Sir Austin is proud to shine a spotlight on a unique and extremely thoughtful wedding organization, the I Do Foundation. Sir Austin came across the organization and fell in love with the idea. The I Do foundation “helps engaged couples bring a charitable focus to their marriage” by giving them a medium through which the couple can make giving to others the central tenant of their marriage. Sir Austin believes that there is no better way for two people to start a life together than by making giving the focus of their union.
While Sir Austin is an ELIGIBLE bachelor he one day hopes to have a philanthropically focused wedding. The I Do Foundation is a great way to make that hope come true by giving you multiple outlets to give back. One of the creative ways the I Do Foundation makes this possible is by giving marrying couples the option to bypass traditional gift registries and opt instead for a chariatable gift registry system. The gift registry system allows wedding guests to donate online to the marrying couples charities of choice. The I Do Foundation is a great answer to the question of what you get the couple who has everything and the answer by giving in their name. Along the same idea as traditional gift registries, the I Do Foundation guides the giving choices of your guests by informing them of your charitable giving preferences.
Additional Wedding Planning Assistance
The I DO Foundation also has other ways to assist you in your wedding planning endevours such as offering a free website tool that not only guides wedding attendees to your charities of choice but also gives them logistical information on your wedding such as directions to your ceremony and reception. As if all this wasn’t enough, the I Do Foundation also offers green wedding tips for the eco-friendly bride and groom. As many of our readers know environmental issues are near and dear to Sir Austins heart. The I Do Foundation gives such advice to the eco friendly couple as how to find organic flower distributors and how to pick the perfect eco-friendly wedding destinations. With these kind of credentials it’s no wonder why the I Do Foundation gets two coat hangers up from Sir Austin and the Austin Cleaners crew!
Most of us never think about the origins of the most widely used tools we interact with every day and the coat hanger is no exception. The wire coat hanger actually started out as a door hook before resembling the hangers we use today. Coat hangers on the surface seem like such a simple invention but how did the creator of the hanger actually envision the coat hanger?
The idea for the coat hanger actually started with a hook on the wall that was used to hold coats. Albert J. Parkhouse was working for a wire manipulating company at the time, Timberlake Wire and Novelty Co. Jackson, Mississippi. Frustrated by the lack of hooks on the wall to hold jackets, Albert decided to invent an apparatus that that could solve their problem of two many jackets and not enough hooks by bending a piece of wire into a hook at the top with two oval sides. With this simple invention the coat hanger was born.
Then in 1932 an improved design for the hanger was patented by Schuyler Hulett. The hanger used cardboard cylinders that were mounted one on the top and one on the bottom to prevent pants from wrinkling. This design is still in use today mostly for disposable hangers used by dry cleaners.
The coat hanger began to evolve over the years with plastic hangers being the hanger of choice for most American households. Plastic hangers keep their form and also have a greater circumference for the clothes to rest, aiding in keeping your clothes wrinkle free. Clothes hanger designs vary from wooden hangers used in many high end clothing stores to the cardboard and metal mixed hangers that you find at your local dry cleaner.
Retail stores make up a large part of many hanger manufacturers’ business so they pay special attention to the style of hangers. For example the hanger with clips at the top to hold clothes in suspension was invented solely because retail stores needed a hanger that could display an outfit in it’s entirety. Although we don’t think about the hanger much it has become a staple for dry cleaners and people alike that want to keep their clothes formed and wrinkle free. So long live the coat hanger!
As hard as it is to believe, the origins of dry cleaning actually date back to as early as the 1600’s. Non aqueous substances, cleaning w/out water, were used in early Greece by the Mycenaeans, where the term “dry cleaning” first originated. The term Dry cleaner has showed up as an occupation on clay tablets that were recovered from archaeological digs from the Mycenaean period. Originally grease-absorbent sands and earth elements were used to lift stains from clothing, hence the name “dry” cleaning. Often times these different earth elements that were used to clean clothes were labeled as “fuller’s earth” after the tradesman that woulduse them to clean clothes and they were heavily guarded as trade secrets of their day. Although far from dry, today we continue to use non aqueous solvents in the dry cleaning process which undoubtedly is the reason we still label the process as “dry”. Although turpentine was documented as a “special secret” for removing stains as early as 1716, the use of organic solvents didn’t become widespread until the birth of the chemical industry in the 1800’s.
Father of Modern Dry Cleaning
The story goes that French born Jean-Baptiste Jolly, who owned the first commercial dry cleaner, found his calling by accident when his maid spilled Camphene from a lamp on his tablecloth. Jolly noticed the aggressive way in which the Camphene was able to remove grease spots on the tablecloth and after fine tuning his knowledge on cleaning with the solvent opened his doors to the first recorded commercial dry cleaning business in 1845
Dry Cleaning in the U.S.
The exact date is not known as to when the first dry cleaner was opened in America, however it is recorded that at least one New York dry cleaner was started as early as 1879. By 1910 dry cleaning was on it’s way as a major industry with widespread approval from a rising middle class and also with the invent of mechanized equipment it made it possible to clean a lot of clothes in a short period of time allowing for increased production. Surprisingly little has changed in the way of dry cleaning mechanical technology since it’s introduction to the U.S. with the exception of hydraulically powered equipment.
Developments in Dry Cleaning Solvents
Originally used solvents such as turpentine and the like were highly flammable and caused major public safety concerns for early commercial dry cleaners. Often these dry cleaning machines would ignite and could burn entire city blocks. That was untilperchloroethylene, or PERC for short, was introduced to dry cleaners and quickly became the industry standard of solvents due to it’s flame retardant nature. To tie into earlier blog posts on the negative effects of PERC, only recently have major advances been made in the area of dry cleaning with an expansion of green dry cleaners in the U.S. If you have any questions about dry cleaning or the processes used don’t hesitate to ask!
National Dry Cleaners Inc., which could be called the most recent attempt at a national dry cleaning chain, has filed for bankruptcy asset protection. The national dry cleaning chain had more than 231 stores in nine different states. The company cited increased energy costs along with court costs associated with environmental clean-up as two of the main reasons that the company was unable to service it’s debt to it’s creditors.
The company was known for it’s aggressive acquisition of local, well respected dry cleaners. The companies failure to establish a sustainable national dry cleaning business is, in my opinion, the latest example of Americans rejection of large centralized dry cleaning power. Dry cleaning is one of the most sparsely owned and operated businesses in the U.S. and I think this is the latest example of the U.S. market rejecting attempts for consolidated power in the hands of a few. I have often wondered why dry cleaning, as an industry, was so sparsely owned but being in the industry for over two years now I think that it is one of the last major industries in which customers want to patron a place where “everybody knows your name”. I have often pondered why this is so and I think there’s a number of different reasons, but three specifically
3 Reasons National Dry Cleaning Businesses Fail
1) First and foremost I think that people are very particular about who handles their clothes and would simply trust an owner/operated dry cleaner much more than a national chain. Dry cleaning, which is well documented as one of the largest independently owned and operated industries in U.S., is a very personal business. Some people spend thousands of dollars on their wardrobes and would prefer to see someone across the counter that has a vested interest in making sure their clothes come back looking great, not to mention all accounted for, as opposed to a 17 yr. kid making $7 hr.
2) The second reason is a logistical one. One of the largest questions I get all the time is “do you do all cleaning on site”. Just speaking with customers I have heard horror stories about cusomters bringing their clothes to stores that don’t do all dry cleaning and laundry on site. This one is obvious because once you start bringing your clothes to other locations you run a greater risk of losing items during the transport.
Austin Cleaners Does All Cleaning on Site
3) The third and final reason I think it has been so hard to form a national chain is because in the world of large box stores and consolidated business ownership people see dry cleaning as one of the last bastions of small business ownership.
Although this is just the opinion of a proud independently owned and operated dry cleaner I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t like to see the rejection of large consolidated business power spread to other industries.
It’s happened to everyone, you get a new pair of pants or shirt and no sooner have you sat down for your daily coffee when, oops, there it goes all over your lap. “But these pants were advertised as ’stain-resistant’”. Well if you’ve ever wondered if those stain resistant slacks are as advertised Susan Koeppen of ‘The Early Show’ decided to find out.
For clothes that are advertised as stain-resistant they are supposed to be able to resist staining on contact. Many new clothing lines are showing up from different clothing makers such as Dockers and Van Heusen. Although your best dry cleaners will be able to lift most stains, sometimes there are stains that just won’t lift so assisting them in the pre-spotting process with stain resistant clothes can help fight against those dreaded stains.
In order to put the stain-resistant clothes to the test Hannah Storm, Koeppens co-anchor, smeared a number of different substances onto a trench coat that she was wearing that was being advertised as ’stain-resistant’. Among the substances were coffee and O.J. Unbelievably the substances didn’t stain the coat and just wiped right off.
Wanting to put the stain resistant garments through an even further test, next they smeared a number of different substances ranging from ice cream to pizza liberally on the front of the clothes they were wearing. However they found a different reaction this time in that most of the substances not only stained the garments but didn’t even come out in the wash. Basically their findings were that although the stain resistant garments did really well with liquids such as coffee and O.J. they didn’t do so well with oil based stains and other substances with heavy dies. But luckily for you Sir Austin has your back! (or front depending on the stain). We pride ourselves at Austin Cleaners on a great pre-spot. In short when you bring your clothes to Austin Cleaners if the stain can be lifted it will! Oil-based stains such as grease are easily separated from fabric during the dry cleaning process so if you ever find yourself in a bind just call on Sir Austin and he will be there to the rescue!
Wedding Dress Preservation is a means of preserving a garments appearance and quality as good as the day that the garment was preserved. If left out without preserving in some form of acid free box your garment, especially delicate ones, can yellow and fade. Museums preserve dresses and other heirlooms to ensure that no discoloration, fading or yellowing will happen to the dress. Preserving your wedding dress will guarantee your garment will stay in the same state as the day it was preserved for a lifetime.
How The Preservation Process Works
We first analyze your entire wedding dress or other garment for what type of fabric it is and also any and all stains that are on the garment. Stain removal is the most important part of the wedding gown preservation process. Light stains such as white wine and other hard to see stains can damage your wedding dress with time. Substances such as sugar as well. That is why we thoroughly pre-spot your wedding dress before dry cleaning and pressing the gown before preservation. After all stains are removed and the gown is pressed next your wedding dress is carefully wrapped in acid paper that ensures your wedding dress or garment will not age a bit. Also your gown should be removed from any extreme temperature area like direct sunlight and should be preferably stored in a cool dry place.
Why Preserve Your Wedding Dress?
Gown preservation is a great idea for anyone who wants to possibly have their daughter wear their Wedding Dress on their wedding day or anyone who wants to preserve any garment in the state that it’s currently in. A wedding dress should be preserved if it is not going to be used for at least three years. Although some experts say it’s OK to wait up to six months after the wedding before preserving the dress at the very minimum it should be dry cleaned immediately after your wedding to avoid any damage the dress might incur due to unforeseen stains.
California has placed a ban on a commonly used dry cleaning chemical PERC that could set a precedent for Austin, Texas and the nation as a whole. PERC, which is used by an estimated 90% of all dry cleaners in the U.S., has been linked to cancer for employees handling the dry cleaning chemical, customers who wear the clothes cleaned in PERC and even people who live next to PERC cleaners (See Video Below). Studies have even linked long-term exposure to PERC with liver problems and even kidney damage.
The ban passed by the Southern California air quality board will require current dry cleaners to completely phase out the solvent by 2020. While we at Austin Cleaners feel this is a good move by California we also know that the move to a more eco-friendly dry cleaning alternative can be costly. However the air-quality board in California has set up a $2 million dollar grant to help dry cleaners make the change to a greener cleaning alternative.
Luckily we came in to the industry when the negative effects of using PERC as a dry cleaning solvent was well documented, that wasn’t always so for cleaners in business for 25-30 yrs. Fortunately even with a nation wide ban on PERC our customers won’t see any price increases because obviously we don’t use the solvent. Kudos to California for taking a step to advance the publics health by saying no to PERC! You Won’t Believe This Story!! (See Video Below)
Green dry cleaning is becoming a growing trend throughout not only Austin but the entire U.S., so says consumer reports. While an estimated 80-85% of dry cleaners are still using PERC, a solvent that the EPA has labeled a public health risk, the trend is defiantly moving toward more eco friendly solvents & green practices and away from PERC. Some of the other initiatives dry cleaners are implementing are in the area of energy conserving equipment and hanger recycling programs. As we have seen with our own hanger recycling program here at Austin Cleaners not only does it make since from an environmental stand point but from a bottom line standpoint as well. Aside from the green benefits that come with these initiatives, customers love the smell of there green dry cleaned clothes versus PERC. PERC has a sweet distinguishable smell that you don’t have with other green dry cleaning methods. While the price to dry cleaners can be significant in switching cleaning methods the benefits far out way any monetary cost.
As we have discovered in our first post on this series, going digital is a great way to go when deciding to have a green wedding and hiring a photographer that uses a digital camera is a very easy step for a number of different reasons. In this post I’ll outline some of the reasons why.
Hire a Digital Photographer
The biggest and most obvious reason for using a digital photographer is because receiving your portraits on a CD is not only much more cost effective than print but it also rids you of the need to have several hundred prints made that you might not ever look at again. While I know some people just like their pictures printed, with access to online data storage websites you can rest assured that your pictures will never be destroyed in a fire or some other way. If, god forbid, something like a fire occurred in your house your pictures will be safe if your computer is destroyed and even with backing them up on another hard drive you still run the risk of loosing those pictures if your hard drive is destroyed. To tie into our earlier post about creating a website to keep everyone informed of your wedding you can easily share your photo’s online with those same friends and family that were following your big day on your website. Not to mention the money you will save by not having to order prints. In addition to the economic benefits of hiring a digital photographer ecologically speaking the reasons against hiring a traditional photographer are just as good. It is common knowledge that the chemicals that are used in the development of pictures are highly toxic. Not only that, but so is the paper that is used to produce printed photos. In addition to both the paper and chemicals being toxic the paper is also not generally biodegradable. Another bad mark against traditional photography is that the chemicals that are used in the process are poured down the drain during photo production and depending on how much chemicals are being used that is a lot of chemicals that end up in our water stream in some form or fashion. Also large amounts of emissions escape in the production of photographic paper in the form of methylene chloride. This stuff is about as non eco-friendly as chemicals come. We are not saying that you should not get ANY prints because obviously you will want to have a few. However you can review any and all pictures before you print them with digital files so that way you can make sure that the only ones you printed are your favorites. Stay tuned for more tips on how to have an eco-friendly wedding!
This post is to highlight an issue that is going on with another cleaners here in town. As many of my customers know we have been trying to get customer reviews on an online review website called yelp.com. While setting up my account I was checking the reviews of other cleaners and came across Washburn Town & Country Cleaners in SoCo. They by far had the most reviews (15) of any other dry cleaner in Austin and not only that but every customer that had reviewed their business gave them the maximum amount of stars possbile. The customer reviews were impeccable and that is why I was sorry to read that they were being forced to move from the SoCo area due to an extreme increase in their rents. You can read the article on the statesman website here. I have never actually been to Washburn’s however something can obviously be said for a cleaners that has been in business for 31 years and has such a loyal following. Washburn’s is currently looking for another spot to relocate to so if you know any good locations out there you can contact Washburn’s at 442-1467 (preferably not close to us..jk).
