If true quality cleaning was all about speed, we'd all be dining at Dennys

True quality in garment, household textile and accessory care is all about process. Not speed.

Fact is, speed is the enemy of true quality. And can only be achieved through shortcuts and compromises in process.

It’s true for fine dining. It’s true for fine hotels. It’s true for fine salons. And true for almost everything else that’s worth doing right.

And, of course, it’s true for fine garments, household textiles and accessories.

At RAVE FabriCARE, for example, our turnaround time on regular garments is one week.

By contrast, ordinary dry cleaners – even the so-called “better cleaners” or self-styled “couture care specialists” – offer a turnaround of 1 or 2 days if you’re an in-store client and 3 days if you’re a pick up and delivery client.

Those 3 to 4 extra days provides us with the opportunity to do things right: to produce true quality cleaning and not ordinary, “bang and hang” cleaning in a poly bag with a fancy logo.

So what are the primary differences between RAVE FabriCARE and almost all other dry cleaners - even the so-called “better cleaners” and the self-styled “couture care specialists”?

Dry cleaning

At RAVE FabriCARE, we pre-spot every garment. Then we clean your garments in dermatologically friendly, fabric gentle, non-dye stripping, crystal clear, odorless, sizing free and fragrance free siloxane dry cleaning fluid.

We  don’t  use  relatively aggressive  dry cleaning  solvents  such  as  perchloroethylene  (aka Dowper), synthetic petroleum (aka DF 2000 or EcoSolv) or formaldehyde dibutyl acetal (aka K4 or Solvon).

Next, we finish your garments. Inside and out. By hand. Not by machine.

And finally, we thoroughly inspect every garment – inside and out – and package each garment individually using premium packaging materials.

So what happens at ordinary cleaners - even the so-called “better cleaners” and the self-styled “couture care specialists”?

Your garments are sorted into lights and darks, loaded into a machine and cleaned in a toxic, fabric aggressive, dye stripping dry cleaning solvent that’s saturated with sizing and fragrance. Solvents such as perchloroethylene (a chlorinated solvent), synthetic petroleum (a hydrocarbon solvent) or formaldehyde dibutyl acetal (a formaldehyde solvent).

Then they’re machine pressed at the rate of 20 to 40 garments per hour per presser and stuffed in a narrow poly bag.

And the difference?

Brilliant whites, creams and pastels. Intense colors. Softest feel. Zero fragrance. Zero odor. Perfect smoothness (where required). No hard press or shine. No seam or button impressions. Expertly packaged with premium packaging materials, one garment to an extra-wide poly bag.

Other cotton and linen garments (non-shirt laundry)

At RAVE FabriCARE, every cotton or linen garment is pre-spotted, dry cleaned and hand finished.

So what happens at ordinary cleaners, even at the so-called better cleaners and the self-styled “couture care specialists”?

Your cotton and linen garments are washed, tossed in a dryer and machine pressed.

Why washed?

To mitigate the odors and dinginess associated with cleaning in a dry cleaning solvent that’s not crystal clear, i.e., dry cleaning solvent that has not been continuously distilled or purified and that has not been continuously filtered.

And the difference?

Brilliant whites, creams and pastels. Intense colors. Softest feel. Zero fragrance. Zero odor. Perfect smoothness (where required). No hard press or shine. No seam or button impressions. Expertly packaged with premium packaging materials, one garment to an extra-wide poly bag.

Shirt laundry

At RAVE FabriCARE, we first soak your shirts in our fabric gentle siloxane fluid in order to dissolve oil-based stains (such as body oil and salad dressing). Then we soak them in water-based solution for a minimum of 8 hours (12 hours for french cuffs) to remove water-based stains (such as perspiration and soda).

At this point, all the stains – both oil-based and water-based – have been removed through soaking alone.

Next, we launder them for about 5 minutes in cold to cool water with a gentle, Sanitone enzyme detergent.

Finally, we hand finish them to perfection and package them individually in extra wide poly bags.

So what happens at ordinary cleaners, even at the so-called “better cleaners” and the self-styled “couture care specialists”?

Your collars and cuffs are scrubbed with hard-bristled brushes. Then your shirts are washed in hot water with caustic, industrial grade detergents and fabric degrading bleaches for about 30 to 45 minutes in an (often futile) attempt to remove both oil-based and water-based stains. Finally, your shirts are machine pressed at the rate of 40 to 50 per hour per presser and the sleeves are creased for that distinctive I-pressed-this-shirt-myself-while-watching-TV look.

And the difference?

Brightest whites, creams and pastels. Intense colors. Perfectly finished with rounded collars and cuffs, no puckered seams, no wrinkled underarms, no creases in the sleeves and finely pressed sleeve pleats.

(BTW, if you asked us to crease the sleeves of your long-sleeved shirts, we'll try to convince you to select a more professional option -- a rolled sleeve -- or we might actually politely decline to service your shirts).

Finally, your shirts are expertly packaged -- one shirt to an extra-wide poly bag.

And the result?

Shirts that look much, much better. And shirts that last much, much longer than the industry standard of 25 to 35 washings.

Knits

At RAVE FabriCARE, every sweater and knit garment is pre-measured prior to cleaning. After cleaning, they’re de-pilled, de-linted and blocked (shaped) to your original measurements.

‍And every item is returned with proof of blocking.

We know of no other cleaner in the USA that pre-measures your knits, post-measures your knits, and PROVIDES YOU WITH WRITTEN PROOF of that process with every knit returned to you.

So what happens at ordinary dry cleaners, even at the so-called “better cleaners” and the self-styled “couture care specialists”?

Well, nothing.

Nothing beyond tossing your knits into a dry cleaning machine, steaming them, and, in the process, possibly distorting their shape.

And the difference?

Brilliant whites, creams and pastels. Intense colors. Softest feel. Zero fragrance. Zero odor. Perfect smoothness. No hard press or shine. No seam or button impressions. Expertly packaged with premium packaging materials, one garment to an extra-wide poly bag. With proof of blocking attached.

Fine bed and table linens 

At RAVE FabriCARE, we follow the identical process used for shirt laundry (see above).

So what happens at ordinary cleaners, even at the so-called “better cleaners” and the self-styled “couture care specialists”?

Your fine linens are washed in hot water with caustic, industrial grade detergents and fabric degrading bleaches for about 30 to 45 minutes in an (often futile) attempt to remove both oil-based and water-based stains. Then they’re machine pressed using a Mangle (that machine is pronounced “mangler” for good reason).

And the difference?

The cleanest possible bed and table linens. Smooth as silk. Minimal folds. Finest presentation.

Final thoughts

At RAVE FabriCARE, we could offer ordinary, “bang and hang” cleaning instead of true quality cleaning.

We could offer same and next day service and pick up and deliver in 3 days just like ordinary cleaners instead of the 5 days necessary to do the job right.

We could operate like ordinary cleaners but we wouldn’t dream of compromising your fine garments, household textiles and accessories.

We’d sooner lock the doors, throw away the keys and move to the Coast.