Our professional wear is a vital part of our wardrobe and maintaining it is important if we are going to get the most from these sometimes very expensive items. For those of us who live and work in subtropical regions, like Naples Florida, the humidly creates a shorter span between cleaning cycles. By following these simple steps we hope to help you keep your garments looking great and lasting longer.

1. Brush your garments frequently with a soft but firm bristled brush to remove the dust that collects between the fibers.

2. Hang your clothes where they can breathe, after wearing. Wool needs air to help it spring back into shape.

3. Give your wool garments a 3 day rest after wearing. This will help them shed wrinkles and allow the garment to regain its original shape. This rest will help avoid dry cleaning and keep your garment feeling new much longer.

4. Store your clothing carefully. Suit jackets should be hung on good hangers that support the shoulders well and allow the jacket to drape without any creases. Do not squash your clothing in your closet, give it breathing room and don’t enclose your wool garments in bags that do not breathe. You may cover the shoulders with a plastic covering, where most dust accumulates.

5.  When dry cleaning, clean the jacket, slacks and or skirt together to ensure even wearing and color displacement because over time there will be some.

Most importantly when in doubt always ask your friendly local dry cleaner…..

As a dry cleaner we get asked a variety of questions and because we live and work in Naples Florida a lot of the questions we are asked revolve around the area and our climate. With that in mind we have endeavored to provide as much information as possible to help our current seasonal clients, who we affectionately refer to as Snow Birds, and any visiting future clientele with the information they have requested. That being said, one of the most common questions we are asked is “What should I wear when visiting Naples?”

When visiting a hot climate it is important that you be knowledgeable in what you should wear.  For regions, which are hot as well as humid, there are certain fabrics that are used, and prove to be the most comfortable.

One of the first things to remember about clothing for hot climate is that it is always good to wear natural fabrics. These fabrics will not stick to your body and will enable your skin to breathe properly. The fabrics most often used are cotton, rayon, silk, and linen. Of these the best is cotton. Cotton allows for air passage and enables the body to maintain a cool body temperature. Cotton is also less of a hassle because it can be easily laundered.

Sports fabrics are synthetic, yet are good at absorbing perspiration. Polyester is not the most comfortable of fabrics in places where the climate is hot but as evening attire I think you can get away with it. Hot climate fabrics should be light and have the capability to absorb moisture from the body. This is important because pools of sweat can make feel you feel uncomfortable and who wants that when you’re having a good time. A good strategy in places with hot and humid climates, such as Naples Florida, is to cover up and not expose yourself to too much sunlight, lightweight fabrics can protect your skin from the damaging rays of sun.

The best colors for hot and humid climates are light colors, this is due in part to the fact that light colors tend to reflect heat instead of absorbing it and they will keep your body relatively cooler. Pastels, beige, and white are the most ideal colors. Summer calls for fashion and wearing stylish lightweight clothes are not only fun but wise too.

Additionally, you should wear open toed sandals and perhaps a hat to shield your face and protect your hair from the sun, not to mention the use of a good sunscreen is also recommended. However, most importantly have a great time and enjoy yourself….

Some people are allergic to down but it does not mean you cannot have the comfort that only down comforters can bring. You can now buy down alternative comforters. These are comforters that are soft, comfortable and you will feel as though you are sleeping under a real down comforter. The difference is that this bedding does not use bird’s plumage, known as down, which often triggers allergy attacks. Here are some recommendations on how to buy down alternative comforters.

One type of comforter that you can buy is something that is filled with silk. Silk is very luxurious and it can also provide you softness and coziness that down comforters usually provide. One good thing about silk is that they are naturally hypoallergenic. Those small bugs called dust mites that often cause allergies do not want to dwell on silk comforters for some reason. These are very warm and more expensive than other comforters but still less expensive than actual down. You need to dry clean your silk-filled comforters to keep the texture and quality.

Another option to down comforters is wool comforters. Though somewhat expensive. They are great in winter nights because they keep your body warm. They are also very light. And just like real down or silk, you must not wash them. You have to bring them to professional dry-cleaners. However, wool comforters are not as comfortable as down comforters, so you have to make sure that you buy something thick.

You can also get comforters containing synthetic down. The feeling is the same, they are comfortable and lightweight but they do not keep you as cozy in cold nights as real down. They are also much cheaper than the two previously mentioned options and they are not sturdy. They’ll only last for a few years, and if not taken care of properly, possibly even less then that.

However if you have your heart set on down, there are some designers that say their down comforters are non-allergic.  This is because the down fill they put inside the comforters are supposedly allergy-free. They exclaim that the down by itself does not cause the allergy but in fact the chemicals used to take care of down. These manufactures profess that their product is the same as a normal down, just processed differently. It is more expensive because it was treated in a different way than normal down and they suggest that you have it dry cleaned.

With so many options available you can now enjoy the look and feel of a down comforter without the fear of a allergic reaction. Just remember that when in doubt about cleaning instructions, always ask your friendly dry cleaner.

South West Florida, Naples to be exact, is one of the more popular places couples pick for their destination wedding. As a specialist in wedding gown preservation, we have seen or heard some of the best and sadly to say the worst wedding stories. With that in mind we decided to put together a brief list of some of the things you may want to consider when planning a destination wedding.

1. Wedding Planners: Working with a local wedding planner, in our experience, for your destination wedding will be much more successful. Picking a good planner can be challenging. We suggest you interview more than one. Request references and samples of past client’s wedding plans. Take special note as to how quickly and how organized you receive this information. This will help you determine if this individual can produce the results you are looking for.2.
2. Guest list: When inviting guests it is important to plan a destination wedding well in advance, say six months; this will allow your guests plenty of time to prepare and schedule for your special event. Sending out a pre-wedding notification may give you an idea of how many will be attend and will help you plan accordingly. Additionally, consider the time frame in which you will be celebrating your nuptials. Will this be a before and after event or will you be leaving on your honeymoon after the reception?  Once you have established the duration of your stay you can determine if you need to schedule additional group activities.3.
3. Theme: It is very important to determine the type, feel, and flavor of your wedding. Once this is established it will save you a lot of headaches. What is meant by that is, will this be a very formal event, semi-formal or completely casual? Will this be more of a family affair or will you be inviting clients and associates? Will your wedding be held in a church, or on the beach? Naples is known for it beautiful beaches and many weddings take place on these beaches. Spend some time with the people you trust and really talk it through. You’ll be amazed how much more smoothly this will make your wedding.

The most important thing to remember about your wedding day is that you are sharing it with the people you love. I hope you have found this information helpful and we would like to hear all about your wonderful day!

What do you look for in a dry cleaner; well I would imagine that like any business you would want them to be an expert in their field. But what else is important to you?

Ya know the reason I ask this is that we are always looking to better our business, and to have a successful business it is important for us to understand the needs of my customers. That being said I started wonder what that actually meant and I started thinking of myself as the customer and what did I expect from the businesses I did business with. We are not only business owners we are customers and clients as well and we have expectations, so I started thinking maybe I could learn something from me, what an concept….

I started asking myself questions, like “What motivated me to use one business over the other?”  When I chose to do business with a particular company was relationship building a major factor or did I even care? Was it all about the money and did saving a few bucks really matter? Was location a key factor and why would I go out of my way to do business with a business that was not in my immediate vicinity? Well here are few things I came up with, that could potentially help my business and perhaps they may be of some benefit to you….

1. Relationships: I like relationships; that’s just the kind of person I am. I like the one on one I receive when I am doing business with someone who has taken the time to know who I am. I love it when I walk into an establishment and they welcome me by name. As a business owner I appreciate the time attention it takes to do this. I have to say that this tops pretty much everything with a few exceptions.
2. Location: For me location is only important when I want something fast. If my wife asks me to go get something on the fly, well I am going to go to the closest place possible. This is all about convenience
3. Money: Dose money matter, well unfortunately today it matters more than it did say a few years ago but is it the deciding factor? This is where it gets a little tricky…. I think it depends on the emotional investment. Okay this is what I mean by that, if I want something and I want it badly I pretty much don’t care about price.  Now this doesn’t happen very often, so on average I would have to say that I always look at the price.  I typically, if there is a spread, will take the one in the middle but the relationships I have established will certainly play a major role in the decision as well.

So in summary it would seem, that for me, relationships are very important, well I guess for those who know me that isn’t all that surprising.  However the thing that did surprise me is just how important relationships were.  So how do I take this information and incorporate it into my business. Well fortunately I am doing most of this stuff but a little refresher course with the staff certainly not a bad idea and brain storming new ideas in customer service surly wouldn’t hurt either.  Most importantly just taking a little time to think about it was beneficial, it opened up my business a little bit and I like that.

Let’s talk summer fabrics and why some fabrics are more comfortable than others. The best fabrics are ones that help you stay cool and absorb sweat. In Naples Florida our hot summer days coupled with our high humidity make this an important factor when choose our summer garments.

Cotton of course is the best, this fabric is absorbent and cool to wear, it’s breathable fibers help keep the individual relaxed and comfortable.  One of the draw backs with cotton however is its tendency to wrinkle; investing in a cotton polyester blend should take care of that.

Another great summer fabric is linen, I love linen, it has a crisp cool look and flows easily with the summer heat. However like cotton linen is known to wrinkle and if you are uncomfortable in a slightly disheveled look perhaps you should steer away from this one.

Silk is also a wonderful summer fabric and makes for lovely soft flowing garments. Silk is one of our more elegant materials and is used in a variety of different garments from pants, shorts, shirts, tops and dresses. It is a must have for any summer wardrobe.

Summer is a wonderful time to spend long lazy days with our family and friends and wearing the most comfortable garment will enable you to relax and enjoy this season.

Every garment is required to have a fabric care label attached somewhere inside the garment. Most of them are at the back of the collier. Others are more discretely hidden in a side-seam somewhere.

Fabric care labels are filled with vital information that will help you to take the very best care of your garments. It will tell you the following things about your garment.

• Size (S, M, L ) or (10, 12, 14 ) or 1, 2, 3)
• Where it was made ( USA, China, Taiwan…)
• RN number- a registration number issued by the federal Trade Commission to a business inside the US. This is helpful if you need to contact the manufacturer with a question or complaint.
• Style Number-This is used to track returns for the manufacture
• Type of Fabric- Every garment must specify how much of each fiber is used on the construction of your garment when it is present in more that 5% of the total weight of the garment. This is why you will see cotton/spandex blends that specify 95% cotton, 5% spandex
• Care instruction-For most of us, this is the most important part of the label. The requirements in the fabric labels mandates that all manufactures provide are least one method of care necessary for that particular garment, This label should also warn you about things that could potentially  harm the garment, such as never using a hot iron on a piece of rayon or acetate which could result in the melting of the fabric
• Laundry instructions are to tell you how to wash, bleach, dry, iron, and or dry-clean the garment

But most importantly when in doubt remember to always ask your friendly dry-cleaner.

It’s a fact of life, in live the lives of women I should say, that our weight has a tendency of fluctuating, usually between five to ten pounds. Normally that’s not a big deal because typically we have a variety of clothes to choose from.  However, it does matter when we are talking about that special dress; you know the one I am talking about, the wedding dress, the prom dress, the ball gown. Well then it matters and in a big way!

There is an alternative, an ingenious alternative I might add, you could replace the zipper with a loop and lacing closure.  With a zipper, you’re stuck with a specific size but with the loop and lacing closure the dress can adjust to the small fluctuations that may occur in your weight size. The beauty of the loop and lacing technique is that you can adjust each portion of the bodice to fit your body exactly.

If your having a dress made, consider having a loop and lacing fastening up the back rather than a traditional zipper and if you have a gown that just doesn’t fit as well as you would like it to consider having it altered with the loop and lacing fastening.

If you are thinking of altering an excising gown you will need enough extra fabric to form a backing that is fastened to one side of the back opening. This needs to be wide enough to span the entire distance between the back openings. The lacing is then done on top of this piece of fabric.

If you have a dress that just doesn’t fit properly and your interested in this type of alteration give Champion Cleaners a call and set up an appointment with our seamstress, she will be able to tell you if you have enough material to create a loop and lacing closure and maybe you will get a new gown out it….

All clothing is made from fibers and up until 1935 all fibers used were either plant or animal based such as cotton, linen, silk, and wool. These fibers were then spun into thread and then woven into cloth.

In 1935, DuPont invented nylon which forever changed the garment industry.  Synthetics material would be used separately as well as interwoven with natural fibers.  In the United States all clothing has a fiber content label to show what percentage of the garment is made from each type of fiber.  Reading these labels can give you important information about the best ways to take care of that particular garment.

Natural Fibers

Natural Fibers are fibers created from plants and animal sources. They typical allow your skin to breath better and are considered more comfortable especially in very warm climates. The major drawback is that they have a tendency to wrinkle badly and can shrink when washed in hot water or high dryer heat

Synthetic Fibers

Synthetic fibers have the luxury of being more resilient, and longer lasting. Each synthetic fiber has specific care instructions that you must follow in order not to ruin the fabric. Some synthetic fibers will melt when exposed to heat, like hot dryers or irons. Additionally many synthetics can be uncomfortable to wear, causing the garment industry to experiment with different natural and synthetic blends

Taking care of your garments means understanding what your garment is made of as well as learning the best way to care for the fabric. Remember when in doubt always ask your friendly Dry Cleaners.

To quote Oscar de la Renta “ Silk does for the body what diamonds do for the hands.”

Silk is made from the thread spun by silkworms and is the finest and strongest natural fiber in the world. Silk is a soft, elegant fiber prized for its many unique qualities. It has a beautiful sheen and caresses the skin of the person wearing it, almost like a second skin.  Silk is considered to be hypoallergenic due to its protein structure and is soil and odor resistant.

Silk fibers dry clean very well. However if the manufacturer has not tested for the appropriate care instructions certain dyes of finishes applied to the fibers may react adversely to the dry cleaning.

One of the more frequent problems that we find with silk is the tendency of the sizing to finish applied by the manufacture to discolor upon contact with moisture. The moisture effect of water soluble food and beverage spillage, perspiration, and rain may disturb sizing. If an article is badly stained by moisture, and labeled “dry cleanable” it may be very difficult for a dry cleaner to correct this shading. One option available to try and correct this effect is to try a short wet cleaning process but this should only be done at the request of the customer.

Perspiration is another issue commonly associated silk. Perspiration contains salt and salt can damage fabrics especially silk. Perspiration is acidic and turns to alkaline on exposure to the atmosphere. This can cause the fabric to change colors and can disintegrate and weaken silk. Have perspiration stains removed as soon as possible to avoid permanent staining.

Some silk dyes bleed or change color when exposed to solutions containing alcohol. Allow perfume, deodorants and hair sprays to dry before dressing

Because of the extreme sensitivity of many dyes and sizing to moisture, consumers are not advised to attempt any stain removal using water unless they have pre-tested an unexposed seam and remember when in doubt check with your friendly dry cleaner….