Sometimes You Really Should Use a Dry Cleaner

For the most part, you can generally do laundry at home if you have a washer and dryer. It’s convenient, and it’s not that difficult. However, there are times when using a dry cleaning service really is the better choice, even if you have access to laundry facilities. Take a look:

1. You Have Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are creepy, crawly, and incredibly tough to get rid of. If you find them in your home, you should have a professional pest control service come treat the space. However, the task of treating your clothing and bedding is usually your responsibility. Having your clothing, linens, sheets, throws, comforters, and even drapes dry cleaned is the best way to ensure you rid these items of bed bugs.

Dry cleaning machines reach high temperatures of up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Bed bugs cannot survive these temperatures. When treating a home for bed bugs, you need to be thorough. You need to remove them from all your garments and household items. Professional dry cleaners are trained to remove bed bugs and they will do the job without damaging your clothing or bedding. Your clothes and linens will come back clean and fresh as always.

Don’t forget to send your bug-infested dry cleaning in a separate laundry bag and labeled them as such so that the dry cleaner, too, will take care to separate the infested garments from those of other customers.

2. When Someone Has Been Sick

When someone in your home has been sick, it’s a good idea to send your linens out to be cleaned by a professional dry cleaner that offers germ-free laundry service. Having bedding thoroughly cleaned after an illness can help prevent the illness from spreading to other family members.

Green dry cleaners will use environmentally-friendly soaps to remove germs from your sick linens and clothes. You should bag the linens up separately to reduce the risk for cross-contamination and label the bag for germ-free laundry.

3. You Find a Stain on a Precious Garment

There are various ways that you can try to treat clothing stains at home. But if you find a stain on a precious garment, such as an expensive suit coat, a fine lace dress or a memorable garment like a christening gown, don’t try to clean it yourself! Send that item to a reputable dry cleaner that provides fine dry cleaning services. Professional dry cleaners have stain-removing treatments for different kinds of stains and different kinds of material. They won’t damage your special garment in the process of stain removal. They will inspect your garment to ensure every stain is removed, hand finish it and restore the fabric to enhance the life of your garment.

Even people with their own washers and dryers can benefit from using dry cleaning services sometimes. If you find yourself in any of the situations above, don’t hesitate to visit a laundry service near you.

Simple Ways to Show Dad You Care on Father’s Day

Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity to honor your dad and thank him for everything he has done for you. While big Father’s Day celebrations can be nice, some dads prefer to keep thing simple. If your dad is more the subdued type, or if a big celebration is just not in the cards this year, here are some simple ways to show you care.

1. Help Dad look his best.

When was the last time your dad had his suit cleaned? Consider taking it to the dry cleaner for a nice refresh. The dry cleaner near me does a fabulous job of removing any stains, repairing buttons and pressing the suit. Find the best dry cleaner in your neighborhood and ask them to pickup your dad’s shirt and suit for cleaning. When your dad wears the cleaned suit, he will feel like he’s on top of the world.

If you do have bigger plans for Father’s Day, such as going out to dinner at a nice restaurant, you can always have his suit dry cleaned in advance so he can wear it to the special event.

2. Make him a gift basket.

Buy his favorite personal grooming products, some cologne, and maybe some sunscreen to prepare him for the summer. Don’t forget to also grab a greeting card and write a personalized message inside. If you procrastinated in gift shopping for your dad, you can do this last-minute at the nearby pharmacy. There are often many really nice products that you can put together in a gift basket for your dad.

3. Arrange for companion care.

If your father is getting older and is struggling to care for himself, or perhaps feeling a bit lonely in the house, a nice Father’s Day gift may be to arrange for companion home care through a home care agency. A professional caregiver, such as a certified HHA, can visit, as needed, to help with basic tasks and also do fun activities like playing chess, viewing photos or taking a walk with your dad when you can’t be there.

4. Make him a mix tape.

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, people used to make mix tapes for their loved ones. Bring this tradition back for Father’s Day! Create a CD with some of your dad’s favorite songs on it. You can include songs you’ve listened to together over the years and toss in a few surprises, too.

As Father’s Day approaches, spend a little time to think about how you want to celebrate with your Dad. It’s perfectly okay not to go over-the-top. Often, it’s the small gestures, like those above, that mean the most to a dad. Be sure to also give your father a hug and remind him how much you care.

A Few Tips for a Great Memorial Day

Memorial Day is just around the corner! Thankfully, most people in Massachusetts have had the COVID-19 vaccine, and with the gradual reopening of the economy, we are heading in a positive direction. Celebrating Memorial Day in a wide, open, outdoor space is a relatively safe option for most people. If you want to make sure this year’s Memorial Day party is one to remember, here are some planning tips.

Memorial Day Flag and bouquets outside a home in South End, Boston

1. Get vaccinated, and remind others.

Gathering outdoors is safer than gathering indoors, but you’ll be even safer if you and your party attendees are vaccinated for COVID-19. Schedule your vaccine at the local pharmacy if you have not already, and remind your friends and family members to do the same. Remember, it takes several weeks to build immunity after a vaccine, so get vaccinated sooner rather than later.

2. Take table linens and flags to the dry cleaners.

After a great party, you don’t want to have to spend all week cleaning up! Make plans to take your table linens, flags, and any other cloth items to the nearest dry cleaners after the party. If any of your clothing get stained, perhaps with ketchup or mustard, you can take that clothing in, too. Professional wash and fold services are excellent at removing stains.

3. Stock up on essentials at the drug store.

With the weather starting to warm up, it’s important to make sure you have all of the essential meds on-hand. Prior to Memorial Day, visit a nearby drug store to buy some allergy medications, bug spray, sunscreen, and other essentials.

Also make sure you have a First Aid kit on-hand. Stock it with Band Aids, antibiotic ointment, pain relievers, gauze, and other basics. Keep the First Aid kit outside during the party, along with a basket with sunscreen and bug spray, and make sure all of your party attendees know where it is.

4. Create an upbeat playlist.

Everyone deserves a mood lift right now! Put together an upbeat, uplifting playlist for your Memorial Day party. Consider reaching out to each person who is invited, and ask them what their favorite song is. Add all of these favorite songs to your playlist, and your guests will be delighted.

This year, Memorial Day is a welcome chance to reconnect with family and friends. Make sure you’re vaccinated, safe, and ready to have a great time. Whether you grill hot dogs or have the party catered, what’s important is that you’re together!

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Father’s Day is right around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about gift ideas for all the special guys in your life. This year is undeniably different than previous Father’s Days, so it may require a little thinking outside the box. Some traditional stores aren’t yet fully open, and special outings and celebrations may not be possible because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not to worry! I’ve compiled some unique Father’s Day gift ideas that are perfect for our current situation.

Gift Cards

Gift cards are always a good idea for any holiday gift. But this year, consider a gift card from your Dad’s local dry cleaner. Once things get up and running again, he’ll want to freshen up his wardrobe and get out of those sweats and t-shirts. Or he may try shirt laundry service at his office so he can look his best always at work. If the dry cleaners won’t work for your guy, the local drugstore will have a large selection of gift cards for local restaurants and stores.

Private Home Care

This gift could work for grandpas as well as Dads. If your dad is caring for his elderly father, or could just use some help himself, contacting a private home care agency may be the perfect gift idea. A caregiver or home health aide could be a lifesaver, and something they may not always feel comfortable asking for themselves.

Last-Minute Gifts

Because of COVID-19, it’s hard to follow our usual gift-giving routines. If you haven’t been able to go to a department store or find what you need online, you may need to run out and grab something locally. Luckily, pharmacies are considered essential right now and almost all are offering special extended hours. The local pharmacy near me, for example, turns out to be a treasure trove of Father’s Day gifts. Cologne, coffee mugs, fancy chocolate – you’d probably be surprised what you can find at the drug store. The community pharmacy probably carries Father’s Day gift sets as well to make it even easier.

Don’t let the global pandemic stop you from treating those special Dads in your life to the perfect gift they deserve.

Photo by Mockaroon on Unsplash

Spring Cleaning Time!

Spring is here! It’s finally warm up. Now is the traditional season for fresh starts. For many, that means putting away winter clothes and giving your house a good spring cleaning. Here are a few tips for making the annual ritual less stressful.

Start with a plan. Make a list of the tasks that you want to accomplish. Assess which parts of the house you need to cover and figure out where you want to start. Review the plan with family members and get their input on the cleaning goals too.

Do a little bit at a time. You don’t have to do it all at once. Tackle one task from your list each day. Seeing results helps motivate you and makes spring cleaning feel less overwhelming.

Tackle the clutter first. Getting rid of items you no longer need or want will help to free up space. Freeing up space also makes it easier to clean so the rest of the job goes smoothly. Tackling the clutter can also help reduce feelings of stress or anxiety. Spring cleaning is a good time to organize things and to get rid of unused clothing, furniture, and appliances.

Always dry clean your winter clothes before you put them away for the season. Particles left on your winter clothes can stain and set in after months of storage. During that time, moths may feast on the dirty fabric as well. You can also use a laundry delivery service for the heavier bed linens and comforters to save time and effort.

Don’t forget the medicine cabinet. Gather up any medications that have expired or are no longer needed, including both prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. Having expired medication around not only clutters your cabinets, but can also be dangerous. You don’t want to risk yourself or a loved one taking the wrong medication. Your local pharmacy can help you refill prescriptions and restock over the counter medications as well as dispose of the expired ones properly.

Check the fridge and pantry for expired food items and throw them out. Again, freeing up space allows you to organize your food items and become a more efficient cook.

Spring cleaning is a great tradition. Make it a fun activity for the family and everyone can enjoy a cleaner and more organized home afterwards.

Laundry and Cleaning Tips for People With Sensitive Skin

Do you have sensitive skin? Since 70% of Americans describe themselves as having sensitive skin, I’m going to guess that you do. Sensitive skin is defined as skin that gets easily irritated by the use of products with added perfumes, dyes, or chemicals. Irritation can present itself as redness, itchiness, or even rashes. So if you have sensitive skin, you should be careful, otherwise you would end up spending a lot of money on skin products or even need to see a dermatologist for compounded medicine for skin care. Fortunately, there are easy precautions you can take when it comes to doing the laundry or cleaning in your home, to avoid aggravating your skin.

woman handling clothes at home — Photo by Sarah Brown on Unsplash

Always Read Labels

Whether it’s laundry detergent, cleaning products, or face wash – I always read the labels on any product I buy to look for ingredients that may irritate my skin. Sometimes that can be tricky if you’re not sure which ingredients are causing your irritation. Thankfully, since sensitive skin is such a common thing, it’s easy to find products made especially for that very thing. Look for labels that say “hypoallergenic,” “green,” or “free from dyes and perfumes.”

Test Products First

Trying a new laundry detergent or body wash can be nerve-wracking if you’re not sure how your skin will react. For this reason, try testing first. For laundry detergent, wash just a few items and try wearing them for a few hours. If no redness or irritation occurs, you’re probably in the clear. Most stores will even allow you to return products if they end up being a problem for you skin. But to be on the safe side, I would check the store policies before buying.

Let Your Laundry Delivery Service or Dry Cleaners Know

If you use a laundry delivery service or take your clothes to a dry cleaner often, make sure you let them know about your sensitive skin. Most dry cleaning services have an alternative soap or detergent to use for people with concerns about irritants. Green dry cleaners, in particular, will usually have a “green” or “natural” option for certain items. It never hurts to ask.

Sensitive skin doesn’t have to change much in your routine. Be aware of the products you’re using and take extra precautions, and your skin will thank you.