David Whitehurst’s Dry Cleaning News Champion Cleaners The Best Dry Cleaning Ever...Or It’s Free November 2013 The Single Biggest Mistake in Clothing Care Well, I did it. I own a dry cleaner and I made the single biggest mistake possible in clothing care. I have a light weight white jacket for my morning walks with Champ. When the temperatures dropped a couple of weeks ago, I pulled it out of the closet only to find a big yellow spot right on the front that looked a lot like mustard. On my white jacket! I’m sure you know to always put your clothes away clean when the seasons change. I didn’t do that so I was at the mercy of the fabric, the stain and the knowledge of my dry cleaner...who happens to be Ric Pevey (luckily Ric and our Plant Managers, Craig Ledwon and Greystone and Terry Hal at Calera, are “Certified Garment Care Professionals” and know all about spot removal, fabrics and cleanRic Pevey ing techniques). They can’t guarantee that they can get out every stain, but if anyone can, Ric, Craig and Terry can do it. Fortunately for me, Ric removed the spot from my jacket without fading the color of the jacket in the area of the stain. So the biggest mistake you can make in caring for your clothes is to not keep them clean. And while this may sound a bit self-serving since I’m in the dry cleaning business...it’s just the truth about clothing care. Here are my suggestions for protecting the investment in your clothes: 1. Clean your clothes soon after wearing them. Don’t wait several weeks between visits to your laundry room or to Champion Cleaners. And when the season changes, don’t put your clothes away dirty. Stains have a better chance to set in and they won’t be ready to wear when the season changes again. 2. Clean your clothes often enough. Trying to get an extra time wearing a dress shirt, your favorite blouse, or even those dress pants might seem like a frugal thing to do. But food spills, perspiration and even deodorant can cause stains. The sooner you tend to the problem, the better chance you have of not having to replace the garment early. 3. Don’t try to treat those spots yourself unless you really know what you’re doing. Magic formulas of hairspray or Windex to remove ink on a dress shirt rarely work and most often compound the problem. If you find a spot, blot it off and let us help with it...right away. We have a regular customer in Boston who ships any garment with a stain to Ric to handle. Ric does his magic and ships it back...because Ric really knows what he’s doing! Champion Cleaners The Best Dry Cleaning Ever ...Or It’s Free Our Services to You Professional Dry Cleaning and Laundry Expert Alterations Comforter & Bedspread Cleaning Area Rug Cleaning Textile Restoration Cleaning from Fire, Smoke, Water, Mold Ugg Boot Cleaning Wedding Gown Cleaning, Preservation, Restoration and Alterations Leather & Suede Cleaning Inside this issue: Tips About Fatty Liver 2 Disease Customers of the Month Life Lessons from Champ: About Not Having To Ask 3 3 “Quotes” of the Month 3 6 Little Known Facts A 4 Coupons 4 Contact Information David Whitehurst [email protected] Rocky Ridge Cleaning Center 205.824.7737 Greystone Cleaning Center 205.408.2797 Calera Cleaning Center 205.668.4727 Dry Cleaning Valet Service Pickup & Delivery 205.602.3842 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist Cleans, Preserves, Restores 205.588.4120 CRDN of Birmingham Textile Restoration 205.588.4123 Area Rug Cleaning 205.588.4121 We’re on the Web at ChampionCleaners.com David Whitehurst’s Dry Cleaning News Page 2 Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease While I’m not a doctor or a scientific researcher, I’ve studied a bit about this subject. Fatty Liver Disease has been increasing at a torrid pace over the last few decades. Today it affects 30% of the U.S. population and this number is expected to go over 50% within 20 years. So what is the cause of this disease? According to published reports, elevated blood sugar levels caused by consuming too much sugar is the answer. Fructose is processed in the liver and when too much is consumed, the excess fructose turns into fat around the liver. This is why it is critical to avoid sugar. Sodas, fruit juice, and processed foods loaded with sugar are the main culprits. High sugar diets also have a lot to do with the increase in Type 2 Diabetes, heart attacks, cancer and other diseases because your body cannot process that much sugar like it can with other nutrients. Many people think that high fat diets are the cause of weight gain and other health problems in this country. But fat is essential to the body and is healthy for you as long as your carbs are kept low. When your diet consists of high fats and high carbs, you are setting yourself up to gain weight quickly. Think about a time when you have gained weight. Was it because both your sugar and fat intake were very high? Every time I increase the amounts of carbs I eat, I tend to stay hungry and gain weight quickly. This is why I now choose to eat a high fat and high protein diet but keep my carbs extremely low. By eating this way, I stay full longer and have more energy. Studies have also shown that you can lose weight eating either high carb or low carb if you count calories. But it’s amazing to me that the studies don’t tell us that we will be healthier if we keep your carb intake low because it works for me and many others. and ChampionWedding GownSpecialist.com Wedding Gown Care from Certified Specialists  Cleaning  Pressing  Alterations  Preservation  Restoration We also clean and preserve Military Uniforms Check Out Our Web Site At www.ChampionCleaners.com Register To Access Your Account Through The “Customer Login” Link Happy Thanksgiving From Our Family at Champion Cleaners to Yours. Make it a Great Day! “The Constitution Only Gives People The Right to Pursue Happiness. You have to Catch It Yourself.” ~ Benjamin Franklin Page 3 Champion Cleaners Customers of the Month The Best Dry Cleaning Ever ...Or It’s Free Our Customers of the Month are recognized by our Customer Service Specialists because they are a pleasure to serve.. Each receives a $25 Champion Cleaners gift certificate    Charles Daniel - 33/40 Meteorologist and Father of new twin sons! Congrats! (Rocky Ridge) Melody Lewis (Greystone) Gail Davis (Calera) Life Lessons From Champ - About Not Having To Ask Editors Note: Champ is my 12 + year old “rescue” Yellow Lab and my best friend (next to Sherry). He never complains, he’s always happy to see me... and he’s wiser than most. I’m about 90 years old in people years today. I wouldn’t even know this if my body didn’t constantly remind me. The doctor says I have arthritis in my back. I’m not asking for sympathy here and I’m no different from a lot of people. In my younger years, I would try to sprint for the street when Dad was walking me on a leash so maybe I could get loose. I would try to escape from any door that was opened longer than a second or two. Once when I was at the lake, I swam out so far that Dad thought I couldn’t swim back. But every time I took off...I came back. I just wanted to be on my own for a while. Thanksgiving Holiday Hours We Will Be Closed on Thanksgiving Day. Dry Cleaning Valet Service With the Thursday holiday, our Delivery Service will be changed as follows: Monday/Thursday service will be provided on Monday and Wednesday Tuesday/Friday service will remain unchanged It seems that for most of my years, I was always trying to get away...to be on my own. For a least a little while. But I don’t do those things today. I still take my walk every morning...on a leash with Dad but I don’t try to get away. I don’t bolt for an open door any more. Today, I sleep in Mom’s and Dad’s room at night because I want to be close to them. I never did that when I was younger. I spent most of my life looking for chances to be left alone to do whatever I wanted to do, at least for a little while every day. But I don’t want to be left alone anymore. I want to be around people, especially my family. And this is what I know: If you have a senior citizen in your life, remember that we don’t want to be left alone. We want to be around people, especially family. We may not always ask to be with you and you might just think we’re fine being alone. But we’re not trying to get away any more. We don’t like to ask to be with you. But that’s where we really want to be. “QUOTES” of the Month “Never lose sight of the fact that old age needs so little but needs that little so much.” ~ Margaret Willour “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus “It’s a mere moment in a man’s life between the All Star Game and the Old Timer’s Game.” ~ Vin Scully “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” ~ Marthe Troly-Curtain “It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.” ~ B. C. Forbes “Do not regret growing older. It’s a privilege denied to many.” ~ Unknown “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” ~ Albert Camus Expert Alterations At Champion Page 4 Champion Cleaners Rocky Ridge Cleaning Center 2548 Rocky Ridge Road Vestavia Hills, AL 35243 205.824.7737 Greystone Cleaning Center 5403 Highway 280, Suite 101 Hoover, AL 35242 205.408.2797 Calera Cleaning Center 4204 Highway 31 Calera, AL 35040 205.668.4727 www.ChampionCleaners.com www.ChampionWeddingGownSpecialist.com Six Little Known Facts About Thanksgiving According to www.RandomHistory.com:   The famous pilgrim celebration at Plymouth Colony Massachusetts in 1621 is traditionally regarded as the first American Thanksgiving. However, there are actually 12 claims to where the “first” Thanksgiving took place: two in Texas, two in Florida, one in Maine, two in Virginia, and five in Massachusetts. The famous “Pilgrim and Indian” story featured in modern Thanksgiving narratives was not initially part of early Thanksgiving stories, largely due to tensions between Indians and colonists. 10% Off Dry Cleaning or Laundry Minimum 4 pieces, Maximum 20 pieces Good for incoming orders only One coupon per household in Nov. 2013 Offer expires Nov. 30, 2013  Held every year on the island of Alcatraz since 1975, “Unthanksgiving Day” commemorates the survival of Native Americans following the arrival and settlement of Europeans in the Americas  President Jefferson called a federal Thanksgiving proclamation “the most ridiculous idea ever conceived.”  The Friday after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday largely because stores hope the busy shopping day will take them out of the red and into positive profits. Black Friday has been a tradition since the 1930s  Thanksgiving football games began with Yale versus Princeton in 1876. We’ll Clean Any Garment With A Turkey or a Pumpkin On It For FREE With Any Dry Clean Order Limit 1 FREE Item per household Good for incoming orders only Offer Expires Nov. 30, 2013 Cannot be combined with any other offer Cannot be combined with any other offer www.ChampionCleaners.com www.ChampionCleaners.com Go to www.ChampionCleaners.com/Specials for more savings