Simply place a combination of dried lavender, thyme, clove, mint, cedar or eucalyptus in a cotton muslin sachet bag, tie it shut. Hang the bags in closet or place in dresser drawers. Not only will your garments smell fresh, they will also be free of little pests and damage.
The fragrant dried herbs will naturally repel moths and closet beetles. The scent of the herbs will mask the smell of the garment, which will ultimately deter the mother insect from being able to detect a home for her eggs.
Mulberrys seeks to make dry cleaning sustainable-and convenient. In three years, it has opened six locations.
Visit tcbmag.com & select “Digital Magazine” for full story (article is on pg. 24).
Twin Cities Business Journal talks to Mulberrys CEO, Dan Miller about building a business with problem-solving technologies.
http://minnesotabusiness.
Dorothy says, “There’s no place like home”. And we couldn’t agree more. This time of year loved ones reunite and homes are filled with joy and holiday cheer. In order to be fully prepared for your upcoming festivities, the linens must be assessed. Be it a comforter that needs washing or napkins that need a pressing, we have your go-to tips for preparing linens for all of your festivities and guests.
Comforters:
Start by checking the care label. After you have determined the preferred cleaning method you can begin the process. Down can be easily washed in your home washer. We suggest using a front-loading machine, as the drum is typically larger and the cleaning agitation will be even. Cold water and mild detergent should be used as the cleaning agent. We do not recommend adding fabric softeners, as this could damage the nature of the internal fibers.
Once washed, the comforter should be dried on low heat. To help prevent bunching of the fibers add a few unused tennis balls to the dryer along with comforter. The drying may take up to 3 hours, so plan accordingly.
If the garment doesn’t fit comfortably into the machine, or if the garment is comprised of wool and/or silk, we advise professional dry-cleaning.
Table Cloths & Napkins:
We love reusable table cloths and napkins. Besides being eco-friendly, your table cloth & napkins have the ability to add personality to your holiday banquet. However lovely they are, a stain or two is bound to appear.
To prevent stains on napkins, you may consider using starch when washing or ironing. Starch will help repel stains, so the next time the napkins are used the chances of stains will be slim. However, starch is not necessary.
If the linens have already been used, start by soaking them overnight in lukewarm water with a solution of laundry detergent and dish detergent. The following morning the linens should be washed in warm or hot water.
If spot treatment is necessary, we suggest using a food based stain remover such as The Laundry Collection’s Food & Beverage stain remover. It is specially formulated to lift stains associated with food and beverages.
To successfully iron linens they should be ironed when damp. The dampness of the linen will allow the heat of the iron to remove wrinkles, set creases, and give a gloss finish.
As family and friends gather, we hope every moment is cherished with crisp and cozy linens. Of course, if the task of linen cleaning sounds daunting, you know we are here to take one (or two) things off your plate.
Mulberrys Garment Care specialists give each of your garments very unique and personal attention using industry-leading “European Finishing” techniques. These premium treatments, which include tensioning and inside-out steaming, restore garments’ shape, rejuvenate their appearance and give them a softer hand.
The Mulberrys “European Finishing” treatment is an innovative, 4-step process where your garments are individually dressed on a three-dimensional form for a finer, gentler finishing process:
True To Form – After each garment is cleaned, it is carefully dressed and secured onto one of our three-dimensional forms. (Indeed, we have several forms, based on the size and shape of the garment.) In comparison to industry-standard two-dimensional cleaning, where clothing is laid out and flattened, our advanced three-dimensional process ensures that each garment retains its proper overall shape throughout the finishing process.
Time For A Steam – Garments are then gently steamed for 10 to 45 seconds (depending on the garment and the type of fabric). Steaming naturally opens the garment’s individual fibers, softening them as well as helping to release any creases or wrinkles that have remained present.
A Good Kind Of Tension – Based on both the type and fabric of the garment, the perfect amount of machine-regulated tension is applied at various places on the garment. This guarantees that the shape, fibers and even the unique contours of the garment (such as the shoulder blade and neck area) remain true to form.
Get Inside and Warm Up – After the steam treatment, and while it’s still on the three-dimensional form, the garment is ready for one last drying session. Warm air is swirled into the garment from the inside out. In comparison to ironing a garment, which literally smashes the garment and its fibers against hot metal, this inside-out whirlpool of warm air further ensures the garment’s fibers, shape and original size are maintained during drying.
This European Finishing process at Mulberrys Garment Care ensures that the quality, fit and overall vibrancy of your clothes are maintained. We are dedicating to the highest level of quality, service and detail, so that when your garments come back from their Mulberrys “day at the spa”, they look and feel gorgeous.
For many of us, the lure and lore of Thanksgiving are the delicious foods we make and share with family and friends. Since “The First Thanksgiving” feast in 1621, American tables have been graced with succulent turkey (or for some of you, tofurkey), hearty potatoes, tangy-sweet cranberry sauce, savory dressing, fresh vegetables, creamy gravy and other tasty treats of the season.
But in our grateful enjoyment and relishing of the Thanksgiving meal (and the inevitable evening and midnight dashes to the fridge for left-overs…) we sometimes find ourselves in a familiar plight: our favorite holiday foods have found their way to SPLAT on our laps, DRIP and DRIZZLE onto our shirts & dresses and maybe even KERPLUNK onto our shoe.
What can be said other than….STAINS HAPPEN!
But don’t fear. Mulberrys Garment Care is here. Just because you’ve now got holiday bliss splattered on yourself doesn’t mean your clothes (or your holiday) is ruined. If you can’t make it to your nearest Mulberrys store, know that many stains are treatable and removable at home if the right steps are taken…and taken in the right order:
The holidays are a tasty time of year. And, yes, they can also be a messy time of year. So should your delicious Thanksgiving dinner find its way to your clothes instead of your belly, be armed with the right knowledge and products (and a pinch of patience) to make those holiday stains a mere memory.
Some say first impressions last a lifetime, if this is true then be sure your winter overcoat is in pristine shape prior to its first outing. A simple coat check will get you off to a good start.
Begin the check by reviewing your buttons as everyday wear can often leave them hanging by a thread. A simple button review will be sure to save you time and money. Simply glace at the jacket confirming all buttons are securely attached. Give each button a tender tug, if it feels lifeless then bring it in for a quick reinforcement, because no one wants to get caught button-less.
Next, begin to check for stains. Overcoats not only protect us from the cold but also from food, beverages, oils, salt, dirt and/or sludge. By the end of the season our jacket might not look as lovely as it once did. Spot treatment for stains is recommended, however it may take professional cleaning to get the desired outcome. Following the care label’s instructions is critical in determining appropriate cleaning method. To avoid soiling of the collar we suggest wearing scarves. Scarves will prevent oil stains associated with hair and skin, which can permanently damage fabric.
Lastly, review lining and seams. Often times lining and seams will begin to tear thus leaving jacket less insulated and drafty. To prevent a chilly winter we recommend damage be repaired immediately.
Coat checked. Ready for snow.
Thank you Neal St. Anthony for a great write up in Star Tribune. To read the full story visit Star Tribune.
Dissatisfied with dry cleaning service he received on suits he wore as a McKinsey consultant Dan Miller left consulting behind in 2009 to open Mulberry Garment Care, one of few certified “green” dry cleaners in the state. His process uses pressurized, liquid C02 instead of chemicals to dry clean clothes. While striving to provide a Starbucks-like experience to customers, Miller’s real focus is on maintaining FedEx-like efficiency at his dry cleaning plant to cut down expenses and keep prices competitive with traditional dry cleaners.
Thank you Dan Haugen for a great article in Finance & Commerce. Visit Finance & Commerce for the article or read the full story below.
But will they suit everyone?
You swipe a credit card at a vending machine-sized kiosk. A clothing rack whirls around inside until your shirt or blouse appears. A robotic arm plucks it from the rack by the hanger and passes it to a glass enclosure in front of you. You pop open a door, grab your receipt and your freshly cleaned garments, and away you go.
Is this the future of dry cleaning?
Two local dry-cleaning chains this fall have unveiled the Twin Cities’ first-of-their-kind “dry cleaning ATM” kiosks. White Way Cleaners installed one at a Minneapolis skyway location in September. Last month, Mulberrys Garment Care installed one in the Ridgedale Byerly’s store.
Both companies view the kiosks as a way to extend service into hours and locations that wouldn’t be feasible for staffing with employees. If the machines prove successful, Mulberrys and White Way envision them springing up in skyways, condo and apartment buildings, office towers, gas stations and grocery stores all across town.
“We want to be one of the first to bring dry cleaning into the modern world,” said Dan Miller, Mulberrys’ founder and CEO. He compares the potential impact to what ATMs did for banking or Red Box did for DVD rentals — giving customers a quick, easy, always-open option for dropping off and picking up their dry cleaning.
The appeal was easy to see for Miller, a former management consultant who recalls the frustration of having to leave work early to pick up a dry cleaning order then head back into the office to finish up for the day. He founded Mulberrys in 2009 and built the business around a toxin-free cleaning process (using pressurized carbon dioxide instead of perchloroethylene) and a quality in-store experience (with wood hangers, complimentary coffee and pleasant design).
The success of those strategies has allowed Mulberrys to invest in new technology, Miller said. In addition to the dry-cleaning kiosk (“The Berry Box”), the company finished installing new automation equipment last month at its Roseville cleaning facility, where drivers drop off garments that have been left for cleaning at the kiosk and its four other store locations.
Dave Nemec, owner of White Way Cleaners and St. Croix Cleaners, learned about the kiosks at a Las Vegas trade show in June and decided to use one to replace a lower-performing store. The kiosk has been up and running since late September in the space formerly occupied by its Campbell Mithun Tower store in downtown Minneapolis. So far, Nemec has heard “mixed feedback, quite honestly,” he said.
“Some people are excited about because it does give them those extended hours. Other people are more hesitant,” Nemec said. “But then I can remember 15 or 20 years ago when I used my first ATM, and I was a little hesitant about that, too.”
The dry cleaning industry, in general, has been slow to adopt new technologies, which is why Miller and others see the $9 billion industry as ripe for innovation. The automated kiosks have been around for about a decade. The ones purchased by both Mulberrys and White Way were made by an Arkansas company, HMC Solutions, which said it has sold fewer than 30 of the machines since 2003.
“Right away we sold just a handful of them,” said HMC Solutions CEO Tony Cassady. “They worked, but really we were ahead of our time a bit in ‘03 and ‘04. People in the dry cleaning industry just didn’t seem ready to accept this, plus the price tag that went with it.”
The kiosks start around $50,000 for a small system — no trivial expense in an industry dominated by mom-and-pop operators who average $250,000 in annual revenue. But a kiosk’s footprint is small – 130 square feet for one that handles up to 300 orders — compared with a typical store of at least 1,000 square feet in space. If the dry cleaning is done on site, the typical business needs at least twice that amount of space.
HMC has seen an uptick in interest the past couple of years as self-serve kiosks have become a more common sight in the retail landscape. Consumers now use them for renting DVDs, paying for groceries, even buying headphones at the airport. The leap to automated dry cleaning is smaller than it was five or 10 years ago. So is it the future?
“To be determined,” Nemec said. “There are places where it does make a lot of sense both for the consumer and for the business; places where it’s a nice, convenient location for people, but it’s not a high enough volume store to warrant having a person spend 40 plus hours a week there. I don’t think it’ll totally do away with the person at the counter at your local dry cleaner, in high-volume stores, but it is a nice supplement.”
Dan Haugen is a Minneapolis-based freelance journalist who writes about energy, sustainability and technology. Contact him at 612-217-1057 or dan@danhaugen.com.
Mulberrys founder Dan Miller stops in to the KARE11 studio today to break down what’s really in our everyday laundry care products.
A big thanks to Pioneer Press the new product alert: The Laundry Collection.
