PRE-INSPECTION
We give your garment a thorough check for soil and stains,
damage,
and stuff in
the pockets. We close zippers, button pockets, remove lint, replace
broken or missing buttons, and fix any minor damage we find. Then
we sort according to color, fabric and texture.
PRE-SPOTTING
This job entails a great deal of sleuth work. We inspect
each garment for stains and soil, then test suspicious dyes to
make sure they won't run. We pre-treat stains, check care labels,
inspect for pre-existing problems, and select from 99 programs
on our Miele to gently and thorougly care for your garment.
CLEANING
Our state of the art equipment immerses your clothing
in a digitally controlled environment, adjusting cleaning agents,
temperature, saturation, type and amount of mechanical agitation,
and extraction spin speed according to the specific fabric.
In
the first phase of cleaning, a small, controlled amount of banana
oil pre-spotter is added to help remove general soil. Next, a citrus
and soy agent with dye blockers and fabric protectors is added,
and finally, the garments are finished with silk protein. Miele's
cleaning action uses an extremely gentle drum rhythm, patented fiber
protection and low water levels to coax dirt and stains gently from
your most delicate garments. By giving clothes a smoother ride,
and by utilizing ecologically responsible detergents, the system
is gentle, not just to your clothes, but to the environment. Our
Commercial Miele System has a special program for down clothing
and bedding. First, moistening, then a fast extract rmoves the old
air trapped in the duvet, allowing water, citrus and enzyme soaps
to penetrate the down and really thoroughly clean. Blasts of steam
throughout the 90 minute cleaning cycle raise the temperature high
enough to kill mites and bedbugs that live in down. Please allow
a few days for us to clean a down duvet or a feathered bedding because
we dry it several times for hours, hanging it in our hot boiler
room overnight between dryings. The challenge with down is getting
it dried well enough to prevent a medium for mildews, molds and
fungi, to immediately return. If your down duvet has old stains,
these are unlikely to come out completely with any type of cleaning
- but you can rest assured that with our process, stains will likely
lighten and your duvet will be clean and sanitary.
FORMING
Originally created for the textile manufacturing industry,
our forming equipment shapes your garment the same way the designer
intended. During wet forming, heavy woolen coats and jackets are
brushed to de-pill and restore the original soft feel, and dark
clothes are brushed to remove lint.
DRYING
We use a digital moisture-sensing low-heat dryer for sturdier
garments. We dry clothing to the ambient moisture level best for
the particular fabric. Almost all garments, whether wet-formed or
partially dried, gently hang until dried completely.
PRESSING
We use a European VEIT Varioset for hand pressing. A very
powerful vacuum holds the garment in place for precision work, and
an "up air" function blows air upwards, so
delicate garments float on a cushion of air during pressing. This
avoids any hard press marks along seam lines. VEIT is fantastic
for vintage garments, formal wear, wedding gowns and other articles
that require gentle handling.
INSPECTION
& TOUCH-UP Last,
your garment returns to the tensioning equipment for a final forming,
where it is touched up and de-linted once again. During each stage
of its journey, your clothes are inspected for stains: if any are
detected, it goes back for treating and repeat cleaning. When your
garment passes inspection, it is bagged with the rest of your order.
STAINS We always do our best to remove all stains. If yours still
has a spot, it has been treated and your garment cleaned at least
twice, and often many more times. Some stains just won't budge,
but most lighten up considerably.
It's a long laborious process, but San Antonio, you're worth it!
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