ZIPS Dry Cleaners - Northern Virginia, Baltimore, Washington, Pennsylvania and Kent Island areas

418,865,702

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Crystal McBeath

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General

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Q.	What are your hours of operation?

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Q.	Why do you require prepayment?

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Q.	What forms of payment do you accept?

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Q.	If I can not make it in by 9am, can I still get my clothes back today?

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Q.	If I drop my order off after 9am, will it be ready earlier than 5pm the next day?

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Q.	I bring a lot of clothes, can I get a discount?

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Q.	Can someone else pick-up my clothes for me?

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Q.	What is a ZIPS^® Key Tag?

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Q.	Why did you reject my garment?

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Q.	What do I do if I think I am missing a garment?

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Q.	How long do you keep orders?

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Q.	What do you do with old orders?

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Q.	Can I pick up my clothes after the store has closed if an employee is still there?

▼	Garment Care

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Q.	What Do the Symbols on the Care Label mean?

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Q.	General Information About Cotton

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Q.	General Information About Linen

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Q.	General Information About Wool

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Q.	General Information About Polyestor

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Q.	General Information About Rayon

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Q.	General Information About Other Man Made Fibers

▼	ZIPS Customer Tips

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Q.	How Often Should You Clean Your Clothes?

If you survey 100 people on the street and ask them, 'how often should you clean your clothes?' you would probably get several different answers. Unlike other industries, the clothing care industry did not have written standards or recommendations for proper care, and relied on the consumers 'best guess' for how often you should clean your t-shirts, jeans, polo's, khakis, sweaters, suits, coats,etc.

Recently, the
Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI, formerly the International Fabricare Institute) published recommended standards for clothing care geared to consumers. These standards were based on consumer surveys and other testing protocol.

Also included with the standards is information related to problems associated with improper care, such as stains and odors in fabric. According to Susan Morem in How to Gain The Professional Edge, "we become accustomed to our own scent within 15 minutes. You will not be able to smell our own cologne or body odor, but it doesn't mean that others can't". Let's be real, do you want to be sitting in an 8 hour meeting next to a co-worker that decided they only need to clean their suit once a year?

Morem also states, "your clothing is the first thing others notice about you. Always look your best. Make sure your clothes are clean, pressed, mended and fit well.... You are what you wear."

Guidelines recommended by DLI include:
� Cleaning dress shirts and polo shirts after every wearing
� Cleaning blouses every other wearing
� Clean khakis and casual pants after every other wearing
� Outerwear should be cleaned monthly during the season and again before storing
Of course, there guidelines do not apply if you spill coffee on your blouse, get ink on your dress shirt or wear your polo shirt to a little league game on a hot day.

At ZIPS, we help our customers look their best by offering quality cleaning at an affordable price. Alteration services are also available at most stores.

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Q.	Do you have any tips on how to care for household textiles?

Recently, ZIPS has received numerous inquiries regarding care for drapes, curtains, rugs and cushion covers. Some recommendations are below.

Window Treatments
If you are like most people, you select window treatments to compliment a room, hang them and forget them. Depending on the fiber content and construction of your window treatments, cleaning may range from very easy to extremely difficult. Before you attempt cleaning of window treatments, refer to the manufacturers recommended method of care. Monthly vacuuming will remove lint and dust build up on drapes. Also, some sheers and curtains can be machine-washed on gentle cycles, followed by air drying or tumble drying on low temperatures to prevent shrinkage. Pleated and lined drapes will usually require dry cleaning.

Real Simple also features tips on 'Deep Cleaning Tasks Done in 3 Easy Steps' for cleaning drapes, blinds, lamp shades and other household items.

Upholstered Furniture & Cushion Covers
According to a study by esure Home Insurance, "The average sofa will last eight years - and witness nearly 300 arguments, over 1,300 cuddles and endure more than 1,600 spillages."

Routine vacuuming and spot-cleaning spills as they happen will extend the life of your cover, but at some point, they will need to be cleaned.

For proper care, look for the manufacturer recommended cleaning codes on the couch base or on your original paperwork from purchase.

The 4 furniture cleaning codes include:
� W: The code "W" means that your furniture should be able to be cleaned with water.
� S: The code "S" means that a furniture cleaning solvent can be used on your piece.
� SW: The code "SW" means that both water and solvent can be used to clean your furniture.
� X: This code means that you should not apply water or solvents to this particular piece of furniture, and instead should clean it using a soft brush, or in the case of deep staining, by taking the upholstery to be dry cleaned.
Please note: Cushion covers are prone to excessive shrinkage and separation at the seams, which is why they are designed to be cleaned on the cushion base, and not dry cleaned or laundered following the same procedures for clothing.

Also, Home Decorators Collection, a popular home interiors website offer tips for upholstery furniture selection and care.

If you have a fabric care question, please send them to ZIPS. We may feature your question in a future issue of the ZNEWS.

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Q.	Do you have any recommendations for storing my off-season clothing?

As the temperature changes, most of us will start the semi-annual, dreaded ritual of switching out our closets. Before you switch out your clothes, there are a few guidelines that you should follow.
�Clean all clothes before storing, never store dirty clothes. Stains can set with age, and dirty clothes attract bugs.
�Always store clothing in temperature controlled environments, such as an extra closet or under your bed.
�Use tight sealing, waterproof containers to keep the bugs out and prevent mildew.
�If you need alterations or repair work done, have it done before storing the garment.
�Before storing your garments, go through them and give away what you don't use.

Should You Fold or Hang When Storing?
Most garments should be folded for long term storage instead of hung. If garments are hung, there may be excess stress on the shoulder areas, which can cause thinning and fabric damage. Also, if you hang knit garments, they will start to stretch in the length, so they may be a few inches longer when you go to wear them next year.

What Container Is Best?
There are many containers available for storing garments, just make sure you pick one that is air tight and waterproof. The easiest choice is plastic containers or tubs with locking lids. There are also structured cotton bags and boxes with waterproof liners that you can get from specialty stores. Another great place to store off-season clothing... in your luggage!

Cedar Closets, Are They Worth It?
Some consumers have cedar closets, hoping to avoid the insect issue when storing wool garments. This will work the first couple of years, but you need to sand and re-treat the cedar wood every two to three years to refresh the natural insect repellent qualities of the cedar. You can also use cedar blocks, balls, or strips in your closet to get the same benefit, but you will need to replace these annually.

Moth Balls, Do They Really Work?
Everyone knows what garments smell like that have been stored with moth balls. But do they really work? The answer is yes, if used properly and in conditions where the vapors are allowed to turn to a gas, which brings out the repellent properties. However, most consumers do not like the lingering odor of moth balls, which is not easily removed from garments, even after cleaning several times.

Are There Any Natural Insect Repellents?
There are many natural and fresh smelling dried herbs and plants available that repel insects. Lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, and mint are some of the most commonly used repellents. Purchase pre-made sachets, or make your own in scents that you like. The stronger the fragrance, the more it will repel insects. Make sure you replace the sachets as the fragrance diminishes for best results.

Got a garment question, Ask ZIPS for the answer. We may feature your question in a future ZNEWS.

This article was featured in our ZNEWS, a monthly, electronic newsletter for our customers. If you would like to receive the ZNEWS, please sign up here.

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Q.	What should I do with all of the wire hangers from ZIPS in my closet?

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Q.	What causes the random brown stains on the front of my shirts?

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Q.	How do I remove gum stains from clothing?

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Q.	Why does my dress shirt collar look droopy?

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Q.	Why do I get holes in the elbows of my dress shirts?

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Q.	What is causing discoloration on my golf shirts?

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Q.	Help, a bottle of wine broke in my suitcase. What can I do?