Contactless Dry Cleaning Pickup and Delivery

What Exclusive Dry Cleaners Is Doing To Keep Our Customers and Employees Safe

In March, we added a new protocol for all staff and customers and we would like to share this information on again to continue to help stop the spread of COVID-19:

COVID-19 Protocol

During this uncertain time with new information coming in everyday, we are taking every precaution to keep our customers and employees safe. And we take our role as an essential service very seriously, which means that the government and our customers are relying on us to provide our cleaning services. It also means that we will continue to deliver our orders to your door through this challenging time. We know that now, more than ever, many of you are relying on our delivery services and we deeply appreciate your loyalty. Staff have been working hard with the increased demand for our services that we have experienced throughout the past few weeks. We are thankful for all of our hard-working employees in our operations facilities that are working hard to ensure our operations continue to run safely and smoothly. We would like to advise you that we have implemented the following protocol to protect against any potential cross-contamination:

1. Our “No-Contact” Pickup and Delivery Process

We have enacted "no-contact" pickup and delivery options so we can maximize social distance between our staff and our customers to keep everyone safe. No contact pickup and delivery is now required for all orders. We now have two no-contact options available:

• At the front door – We pick up or deliver items at your door without you needing to answer the door. As per usual, you will receive notification once your order has arrived at your front door.

• At your concierge – we will still provide this option and follow instructions from the concierge as to where we can hang your orders.

At the time of setting up your order, simply select “I will put the clothes in a bag at the front door” or “I will drop off at the concierge” options.

No-contact pickups and deliveries – We strongly encourage our customers to choose one of the above options to ensure truly “no-contact” delivery, but if you need to open the door to interact in-person with our staff, please be aware that we are instructing our staff to maintain at least 6 feet of distance between themselves and customers to avoid any contact. Our staff will now place or hang your clothes outside your door and maintain distance while you pick up your items. If we are picking up items, we ask that you do the same for them. This is an important change we can make to help ensure the safety of everyone involved.

How you can help: In addition to keeping a safe distance from our staff, if you have items with special instructions (e.g. an item needs a repair), please pre-separate the item and put it at the top inside of your Exclusive Dry Cleaners laundry bag. This minimizes our need to find the item within your bag.

2. Keeping Our Team Safe and Healthy

We are working to keep our customers and staff healthy by supporting the health of our staff. We are providing our staff with gloves, and disinfectants to use as they work their shifts. We are also encouraging staff who may be experiencing concerning symptoms to stay home. We are in constant communication with our staff and their safety and health (and yours) is our top priority.

We are taking every precaution we can to ensure the safety and health of our cleaning staff at our facilities as well, and to make sure your clothes are returned cleaned and disinfected. Here are some of the steps we are taking:

• More rigorous cleaning and disinfecting of all surfaces and machinery;

• Increased the frequency of hand sanitation of all staff and remind staff to wear latex-free gloves when processing clothing at all times

• Cleaned orders are always kept separate from unserviced orders. This helps to protect against cross-contamination as well.

• Increased daily staff monitoring for flu-like symptoms before starting work.

• Our entire cleaning team are required to follow the same 6 feet social distance protocol at all times.

3. Our Cleaning Process

Our dry cleaning process is able to tackle germs precisely because of the multilayered dry heat exposure of the clothing that would eliminate most organisms left in the fabric. Any high heat dry cleaning or drying for about 30 minutes is the surest and most effective way to eliminate various bacteria and viruses. Exclusive Dry Cleaners has been following the recent recommendations from Health Canada to limit the spread of the recently declared pandemic virus, COVID-19. We are taking precautions ourselves to keep our staff healthy and encouraged to stay home when sick or have sick family members at home. We hope that understanding our processes and some of the safety measures we have taken helps you feel confident in using Rinse during this COVID-19 pandemic. If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, please reach out to customerservice@exclusivedrycleaners.ca.

How to have an Easy Fall Clean-up

There is a natural instinct that kicks into gear in the fall, the one that gets the ‘ole “cave” ready for cozy winter nights. Can you feel it? It is the urge to purge! Now is the time (before the snow hits) to pull all the clutter out of your closets and get deep, deep into those corners.

Here are 4 tips that will help make your fall cleanup a breeze:

1. Don’t Do it Alone! Recruit family members and housemates to pitch in and clear out the spaces. Look into hiring a professional organiser to help get you sorted. They can spare you a lot of time, headache (and heartache) for a painless decluttering process.
2. Do One Room at a Time and Finish Each to Completion. Don’t move on to the next space before the other is done Having too many closets and rooms half started will be more chaotic and you risk being left with a bigger mess than you started with.
3. Be Prepared to Get Rid Of Stuff. It has been shown again and again that having more stuff does not increase happiness. In fact, the opposite may be true! So be ruthless with the things you find in the back of those closets. Get a friend or sibling to watch over the process and help keep you rational in your purge. Be kind to yourself and put things back in your closets tidy and clean - why hold onto a tuxedo that won’t be wearable next time you need one? Suits should be dry cleaned at least annually for a longer life.
4. Make Your Life Easier Where You Can. Life is busy and there are only so many leisure hours in a week. Maybe this means you hire that home organiser, or add housekeeping services into your budget, or have your dry cleaning delivered to your door. Indulge in some help and keep your space clear and inviting.

With a tidy space, you will likely increase in motivation and productivity to get things done. Get your home in tip top shape, just in time also for the holiday party season!!

5 Great Tips for Sweater Storage

The weather is heating up, and for many people, that means it’s finally time to store sweaters until next winter. Our dry cleaning services are available for any delicate fabrics you’re pulling out for the summer – but now is also a great time to send us your winter coats and sweaters.

1. Clean items before storage

The proper technique for storing fabric always starts with a good dry cleaning. This will remove any debris, including oils from skin, so that your fabric is in the best condition before it goes into storage. While your fabric items are stored for several months, any leftover oils from your skin while you were folding them up, as well as any stains or dirt that weren’t entirely removed before winter ended, will settle into the fabric. Even if you only wore it once, it’s still a good idea to get the piece dry cleaned. The environment can leave behind dust and other debris that are just as harmful.

2. Store your sweaters in a cool, dry place that avoids direct sunlight

Damp patches and wetness could eventually lead to the formation of mildew, and sticky or soiled wool is a heavy attractant for moths and other insects. Ensuring that your sweaters remain dry, but protected from sunlight, throughout their storage period is crucial to keeping them looking their best.

3. Use a good method for storage

There are many methods for storing off-season gear once it has been dry cleaned. Many people like vacuum sealing, because it saves space and ensures that dust does not get near your clothing. However, vacuum sealing can put undue pressure on special features, like embroidered designs, causing them to look less attractive when they are removed later in the year. Clear plastic totes with lids that seal tightly are a great solution; clothing is easy to identify and they tend to stack together for easy storage.

4. Hang a sweater so it doesn't stretch out or get shoulder bumps

If you don’t have room for clear plastic totes to storage your sweaters or prefer to hang the sweater in your closet, fold your sweater in half, place the hanger hook in the armpit, and fold the waist and sleeves over the hanger for a stretch-free hang.

5. Use only natural substance to enhance storage

One thing that many people ask us, if anything, they should add to their stored items, to keep away pests and keep them smelling great. Mothballs have been shown to be less desirable than they once were. Effective odorless products are available, many based on natural substances such as lavender, rosemary, or cloves. As long as your clothes have been dry cleaned before storage, and are stored in an air-tight container, you may not even need to add anything.

By the time winter rolls around, it’s always a joy to pull out your favourite cozy sweater, and find it perfectly dry cleaned and ready to wear when the cooler weather comes around again. And by dry cleaning your sweater, you’ll ensure that it lasts for many more years to come.