How to care for velvet clothing.

Velvet is one of winter’s fashion favorites, especially crushed velvet’s and velvet garments with decorative trim. Many types of apparel are made of velvet, including pants, dresses, gowns, coats, capes, and jackets. Velvet is also popular for household items, such as furniture covers and drapes.

What is velvet?

Velvet has long been known as the fabric of royalty. At one time, blue velvet was reserved solely for use by the French king, his family, and favored subjects.

Velvets are made on a double action loom. Two layers of fabric are woven at the same time, and the space between them is interlaced with connecting yarns.

The two layers are then cut apart as they come off the loom, producing two pieces of fabric with an upright pile surface.

True velvet is usually made of rayon, acetate, silk, or a blend of these fibers and has a short, closely-woven pile. Velveteen is similar to velvet, but it is usually made of cotton or cotton/polyester blend and has a shorter pile. Finishes are often applied to velvets to keep the pile erect and resilient, to secure the pile, or to give the fabric body.

What types of problems can velvets experience?

Velvet can experience a variety of problems, including a loss of pile, flattening and matting, pilling and tufting, and shrinkage. Crushed velvets have a tendency to experience a loss of design and distortion from wear alone. Velvets made of acetate pose special problems: the pile can become permanently flattened with moisture, heat, or pressure. As a result, the pile on an acetate velvet dress is more likely to show the effects of wear. Even greater flattening develops if the velvet is brushed or if any pressure is put on it while wet.

How can you keep your velvets fit for royalty?

• Hang velvet garments in a well-ventilated closet after wearing.

• If a velvet garment gets wet, do not apply pressure, as this can flatten the pile.

• Do not iron velvets. Hang in the bathroom and steam the garment to remove any wrinkles.

• Clean velvet garments immediately after use.

• Shake excess spills from the fabric and allow to dry. Do not blot or apply any pressure in damp areas.

If you do get a stain on a velvet garment, our stain removal experts can help.

 For answers to more frequently asked dry cleaning questions, visit us at:

https://www.olddominioncleaners.com

We offer Wedding Dress Preservation

After countless hours spent searching for your dream dress (not to mention the dollars spent), it’s only fair to give your gown a happily-ever-after too, right? Whether it’s because of the way it made you feel on your wedding day or the possibility of passing it down to your daughter or another family member in the future, preserving your wedding dress is the best way to maintain it’s color, fabric and shape.

What Is Wedding Dress Preservation?

This is a special cleaning and packaging techniques used to ensure your gown retains its beauty. A professional preservationist will survey your gown: the materials, embellishments and various stains, then formulate a specialized cleaning procedure. “Cleaning your gown is the single most important part of the preservation process and all the stains, including the hidden ones containing sugar that turn brown over time, must be removed,” says Sally Lorensen Conant, the executive director of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists. You can usually wait until after the honeymoon to take your dress to a preservationist, but remember it’s better to take your gown in while the stains are fresh and not set in (especially if it’s stained with mud or red wine). “The longer you delay, the less likely all stains can be removed, and if you wait years, your gown will need restoration rather than just cleaning,” warns Conant. After cleaning, your gown is wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and placed in museum-quality archival box.

Finding a Preservationist

Before choosing a preservationist, do a little detective work. You’ll need to investigate where to take your gown for cleaning a few weeks before the wedding. That way, if your dress is stained badly or damaged on your wedding day, a family or bridal party member can take your dress to the preservationist for you so that you can make your honeymoon get-away. To make it super-easy, just call at 804-222-6979 or visit https://olddominioncleaners.com .  Old Dominion Cleaners will pick it up, clean your keepsake with great efficacy, and delivery it back to you in pristine condition.

Though many dry cleaners claim to clean wedding gowns, most are not specialists. Unless the dry cleaner you’re thinking of using processes more than 100 wedding gowns a year.  You want to make sure that the person taking care of your gown pays attention to detail and knows fabrics as well as how gowns are constructed.  Ask about the type of cleaning method used, do they hand clean and if they will pre-treat any stains and soiled. Also, find out if the company does the work on location or if they ship gowns elsewhere to be cleaned and packaged. Don’t rule a company out if they don’t work in-house, especially if they have good reviews.

Ask Questions

Ask your gown preservationist whether you must sign a release or disclaimer because these documents sometimes state that the company isn’t responsible for any damage done to the gown during the cleaning process. You will want to find someone who will guarantee every last bead and sequin. Next, ask if the company offers a warranty and how they will reimburse you if you find the gown to be damaged after a certain number of years. Read the fine print of the agreement: some companies will refund the preservation cost—not the replacement value of the dress. And consider it a red flag if they claim the warranty is void if you open the box. Finally, beware of companies that give quotes over the phone—different materials and stains require specialized care. Your gown will receive the best care if it’s individually inspected before a price is given.

Wedding Dress Cleaning Techniques

Some gown specialists use the wet cleaning method, which consists of gently washing the gown by hand with gentle cleansers that remove noticeable stains and unseen stains, such as champagne and sugar. If left untreated, unseen stains can oxidize and turn yellow over time. Other companies use a more traditional dry-cleaning method, which involve pre-treating the stains and then placing the garment in a dry-cleaning machine. “The solvent in the machine should be safe for fragile decorations, and these should be protected with muslin during the cleaning cycle or removed before cleaning and re-sewn onto your gown afterward,” says Conant. Solvents such as perchloroethylene (perc for short) or petroleum-based cleansers are used as stain removers. Petroleum-based solvents aren’t as aggressive as perc, and they’re also not as powerful in stain removal, but, due to its high oil content, petroleum nourishes certain fabrics and can give them a lovely sheen.

Pristine Packaging

The correct packaging materials are utterly imperative for guaranteeing the life of your gown. And all storage materials should be clean and completely acid-free. After the cleaning process, your preservationist will wrap your dress in acid-free paper or muslin, then place in an acid-free or pH-neutral box, which allow the gown to breathe and adjust with changing temperatures. Some boxes feature a viewing window: a clear panel designed so you can see your gown without opening the box. If your box features a window, look for acetate rather than plastic, and keep the box out of direct light, which can yellow the fabric over time. Some companies utilize boxes with Coroplast, a specially designed plastic known for its durability.

Handling Your Wedding Dress

While some companies choose to seal the box to keep out insects and vermin, others say sealing is unnecessary, if the gown is packaged correctly. If you do open the box, remember to use discretion when handling the dress.  We recommends wearing clean white cotton gloves (which many preservationists provide to you), but at a minimum be sure to wash your hands first. “There is no inherent reason why you cannot open your gown. Talk to your preservationist about including other item such as jewelry and shoes to you box. It may not be the best idea depending on the type of materials you’ll want to include, but your professional will have an opinion on how to store properly.

Money Matters

Fabric, decoration, ornamentation and degree of stain damage determine the preservation price of a gown. “Your heavily beaded silk ball gown will cost more than a simple polyester gown you wore on the beach, and you should never trust your designer gown to someone offering a bargain price. Saving a few dollars is simply not worth the risk of ruining your wedding dress. Expect to pay $100-$250 with Old Dominion Cleaners, though prices can go as high as $1,000 depending on the gown and location. Costs vary across the country, with higher prices in metropolitan areas.

Before & After

To help maintain the integrity of your gown, there are some things you should not do before sending it to be cleaned and preserved. First, don’t wrap your dress in plastic. This can seal in off-gassing vapors and trap moisture, inviting mold and mildew. Don’t hang your dress on an ordinary wooden or wire hanger—the weight of the dress will stretch and distort the weave of the fabric—try a plastic or padded hanger instead. Don’t try to clean the stains yourself —you risk setting them in the fabric. Once your gown is back from the preservationist, pay attention to storage. “Keep your dress in a cool, dark and dry environment with a relative humidity at 50 percent at all times. Most professionals agree that light and heat play the most damaging roles when it comes to gown preservation. As a guideline, store your preserved gown in a place where you would feel physically comfortable. That rules out a hot attic or damp basement. Under your bed or in a dry closet are your best bets.

Wedding Dress Preservation On a Budget

If you already spent most of your wedding budget, it is possible to preserve your wedding dress at home, though it won’t be perfect and may retain stains. Conant suggests, “Cloth or tyvek bags can offer short-term protection, but your gown should not hang for long periods of time, and a wedding chest provides more protection from sharp objects, smoke and from fire.” The acidic content of ordinary paper will literally scorch your gown. Don’t use colored tissue paper either. If the box accidentally becomes wet, it could stain your gown. For storage, professionals recommend wrapping the gown in pre-washed unbleached muslin, and then placing it in a sturdy box under your bed. That way, if you decide to preserve your gown down the road, it will be right there waiting for you.

For answers to more questions, visit us at https://olddominioncleaners.com

The Art Of Ironing

How do we iron hundreds of shirts?
One at a time.

We don’t have some huge, automated machine in the back ruthlessly ironing hundreds of shirts per minute all by itself.

The real magic at Old Dominion Cleaners is in skilled handwork. Our professional equipment lets us press more thoroughly, and, yes, a little faster, but not at lightning speed. At least, not if you care to do it right, which we do. We wouldn’t think of turning everything over to a machine. We insist on having your shirts cared for by a real person, carefully trained, who is really, really fussy.

You’d see for yourself if you watched us press a shirt. You’d see one of our people taking time to gingerly adjust and fuss by hand while doing the body of the shirt, and then resume fussing all over again using a special iron made just for collars and cuffs. Next, you’d see more hand-adjusting and fussing as your shirt was gently positioned, just so, on a soft, body-shaped cushion for perfect pressing.

The next step, “curing,” has no at-home equivalent. We use a special iron to smooth collars and make them perfectly round. Curing eliminates those annoying inside ridges, so the collar feels natural around the neck and folds nicely down for an even, finished look.

Even after all that, no shirt leaves our facility until one of our surest-eyed people inspects and passes it. Their job is to inspect every shirt—every single one—for the tiniest detail. On-the-spot, they use hand irons for touch-up. Most people have to squint to see what catches their trained eye. (When other cleaners call us nitpicky, we take it as a compliment.)

Don’t let our fast turnaround fool you. With every shirt, we exercise the kind of care we think you’d want us to.

For answers to more frequently asked questions, visit us at www.olddominioncleaners.com

Laundry Starch-A Quick History

People have been using starch for laundry purposes since at least the European Middle Ages. In those days, starchy materials (like bran) would be boiled in water, which would then be used to wash clothing. After the clothes dried, they would be polished with a tool called a “slickstone”, which was often made of rock but could be glass as well. Of course, this was a rather elaborate process, and actually having one’s garments starched was something of a luxury.

Nowadays, laundry starch is generally made from a mixture of vegetables, such as corn, potatoes, wheat, and/or tapioca. Some types can be added directly to washing machines along with the standard load of clothing, but dry cleaners will typically apply starch when pressing garments. All in all, starching has become far more simple and affordable, and nearly anyone can take advantage if they so desire.

For answers to more frequently asked dry cleaning questions, visit us at https://www.olddominioncleaners.com

Old Dominion Cleaners makes contribution to Walk MS 2015

In full support of one of our loyal customers’ fundraising team, ODC made a contribution toward the Walk MS 2015.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The cause of MS is still unknown – scientists believe the disease is triggered by as-yet-unidentified environmental factor(s) in a person who is genetically predisposed to respond. Learn more about MS and options for managing symptoms, treatments, coordination of healthcare, and living well with MS. Visit this link to contribute to the fight against MS and to learn more.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/VARWalkEvents?team_id=415312&pg=team&fr_id=25822

 

ODC makes contribution of Bob Books to young readers.

On December 3, Old Dominion Cleaners staff had the luxury of working hand in hand with a local baker and the Lakeside Elementary School staff to bring a fun afternoon of reading to Lakeside’s preschool students.  Staff from both the baker and Old Dominion Cleaners read books to the 18 children and staff. After reading the books, the children decorated gingerbread men provided by the baker and Old Dominion Cleaners provided all the children with a set of Bob Books.  Bob Books are defined as being  a series of children’s books designed to teach reading skills acquisition . With a foundation in phonics methods, each level addresses a single stage in a child’s reading development.  Michael DeVeaux from Old Dominion Cleaners believes that the earlier these foundation are built in the children, the easier it will be in regards to development in the area of reading.

Coat Swap 2014

Coat Swap Flyer We just finished our 2nd Annual Coat Swap with Lakeside Elementary School. Coat Swap is an opportunity for children to trade in a lightly worn coat for a voucher. This voucher can then be used to obtain a professionally dry cleaned coat on the redemption date.

If you or anyone has the opportunity to give to anyone and uplift their current situation, do it. Don’t wait until you reach a certain plateau of success. Any minute, hour or day is fit for giving and sharing with those who have a particular need.

How do we track your clothes through the dry cleaning process?

Have you ever wondered how we keep track of your garments after we’ve received them from you? Although we don’t expect you to be as obsessed as we are with dry cleaning, we thought you might be interested in a little behind-the-scenes peek at our process. 

Before your garments are dry cleaned, we tag each piece of clothing so it can be easily identified. The tags we use are specially made to ensure that the ink and dye don’t wash out of them during dry cleaning. Next, we group all garments that require the same cleaning process together. This ensures we’re cleaning your clothes safely, and to your specifications.  

Once we’ve separated clothing into similar groups, we weigh the garments to make sure we place the right amount into our dry cleaning machines. At the end of the cleaning cycle, clothes are taken to the finishing department to be pressed on machines specifically designed to handle a great variety of fabric types and garment designs. 

After pressing, clothes go to an assembly area where our coworkers collect all of the items in your order and place them together for packaging. When the number of items we’ve placed together match the number of items on your invoice, the order is complete and ready to be packaged. 

Garments are placed in polyethylene bags, or in your EarthSmart Bag if you have one, before we attach the invoice to your order. Your clean, packaged dry cleaning is then placed on our conveyor system to await pickup.  

Thanks for taking a moment to better understand our dry cleaning process! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Old Dominion Cleaners. We’re always happy to help! Visit us at  http://www.olddominioncleaners.com

ODC sponsors National Night out in Varina

IMG_20140722_0001

Old Dominion Cleaners thinks that it is very important to provide quality dry cleaning services to Richmond, Virginia and surrounding counties. ODC also thinks that it is equally important to partner with the community in support of activities and events within that community. We are delighted to contribute snacks and beverages to the 10 Varina communities of Henrico County that will congregate on Canesville Ln.. National Night Out is a great opportunity to catch up with fellow neighbors, meet elected officials of the area, and celebrate unity.

Visit us at http://www.olddominioncleaners.com

Don’t trust a dry cleaner who only keeps one type of stain remover in the back.

At Old Dominion Cleaners, we keep several different kinds on hand, and we know how to use each one.

It only sounds like overkill. It’s necessary because every kind of stain has its own peculiarities. For salsa, you need one kind of stain remover. For gravy, you need another. You need yet another for coffee. (Coffee, by the way, is not something we recommend spilling on clothes. We’ll do our best with it, of course. But coffee is so permanent, it is used as a fabric dye.)

But there’s more to it than that. You also need to how to handle each type of fabric, and each type of fabric finish. And you need to know how each type of stain remover behaves on different fabrics and finishes. A stain remover that’s perfect for removing gravy from one kind of fabric may be harmful to another kind of fabric.

Just to make things more complicated, clothing manufacturers often put incorrect handling instructions on clothing tags. To be great at spot removal, you have to know when to believe what the tag says, and when to overrule it.

Which means that to remove stains effectively and safely, you need to know your stuff. That’s why we don’t turn new employees loose on stains. We keep up on the science, and teach it to our most experienced people only, some of whom have been with us for years. So when you bring us a stain, you can relax. You’ll know that the person who works on it is thoroughly trained and experienced on the science of stain removal and fabric care.

For more information about our services, visit us at http://www.olddominioncleaners.com