Whether you have or have not, allow us to give you the info you need to know. As a Dry Cleaners in Birmingham Alabama, Champion Cleaners knows a thing or two about washing machines and we are here to share that knowledge with you.

High efficiency machines are newer washing machines that tend to have more customized settings as a neat bonus. They work differently that traditional washers and require specialized detergents. The theory is that the machines, paired with appropriate detergents provide an equal cleaning of your laundry to that of older machines while saving water and electricity.

The Facts About High Efficiency Washers
High Efficiency (HE) use only about 20% to 66% of the water older washers use.
Energy use is generally 20% to 50% of older machines.

Less water used means less water to heat and in the long term that means saving you some green!

How High Efficiency Washers Work

Traditional “agitator” washing machines consist of a large drum and agitator. They work by completely submerging your laundry and using the actual agitator to move clothes around and scrub them clean. In high efficiency machines, namely front loaders, the drum is on its side and only needs to have a small amount of water it. You then load the clothes and the drum itself spins, causing the agitation of the garments. Top loading, HE washers use either a smaller agitator, wobbling wheels, or disks.

Use The Right Detergent with Your Washers

High efficiency washing machines use less water and therefore need a detergent specially formulated for high efficiency models. The traditional detergent causes too much sudsing for an HE machine and hinders the cleaning of your clothes. Using non HE detergent in an HE machine can cause your clothes to not be as clean, leaves lots of soap in your clothes, gunks up of the washer from accumulated deposits and require more water to properly rinse the clothes. All of this leads to less efficiency in a high efficient washer.

Some detergents label their product as “HE compatible.” This is not always the case. Be sure to buy only the detergent made specifically for high efficiency washers. Also, stick to only powder or liquid detergent. Mixing of these in the same compartment may cause caking and will result in inefficient disbursement of the detergent.

Maintenance of Your Washer

It is recommended that you run a maintenance cycle anywhere from once a week to once a month. This is a full wash cycle with no clothes designed to remove any dirt or residues from the machine. Taking the time to do this will help keep your washer in peak condition.

At Champion Cleaners in Birmingham Alabama, we know all about laundry. From fabric care to folding, we do it all. Allow us the opportunity to take laundry off your To-Do list. And check out our Maytag Equipped Laundry at Champion Cleaners in Calera.

The post Doing Your Laundry With A High Efficiency Washing Machine appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

Sometimes we have clothes we absolutely love but are a pain in neck to care for.  White denim is a fabric that I often hear this sort of sentiment about.

While owners of white denim love the clean crispness that new white denim has, many would agree that this is one of the hardest fabrics to maintain.  It shows every stain, acts as a magnet to lint and fuzz, and yellows over time.

Champion Cleaners in Birmingham Alabama is  providing you some information to help clean and care for your white denim garments.  Following this advice will ensure you’re jackets, and pants will stay looking newer, longer.

An Ounce of Prevention

Prior to wearing any new white denim item, it’s best to protect it from the future inevitable stains.  Using a product like Scotch Guard can really help protect your white denim from any future stains. 

Washing White Denim

Always check the care label!  Before bleaching, ensure that your white denim is 100% cotton.  If it is not, do not bleach as it can actually cause your whites to yellow.  Do not use bleach if the item using stitching in any other color but white.

Wash often; a good rule of thumb is to wash your white denim twice as often as your blue denim, preferably after each wearing.  Only wash these items with true whites, never anything with the slightest bit of color.  Even “lights” will fade and the colors redistribute onto your whites, causing discoloration over time. 

Detergent is alkaline which is something that also causes yellowing in whites.  Because of this you’ll want to be sure that the detergent is completely out of your denim.  The best and easiest way to do this is to run through two complete rinse cycles after washing.  Fabric softener also causes yellowing so avoid it as well. 

Air dry your denim and be sure not to leave it out in the sun too long if you dry them outside.  Long exposure to sunlight is yet another yellowing culprit.    If you do notice your white denim is looking a little dingy, you can add a commercial laundry brightener that doesn’t contain bleach to the first rinse cycle.  You also can add a half cup of distilled white vinegar.  Running a cycle with a whole cup of vinegar before loading clothes can help clean your washing machine so nothing redistributes onto the whites from your machine.

The best way to do this is to take it to your Dry Cleaners. 

The post Care and Cleaning of White Denim appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

Take a look at our Youtube video that’s only about a minute long and takes you through the entire process. 

The post How the laundered shirt process works at the dry cleaners appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

The post Clothing Care – The Single Biggest Mistake appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

The post Why Dry Cleaning is Essential for Suits and Dress Clothes appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

The post How Often Should Dress Clothes be Dry Cleaned? appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

The post 3 Tips for Prom Dress Preservation appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

The post 3 Tips for Handling Stains on Dry Clean Only Clothing appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

The post Choosing the Right Dry Cleaner: What to Look For appeared first on Champion Cleaners.

The post 5 Steps to Properly Caring For Your Dress Shirts appeared first on Champion Cleaners.