David Whitehurst’s Champion Cleaners Dry Cleaning News ...Because Quality Counts! Our Services to You Champion Cleaners Professional Dry Cleaning and Laundry Tips, Tricks and Trivia April 2012 Expert Alterations Another Stain in the Dirty Dozen -Tomato Based Sauces Here's a very special technique that can help you remove tomato-based sauce stains from your clothing...unless, of course the care label says "Dry Clean Only." This technique will work on barbecue sauce, steak sauce, ketchup, tomato sauce or paste stains 1. Get a blunt spoon or knife and carefully use it to scrape off as much of the sauce as possible. Gently scrape using small strokes to prevent spreading the stain. 2. Next, use a liquid enzyme detergent to cover the stain. Rub it in and let it stand for a few minutes, rubbing the stain a few more times. While rubbing you should notice that some of the color is coming out of the garment. That's great! Now it's ready to rinse, so hold the stain under warm water. 3. If the stain remains, you may need to use a mild bleach on it. Popular “home remedy” mild bleaches include diluted lemon juice, white vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide. Soak the stained area in one of these substances, then rinse and repeat until the sauce is invisible. A spot stain remover can also help here. Be sure to check the care label and apply only what the label allows. 4. Finally, to ensure that the stain removal is successful, put the garment through a standard laundry cycle using an enzyme detergent. Let the garment dry in the sun for a short while, rather than using the dryer. Comforter & Bedspread Cleaning Area Rug, Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Air Duct Cleaning Wedding Gown Cleaning, Preservation, Restoration and Alterations Leather & Suede Cleaning Continued on Page 2 Please visit us online where we’re "social" www.facebook.com/ChampionCleanersAL (as in “Alabama”) www.twitter.com/davidwhitehurst Inside this issue: Calera Customers—We’re Moving To A New Building Ugg Boot Cleaning 2 I’ve been so pleased with our success in Calera that we have bought a building there. Construction is about done and we will be moving in early April. Daylight Savings Time 2 There will be no interruption of service during our move. Same day service, pickup and delivery and the rest of our services will be available just as always. Customers of Month 3 Food Poisoning 3 “Quotes” 3 Earth Day 4 Coupons 4 We are moving to 4204 Highway 31 in Calera...which is less than 1/2 mile from our original location. This is the building formerly occupied by Southern Pipe and Supply. This new facility is 9,000 square feet and will give us a location to consolidate our rug cleaning and leather and suede cleaning. We are also adding Restoration Dry Cleaning Services at this location. We will restore clothing and most any textile, including draperies, rugs, stuffed animals, etc. that have been damaged by water, smoke, fire or mold. Contact Information David Whitehurst David Whitehurst’s Dry Cleaning News Page 2 [email protected] Rocky Ridge Cleaning Center 205.824.7737 Greystone Cleaning Center 205.408.2797 Calera Cleaning Center 205.668.4727 Pickup & Delivery Service 205.602.3842 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist Cleans, Preserves, Restores 205.588.4120 In Home Services Oriental/Area Rug, Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Tile & Grout Cleaning Air Duct Cleaning 205.588.4121 We’re on the Web at ChampionCleaners.com and ChampionWedding GownSpecialist.com Ugg Boot Cleaning—A Testimonial From Marcella Bennett “I have had my Ugg boots for 3 years and they are one of the my favorite pairs of footwear. During the winter when I’m not wearing athletic shoes or the clogs I wear to work, I am usually wearing the Uggs. These boots are pretty much indestructible (you get what you pay for) but wearing them at home as well as out and about in all kinds of weather, they get pretty dull after a while. I had tried spot cleaners on them before, and while those products did not damage the suede, they really did not remove all of the stains. “So I was happy to get the 25% off coupon in one of your newsletters. I figured worst case scenario, they wouldn’t look worse than they already did. As I mentioned before, they are expensive to replace. I was thrilled when I got them back a few days later. All the spots were gone and they were restored to their original color and texture. I did not know these boots could be professionally cleaned, but I will definitely do this again in the future and would recommend it to all of my ‘Ugg wearing’ friends.” Thanks, Marcella! Dirty Dozen of Stains —Tomato Based Sauces —from page 1 As with any stain, don’t wash the garment in water if the care label says "Dry Clean Only." Silks and certain other fabrics do not often clean properly, and can even be damaged when using soap and water on them. And too much sun can cause a colorful garment to fade, so limit exposure to the sun. If your stain remains, we know you had a great time at that barbecue! Check out our services to see if we can get rid of your remaining stains. Be sure to let us know if you have tried any stain removal methods. And don't forget that sometimes it is best to leave stain removal to the pros. For More Articles Like This, Go To Our Blog At www.ChampionCleaners.com/Dry-Cleaning- Did You Know… About 100 million Americans were observing Daylight Savings Time prior to US Congressional action to adopt DST in 1966. The US adopted DST during WWI and WWII but quickly repealed it after the wars. England adopted it’s form of DST in 1916 and has had it ever since. Ben Franklin even proposed a concept of DST. Check Out Our Web Site At www.ChampionCleaners.com Register To Access Your Account Through The “CustomerConnect” Button “No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.” ~Proverb Page 3 Customers of the Month Customers who are a pleasure to work with just motivate us to work harder for you. We like to recognize those folks who come in with a smile, expect the best from us...and make our day even better. Our Customer Service specialists select our Customers of the Month and we thank them with a $25 gift certificate. We are pleased to recognize this month’s honorees:    Champion Cleaners ...Because Quality Counts! “Delivery Only” Service Clark Watson (Rocky Ridge) Dennis Woods (Greystone) Candy Carney (Calera) If you live in our pickup and delivery service area, try our one way route service. A Tool to Avoid Food Poisoning When you bring your cleaning in we will return your clean clothes on the next regular service day for your neighborhood. At no additional cost to you. You always knew your dishwasher was convenient. But did you also know that it's one of your best allies in keeping your kitchen safe from contaminants? The dishwasher sanitizes everything that goes in it, says Bonnie Richmond, senior lecturer in food safety and sanitation at the Hotel School at Cornell University...if you use the dry cycle. During the dry cycle, the internal temperature of the dishwasher reaches 170°F, which is required for sanitizing - the process of reducing harmful microbes to an acceptable level. Here's Richmond's first rule of thumb: Run anything through the dishwasher that can go into it, including plates, glassware, flatware, plastic cutting boards, and sponges. Anything that touches raw meat and fish, or their juices or blood, should be placed in the dishwasher immediately. That means if you use a sponge to wipe up the counter where meat juices have spilled, you should toss it right in the dishwasher and get out a clean one. At the very least, your sponges should go into the dishwasher every time you run it. Be sure to keep a backup supply on hand so you are not tempted to use a dirty one. Springtime “QUOTES” of the Month “Spring is nature's way of saying, ‘Let's party!’” ~Robin Williams “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” ~Charles Dickens “It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” ~Mark Twain “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~Anne Bradstreet “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” Margaret Atwood “In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” ~Mark Twain “The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” ~Henry Van Dyke Ask about One Way Service the next time you visit...or call Billy at 602-3842. Cleaning Your Tooth Brush Another great use of the dishwasher is cleaning your tooth brush. Just toss it in for cleaning and sanitizing. Cleaning your tooth brush this way regularly can cut down on bacteria being reintroduced into your system after you brush your teeth. 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 4601 Highway 31 Calera, AL 34050 205.668.4727 www.ChampionCleaners.com www.ChampionWeddingGownSpecialist.com Earth Day—April 22, 2012 Earth Day is April 22 every year and marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. Founded in 1970 by Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin, as a day of education about environmental issues, Earth Day is now a globally celebrated event which is sometimes extended into Earth Week, focusing on green awareness. Inspired by the antiwar protests of the late 1960s. It began as a national “teach-in” on the environment and was held on April 22 to maximize the number of $1.00 Per Piece Off Dry Cleaning Minimum 5 pieces, Maximum 25 pieces Good for April incoming orders only One coupon per household in April 2012 students that could be reached on university campuses. By raising awareness of air and water pollution, Nelson hoped to bring environmental causes into the national spotlight. What Can You Do For Earth Day?  Recycle paint and electronics  Recycle hangers (through us, of course)  Recycle batteries  Avoid plastic water bottles Put Your Leather/Suede Away Clean 10% Off Leather & Suede Cleaning Maximum 5 pieces Good for April incoming orders only Offer expires April 30, 2012 Offer Expires April 30 2012 Cannot be combined with any other offer Cannot be combined with any other offer www.ChampionCleaners.com www.ChampionCleaners.com