in dry cleaning. Most manufacturers and dry-cleaning plants, including Highlander Cleaners, no longer use TCE in their stain removers. Specifically, the EPA is proposing to prohibit […]

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to ban certain uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) due to health risks when used as a degreaser and a spot removal agent in dry cleaning.

Most manufacturers and dry-cleaning plants, including Highlander Cleaners, no longer use TCE in their stain removers.

Specifically, the EPA is proposing to prohibit the manufacturing (including importing), processing and distribution of TCE for use in aerosol degreasing and for use in spot cleaning in dry cleaning facilities. EPA is also proposing to require manufacturers, processors, and distributors to notify retailers and others in their supply chains of the prohibitions.

EPA’s assessment also found risks associated with TCE use in vapor degreasing. The agency is developing a separate proposed regulatory action to address those risks. Recently, EPA announced the inclusion of TCE on the list of the first ten chemicals to be evaluated for risk under TSCA. That action will allow EPA will evaluate the other remaining uses of the chemical. The current action only proposes to ban certain uses of the chemical.

(As published at www.pdclean.org)

To learn more about Highlander Cleaners cleaning and eco-friendly process, email us at info@highlandercleaners.com or call (717) 367-4665.

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