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SF GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM

Pacific Heights Cleaners is the 1st and only certified green dry cleaner in

San Francisco, your non-toxic alternative to solvent dry cleaning, proudly leading the way in garment care today- and into a healthy future.

Green and Sustainable

We are leading and changing our industry by example

“We are not business people capitalizing on the green movement,

we are an established dry cleaner changing an industry.”

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Dry Cleaning Convention

We are one of a few green certified dry cleaners invited by the manufacture to attend the Long Beach California Dry Clean Convention to represent Green Dry Cleaning.

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The 2008-09 annual report of the President’s Cancer Panel

has just been released.  The purpose of this panel is to assess the state of environmental cancer research, policy and programs addressing known and potential effects of environmental exposures on cancer. This report, entitled “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now,” discusses the large and growing body of evidence linking cancer to environmental contaminants.

Perchloroethylene, also known as perc, is a solvent that has been a mainstay of the dry cleaning industry for decades. It has been classified as “reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen” by the National Toxicology Program.  Approximately 28,000 dry cleaners in the United States use perc.

The huge number and complexity of known or suspected environmental carcinogens is a call to action by the President’s Cancer Panel on several levels:

Individuals can take important steps in their own lives to reduce their exposure to environmental elements that increase the risk of cancer. For example, using Pacific Heights Cleaners (PHC) for garment cleaning is taking personal action. PHC has eliminated perc and other toxic solvents in their dry cleaning process.

To read the complete report from the President’s Cancer Panel, please visit our website, www.zerobreastcancer.org and click on the News link.


Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your non-toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today-

and into a healthy future.

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IS YOUR DRY CLEANER GREEN CERTIFIED?

Green washing is everywhere (literally), as you drive down the street every other business is claiming to be green and environmental friendly.

How do you know if they really are or they are just claiming it?

The San Francisco Bay Area has developed a Green Business Program to create guidelines for businesses in a particular industry become  green certified. Each county within the bay area has developed it’s own requirement needed for a particular industry.

Pacific Height Cleaners has helped The San Francisco Department of Environment and the Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County develop this certification for the dry cleaning industry. We spent an endless amount of time providing information and data, giving them demonstrations of the different processes, samples of all different types of products and stain removal chemicals used within a dry cleaner for the individual offices to evaluate. Only after extensive research by these offices and there toxicology departments has a category been developed for the dry cleaning industry.

San Francisco was the last county to create a certification. Now that every county in the bay area  has a green certification for dry cleaners, ask your dry cleaner, if they are green certified by the Bay Area Green Business Program. If they are not certified by this program then the chances are they are not really green. At this time there are no other organization certifying dry cleaners.


Karl

Pacific Heights Cleaners

“We are not business people capitalizing on the green movement,

we are an established dry cleaner changing a industry.”


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I just spilled Black Tea on my beige sweater

Question: I just spilled Black Tea on my beige sweater that is 70% silk, 20% cotton and 10% acrylic. The care label says to dry clean only. What should I do?

 

Answer:

 

Black Tea or any Tea stain for that matter is a Tannin type stain made from plant matter. Tannin stains will set and age over time and become difficult to remove so it is extremely important to treat the stain as soon as possible. If you just spilled the tea and its still wet or moist the chances are you can flush most of the stain out with a little warm water. Flush the area if it’s a small stain or soak, hand wash and hang to dry if it’s a large stain.

 

Since your sweater is beige and of mix fibers with the most sensitive material being silk its fine to wet it without causing much damage. Being beige there is no color to fade so you can use a pH neutral soap on the stain if necessary. The silk and cotton will shrink if its exposed to excess moisture, heat and agitation so hand wash and hang to dry should not cause too much of a problem other than a wrinkled mess that an iron and 15 minutes of patients can’t take care of. If the material is stiff after it dries, take the sweater and tumble it in the dryer without heat for about 20 minutes to soften it.

 

With any garment it is important to evaluate the color, material, finish and design before attempting any cleaning of the garment. Always test the color for fading or bleeding and remember that moisture, heat and agitation are the main factors that causing shrinkage so eliminating one or more of these three factors will greatly reduce the amount of shrinkage.

 

 

Karl

Pacific Heights Cleaners, Sausalito & San Francisco

Your Non-Toxic Alternative

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Marin’s 1st & Best Certified Green Dry Cleaner

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Fashion To Accentuate Your Features

SHOW OFF THE PARTS OF YOURSELF THAT YOU FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT:

if it’s your eyes – wear great accessories that accentuate their color, if it’s your teeth – wear white, if it’s your hands – wear a flashy ring.

By Bianca Stark-Falcone with Well Dressed

Author, Wardrobe Consultant & Personal Shopper

www.bwelldressed.com

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The future of fabrics rest within our imagination!

For thousands of years the only fibers available for textiles were natural fibers created by Mother Nature. Clothing and household items were woven from animal, protein or plant fibers such as wool, cashmere, silk, linen and cotton. A little over a century ago the first manufactured fiber became available through modern technology and chemistry. Rayon is the first of many manufactured fibers used in today’s modern textiles. Amazingly, Rayon is made by manufacturing wood pulp in to a fiber.

Many of the modern fibers are engineering wonders that perform better than natural fibers ever could. Everything from polyester that wicks moisture away from your body to Gortex that breathes – and let’s not forget a material called Kevlar that is used in everything from sails for a yacht to bullet-proof vests for the military.

In just our lifetime, materials have evolved in ways that have astounded the mind. In the 50’s it was the creation of wash & wear. The 60’s & 70’s brought materials modified for comfort, fire resistance, reduced static cling, released dirt, had better dye ability, and richer deeper colors.

Innovation remains in the forefront of the textile industry with even more advanced manufactured fibers. Modern fibers are now more diverse and creative than ever with polyester that mimics the look of suede, rayon that feels like silk and cotton that doesn’t wrinkle. Recently we have even seen garments made from bamboo and recycled plastic water bottles.

A look at what’s happened in the last century.

The future of fabrics is limited only by our imagination!

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your non-toxic alternative,

proudly leading the way in garment care today-and into a healthy future.

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Perspiration Stains

What most of us don’t realize is that perspiration contains chloride salts which will cause a lot of damage it not handled properly. The salts will discolor or change the color of a dark colored garment. Often a black garment with perspiration stains will change in color from the original black to a purple color. On light color garment the salts will cause the fabric to yellow. A beige color blouse with perspiration stains will often have unknown yellowing stains. These stains are often found in the underarm, around the collar, on the back and crotch/seat of the garment. That’s only the beginning of the problems the chloride salts can cause. The salt will deteriorate the material and cause it to fall apart with a little agitation.

Chloride salts are not only found in perspiration it is also found in foods and beverages. They affect all types of dyes and materials, the most affected materials are silk, rayon and cotton

.

These are some of the reasons why dry cleaners regularly preach to anyone and everyone that will listen (just like a Jehovah’s witness preaches) and even to people that don’t listen (again like a Jehovah’s witness) about how important it is to regularly clean your garments, especially before you store it away.

Unfortunately traditional dry cleaning in a solvent doesn’t remove this type of stain because chloride salt is a water soluble type stain. This is were Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) will offer a much better results than traditional dry cleaning. Even washing your garment, if material allows, will remove more of these salts than traditional dry cleaning.

 

The important point to remember is that these salts need to be removed on a regular basis before it has time to cause damage. That means professionally clean or wash your own garments after a few wearing or every few months if not worn regularly. Leaving the chloride salts on the garment for a long period of time will cause the aforementioned damages.

 

Take care of your garments and they will keep you looking nicer longer and provide you more enjoyment. To quote my friend Bianca Stark-Falcone from Well Dressed a Wardrobe Consultant & Personal Shopper “you are at your best when you are well dressed”.

 

 

Pacific Heights Cleaners, Sausalito & San Francisco

Your Non-Toxic Alternative.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Marin’s 1st & Best Certified Green Dry Cleaner.

 

 

 

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Angela’s Journey with Breast Cancer

The story of an amazing woman who forged boldly through a scary situation reminding us that grounding helps heal.

By Stefanie Atkinson

Below is an interview that I am very happy to share with you.

Stefanie: Angela, why did you decide to have me journal your journey through photographs?

Angela: I was afraid that if I didn’t photograph it, it would be forgotten. I felt that other young woman needed to see what this breast cancer journey was, they needed to see the ups and downs and they needed to see the strengths and weaknesses. I wanted to model survival but I also wanted the world to see that breast cancer was not just pink ribbons and pink hats and pink feathers.  It was, it is a battle, it’s a war.

It’s really gruesome and really painful and difficult and I wanted all of that to be exposed.

It was really important for me to create a visual tangible memory.


Stefanie: What was the role of affirmations in the process of your journey?

Angela: I was always looking for affirmations and I would cut them out and tape them to my computer or other important places in my house. The role was to keep me grounded and to allow me to put the horror of breast cancer into perspective, to inspire me, to keep me positive and to remind me that I was safe. The present moment was all that mattered as opposed to regretting the past and worrying about the future. There was something very powerful and calming about just staying in the present moment and knowing that I was safe in that present moment. Affirmations really helped me to remember those things.

Stefanie: Why did you decide to start Bays?

Bay Area Young Survivors is a support action group for women in their 20’s 30’s and early 40’s diagnosed with breast cancer.

Angela: I started Bays because there were no support resources available for young women with breast cancer in the Bay area. Most of us are moms with young children or are people who are newly partnered, people just starting off in careers, people at the start of life who are facing a really devastating disease.

Since cancer there are things I do differently. I try to eat organic fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy. I have reduced or eliminated red meat and try to eat only wild sustainable farmed fish. I look for only organic products.  I try to use green products for house cleaning. I really believe that there are strong environmental factors in breast cancer. I don’t think it’s exclusively environmental but I think it’s a strong factor.

I wish I could say I never drank alcohol because alcohol is a factor in breast cancer. It’s the one thing that they have determined is a cause.

Stefanie: Do you dry clean your clothes?

Angela: I still do dry clean my clothes. I try to dry clean them less frequently. I used to store them in plastic bags and I don’t anymore.

Stefanie: Are you familiar with certified green dry cleaners?

Angela: I am although I haven’t found any in my neighborhood but I’d love to.

Stefanie: I know a great place – Pacific Heights Cleaners they pick up and deliver.

Angela: Oh my god, Really?? Sign me up… I need them.

Stefanie: I will

Thanks Angela!

and say hi to Karl for me..

*To hear an audio version of this interview, get a free download of the affirmations or, to see more images from this project, go to http://www.stefanieatkinson.com

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your non-toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today-

and into a healthy future.

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Bleached Stains

We often see garments or should I say we often get blamed for garment with bleached type stain on them. What is happening unknown to most people is that many household and personal care products contain bleach, oxidizing agents and/or alcohol in them. These products include but not limited to medicines, shampoo’s, skin cleaners, hair products of all types and household cleaners ranging from window cleaners to counter, bath and floor cleaners with the most deadly being cleaners that kill mold. Many of these household cleaners will not mention anywhere on the label that it contains bleach but it is the most common product used to kill mold.

Products containing bleach will strip the color out instantly leaving a white circular stain while oxidizing agents will fade and/or soften the color over time, then when the garment(s) are cleaned or washed the color is removed and the faded white/bleach looking stain appears. You won’t see the problems the oxidizing agents cause until it’s too late and most often you may not realize how these problem stains came about.

Diligence is important when using these types of product. Change your clothes or wear an apron when cleaning the kitchen counters, washing the dishes or brushing the toilet bowl. Wrap a towel around your shoulder before applying hair spray, makeup or perfume. And never ever sprits that little extra perfume in the air and walk through it before you leave or dab a little cologne around your neck before your put on your tie. That is a sure way to cause damage to your garments.

 

 

Pacific Heights Cleaners, Sausalito & San Francisco

Your Non-Toxic Alternative

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Marin’s 1st & Best Certified Green Dry Cleaner

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