As a trusted company which provides dry cleaning in Vancouver, our customers come to us for all of their routine dry cleaning as well as care for special items. Utilizing our unique style of European Finishing, rather than finish off an item with a harsh press, we end with a cushion of air which can help prolong the quality of your garments, as well as reduce the risk of damage to unique and special items.

This includes wedding gowns, and one of our customers in East Vancouver had a related question for us:

Why should I preserve my wedding gown?

A wedding dress is one of the most symbolic and cherished items in our culture, and with increased knowledge of how to store and preserve a wedding gown, use the following tips to keep that representation of your special day safe year after year!

Clean and store the wedding gown along with any accessories in acid-free tissue in an acid-free box, which helps slow the aging process. If properly stored, it can eliminate or diminish yellowing of the fabric. And make sure the box you are storing the gown in is breathable.

Once packaged properly, it’s important to select the right place to store it. Do not store your gown in an area that is subject to:

• extreme temperature or humidity
• moisture
• the possibility of insects

Make it a habit to view the wedding dress used in your marriage with your loved one every year. Wear latex gloves so the oil on your hands doesn’t destroy what you’ve worked so hard to preserve.

With enough care, your wedding gown can stay as beautiful as it was the day of your wedding.  Use a local, trusted Vancouver dry cleaning company for your wedding gown preservation; contact Custom Care Valet today!

While dry cleaners are mostly associated with clothing, Custom Care Valet does provide drapery cleaning in Vancouver, WA. We take as much care in our cleaning process for draperies as we do for clothing, and in regards to our drapery cleaning services, one of our customers in Hazel Dell, WA had a question with this in mind:

How often should I clean my draperies?

A good rule of thumb is that they usually need cleaning before they look dirty or soiled. It’s the invisible particles that cause deterioration and irreparable harm. Unfortunately, the daily activities done in the home is attributed to their damage. Cooking, operating furnaces and wood fireplaces or stoves, as well as smoking all produce harmful particles.

And the reason draperies are affected is because they act just like a filter for this floating debris. A few short years of abuse can amount to nasty dry rot.

So, what can you do?

Cursory examination of your drapes monthly, depending on the season, is vital to keeping track of degradation. Make sure to check your windows for moisture during both hot and cold weather, and watch for leaks from your window frame. Vacuuming the drapes can be a very beneficial procedure, but make sure you are using the correct attachment! Also, consider using shears behind your drapes to protect them.

Lastly, the most cost-effective and reliable method of checking your drapes is to smell them for odors and impurities. If what you smell isn’t entirely pleasant, take it to a trusted, local Vancouver, WA dry cleaning service, Custom Care Valet, and we’ll clean them for you.

We promise not to ask how you found out that they needed to be cleaned!

We believe that using our European method of finishing gives garments the best cleaning with the least risk of damage. An unfortunate effect of standard dry cleaning is a very noticeable shine, and one of our customers from the downtown Vancouver, WA area had a question concerning that very situation after using a competitor’s service:

Why do my garments have a shine to them?

Darker colors are more susceptible to shine, and this easily recognizable shine is most predominantly found on steamed lapels and pockets. The fabrics in danger of having shine are gabardine, acetate and triacetate. The pressure used by standard dry cleaning machines is responsible for shine, even though it can develop naturally on the side from sliding in and out of a desk, from rubbing the elbows on the top of a counter or desk, or on the seat of slacks from getting in and out of a car.

The problem with gabardine is that it is a high-maintenance material, and over time gabardine will shine with normal wear. Keep this in mind when considering the purchase of a sport coat, jacket, slacks or suit. Unfortunately, if pressed too hard during cleaning, a garment with gabardine can shine even after the very first cleaning.

The key to longevity in garments is choosing a company who uses a technique for cleaning that is safer for clothing. We utilize a European method of finishing that not only reduces the chance of shine, it finishes the cleaning process with a cushion of air that will eliminate the seam impression you may have noticed using other services. Conserve some gas, and have us pick-up, clean, and deliver your clothes today!  Dry cleaning in Vancouver, WA has never been more accessible!

As technology continues to evolve and revolutionize many different industries across the entire business spectrum, the clothing industry has greatly benefited from technological advances in cleaning, as well as in the construction of garments. One of our local Camas, WA dry cleaning customers had a question that is directly related to the increasing presence of new technologies in the industry:

Why are there dark areas around the armholes of my laundered shirt?

Unfortunately, this is a result of advancing technologies and the overlooked aftereffects they may inadvertently cause.

Shirt manufacturers are trying to develop a true no-iron shirt that will stay looking great without the chore of ironing. Many of the kinds of permanent press polyester blends on the market that tried to be a true no-iron shirt were not wearable after washing at home. The stitching threads shrunk, at varying rates, which caused the seams to pucker. Thus, these shirts needed to be ironed to remedy.

Because of this, shirt manufacturers developed a new process which applies an adhesive to the seams.

This seam adhesive is the cause behind the dark areas around the armholes of laundered shirts.

It cannot be detected if a garment will develop these dark areas. However, there are two shirt manufacturers that continue to use this method. Stafford (a JC Penny brand) and Jeffery Bean shirts are at risk for these irreversible dark areas.

If you’re worried about the risk of these dark areas around the armholes on your garments, feel free to ask our experienced and knowledgeable staff to make sure your shirts continue to look great!

Every week at the Custom Care Valet blog, we will be writing about a question that we get asked by our customers in the Vancouver, WA area. To keep up on some very handy information that will be coming every week, make sure to subscribe to our RSS feed on the left of this page.

Without further fanfare, we’re sure you can definitely relate to our very first question in this blog series. One of our customers in downtown Vancouver, WA asks:

What should I do when I’m at a party or restaurant and spill food on my rayon or cotton clothing?

The very first instinct is to immediately grab a tower or napkin, dip it in water, and rub the food stain away. Even the hostess, or a fellow guest may have a “home remedy” that involves an attempt to rub away the food stain. The truth is that rubbing on a newly-created stain can cause irreversible damage to a rayon or cotton garment. What kind of damage?

• Color-loss
• Deluster (breakage of the surface fibers)
• Dye-bleed (especially on dry clean-only garments)
• Dye-transfer (the wet part meets dry part and discoloration occurs from transfer of the dyes)

It’s important to stay cool, don’t panic, and attempt to blot out the stain.  Avoid use of soap or water. Take the garment to a trusted, local dry cleaning company, and we’ll even deliver them fresh and clean to you if you live in certain areas of Vancouver or Camas, WA! Dry cleaning with free pick up and delivery service will save you invaluable time and money on gas!

Custom Care Valet Dry Cleaning has been faithfully serving the Vancouver, WA community since 1988. Mark and Pamela Ickert established Custom Care with the guiding philosophy of providing friendly service, consistent quality and convenience. This is why we began our free pick up and delivery service in 1991. Our unique approach to customer service has helped us earn thousands of Clark County Customers.

In addition to friendly customer service, Custom Care uses an earth friendly cleaning system. With this solution, you can count on a thorough cleaning that is gentle on your fine fabrics and enhances the colors in all of your garments. Not only will they look clean, but more importantly, they will feel and look like new.

Custom Care is also the only dry cleaner to provide European Hand Finishing. This unique process finishes your clothing without seam impressions or shine…your clothing looks brand new. We want you to look your best so we care for your clothing the way you would.