Go Green....Be Sentimental!

Have you ever thought about "going green" in the same breath as "being sentimental"?  We have helped several of our customers by cleaning and restoring their mother's or grandmother's vintage wedding gowns.  Have you thought about just using the fabric and converting it for a grandchild's (or great-grandchild's) christening gown?  Check out the picture below for a 1950's silk satin gown.  The customer only wanted to use the fabric from the skirt, so, for fun, we hung the restored fabric skirt with the unrestored top to show how much difference we can make!

Stay tuned--hopefully, we'll get a picture of the christening gown made out of this beautiful silk satin fabric!

If you're looking for expert vintage or couture gown care, you've found us!  Garments can be dropped off at any St Croix Cleaners location, or you can call us at (651) 351-3951 to set up an appointment with our Specialty Restoration Manager at our location in Stillwater. Treasured Garment Restoration is a division of St. Croix Cleaners

Wedding Gowns going Green!

Treasured Garment Restoration's parent company, St. Croix Cleaners, is among the FIRST in the country to offer green gown preservations!  As a member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, we now offer carbon-neutral ZeroCarbon (TM) Cleaning and Preservation as a part of our regular wedding gown service. Carbon-neutral means that we offset all carbon emissions from the process of cleaning and preserving the gown--including the bride's trip to and from our stores and the wedding chest's manufacture--with our donations to Carbonfund.org. 

Carbonfund.org, the leading nonprofit carbon offset and climate solutions organization, uses our donations to plant trees around the world to enhance reforestation and help to slow the effects of global warming.

Wedding gowns preserved by us will contain a label on the wedding chest indicating our participation and donation to the program!

Visit St. Croix Cleaners' website or call one of our Certified Wedding Gown Specialists at (651) 351-1656 to learn more about our specialized preservations and to find any of our 10 convenient locations!

Odor Eaters?

The Star-Tribune called us last week to find out about some DIY home remedies for de-odorizing clothing.  Check out what our own Duane Schumann, Restoration Production Manager, had to say: Star Tribune Article.

For more tips and advice, please join us on Facebook.

Let us know if you have any questions or comments!

Care Label Caution?

In case you can't read this label clearly it states:

"Caution

Dry Clean Only

Dangerously

Flammable

If Washed"

Now, I've seen some interesting marketing ploys before, but I'm not quite sure what this one is after!
I sure hope the bride who wore this gown didn't spill anything on her gown at the ceremony or the reception! Seriously, I'm not aware of any textile that would spontaneously combust when introduced with water.  As members of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, Treasured Garment Restoration and our parent company, St. Croix Cleaners, can certainly care for this dress and any other gowns with wild labels on them.

Making Prom Dreams a Reality....!

We were excited to deliver almost 500 prom dresses that were donated by St. Croix Cleaners customers in 3 short months!  Wow!  Thanks to all of our wonderful customers who really stepped it up into our St. Croix Cleaners (TGR's parent company) stores! We joined forces with Ever After Gowns in January 2010 and agreed to clean the gowns we received as donations from our customers.  On April 16th, Dave & Polly Nemec, owners of St. Croix Cleaners, delivered almost 500 gowns to Maggie Harris, President, and Kory Ellefson, Board Member, Ever After Gowns.  Our truck was almost full!  We've decided to stay on with Ever After Gowns and will continue to accept and clean donated gowns during the next year so that we can deliver another full truck in 2011!



Ever After Gowns is a Minnesota based 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting Twin Cities-area young women by providing them with new and gently used formal gowns, shoes, and accessories to be worn to their high school prom. The high school girls receive all the attire and accessories free of charge.

Soot and Smoke Damaged Vintage Fabrics

Soot and smoke residue varies greatly and depends upon what substances have burned.  A couple of weeks ago, we were called into a particularly badly damaged home.  The fuel-oil furnace started on fire and burned extremely fast and hot--flames burst through the duct work of the entire 2 story home with hot, heavy black smoke billowing throughout. Amazingly, the fire department was able to extinguish the fire before the entire structure was engulfed in flames!  Although most of the textiles were not actually burned or scorched, most of the clothing and textiles were infiltrated and heat-marked with black soot.  Treasured Garment Restoration was able to filter through the garments and restore them.  We were even able to get most of the blue jeans and some shirts and sweatshirts back to the family within 24 hours so they could have some clean clothes to wear (other than the clothes on their backs).  The home owner also had several vintage hand-made lace doilies and embroidery that we were able to salvage.

There were 4 of these hand-made vintage placemats sitting on the table.  We cleaned one to test the best methods to use for restoration for the rest of the vintage fabrics.  The homeowner almost cried when she realized that she wouldn't have to say "goodbye" to all of her sentimental hand-made textiles!  Sometimes, it just make us feel good when we are able to find a bright spot for the homeowners in such a dismal situation.

Successful Fire or Smoke Textile Restoration

The keys to success in textile restoration lie in the Company you choose. Speed is critical. The faster the response, the sooner the restoration process can begin, the higher the success rate will be in more garments.

Knowledge is also critical. Knowledgeable textile restorers will always ask “what type of fire occurred?” Soot and smoke will vary dependant upon the different types of fires (i.e. electrical, wood, plastic, protein-cooking oils, etc). Each type is treated differently based upon the differing chemical make-up of the smoke or soot. The successful removal of these and other contaminants requires both a scientific and customized approach that is only achievable by professionals.


Homeowners should be warned against cleaning their own garments using their own residential laundry equipment. First of all, until the dryer duct work is cleaned, the soot and smoke odor can redeposit into the clothes during the drying process which further inhibits the success rate of restoring the clothes. Secondly, homeowners generally do not have access to the appropriate cleaning agents, water temperatures and agitation needed for safely cleaning and restoring garments. Additionally, knowledgeable textile restorers can identify which fabrics will respond best to either dry or wet cleaning methods—neither of which are available in residential or even laundromat settings.

A Comprehensive Approach saves time, money, and garments! Good textile restorers will have a manager on site to work with the insured, the adjuster, & the contractor to identify the scope of the project and to manage expectations of results and timeline. They will remove textiles from the loss site by room, inventory all items, and return all items to back to the same rooms. Rush turnarounds of identified garments are imperative. Inventory lists and cost estimates should be supplied within 72 hours of the loss. Non-salvageable or non-restorable items should be included on the list—at no charge.

An excellent garment restoration company stands behind their work with confidence and integrity and will work with the insureds to insure their satisfaction so the adjuster and the mitigation contractor don’t have to waste their time on this aspect of the loss.


Trained and skilled garment care professionals can help to mitigate losses and minimize claims, thereby benefitting the insureds, the insurance companies, adjusters and other mitigation contractors.
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If you have additional questions, professionals at Treasured Garment Restoration are available to answer! You can visit us on the web:   http://www.treasuredgarmentrestoration.com/   
or call us at (651) 351-3951.

Something Old...

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue...as the old saying goes!  Some brides are making the "something old" the cornerstone of the wedding--her dress!  More and more I see brides pulling out Mom's or Grandma's gown from the attic and discovering that it's in pretty good shape, but maybe yellowed, a few dark brown spots, and a few little tears.  They come in wondering if, somehow, it may be salvageable?

My answer--most likely!  Since each gown is different, has been cleaned (or not cleaned) differently, and has been stored differently--some in boxes with tissue, some in cedar chests, some hanging in the back of Grandma's closet--they all come with a variety of challenges.  But, unless the integrity of the fabric has been seriously compromised (i.e. brittle and crumbly or tearing with little tension), it's probably a great candidate for restoration and re-wearing. 

 

1951 Silk Gown Before (the bride was going to cut off the bottom to make it a T-length dress)

1951 Gown After (the bride decided to leave it long since most of the latent stains were removed).

The restoration process involves removing the oxidation (yellowing) and returning the fabric to its original color and luster.  Yes, this is possible and done quite frequently by professionals who know how to handle vintage and age-damaged fabrics.  It may also be the most economical choice for the bride, as well.  Since each wedding dress differs dramatically, prices may also vary, but usually can start around $399 and up!

Check out a couple more examples:

1946 Wedding Gown Before.  Note the discoloration of beads and sequins.

1946 Wedding Gown After!  Color is restored and so are beads and sequins!

If it's historic clothing, he can clean it

Check out the Sunday Pioneer Press article written about our own Duane Schumann, Restoration Production Manager:
Stillwater restoration specialist Duane Schumann has cleaned, cared for and revived some precious garments in his day. The work is a little bit surgery, a little bit chemistry and a whole lot of confidence in his unique ability to accomplish the task at hand.
If it's historic clothing, he can clean it - TwinCities.com