Services

Drycleaning

What You Get

When it comes to caring for your wardrobe, you can trust RAVE FabriCARE to deliver extraordinary care for all your fine garments and household textiles. Every item. Every order.

Specifically, you can trust RAVE FabriCARE for:

Garments that are exceptionally clean.
Spectacularly bright whites, creams and pastels (as long as they've always been cleaned at RAVE FabriCARE).
Colors that are rich and lustrous, without that "washed out", faded look (as long as they've always been cleaned at RAVE FabriCARE).
Renewed, revitalized fabric textures.
The softest, silkiest fabric feel, even on heavy cotton sweaters.
Garments that are meticulously finished. Inside and out. By hand. Not by machine.
Garments that are carefully and thoroughly inspected. From top to bottom. From inside to outside.
Garments that are individually and elegantly packaged.
And, of course, absolutely no drycleaning solvent smell. Or fragrance or perfume smell. Ever.

For a wardrobe that consistently looks, feels and smells great, and lasts much longer, you can make no smarter choice than RAVE FabriCARE.

What We Do

You have a substantial investment in a quality wardrobe or in a few prized garments. Your garments say a lot about you, and the way they're cared for says a lot about us. Your garments deserve the uncompromising attention to detail and extraordinary care that RAVE FabriCARE can provide.

Specifically, you can count on RAVE FabriCARE for technical expertise and skill in 11 areas that's unmatched anywhere in Arizona:

Professional stain removal: Exceptional stain removal and garment restoration skills.
Proprietary drycleaning fluid: An odorless, dermatologically friendly, fabric-gentle, non-dye stripping drycleaning fluid that's used by fewer than 1% of all cleaners.
Drycleaning fluid purity: Crystal clear, freshly purified and freshly filtered drycleaning fluid. As clear as bottled mountain spring water.
Sanitone drycleaning chemistry: Top-of-the-line Sanitone® drycleaning fluid additives.
Zero moisture: No moisture added or injected into our drycleaning machines. Ever.
Zero fragrance or perfume: No fragrance or perfume additives. Ever.
Zero sizing: Sizing according to your personal preference only.
Operational excellence: Lighter loads, zero moisture, longer cleaning cycles and lower drying temperatures.
Meticulous garment finishing: Old fashioned finishing craftsmanship. Inside and out. By hand. Not by machine.
Personalized inspections: Careful, thorough inspections. From top to bottom. From inside to outside.
Exquisite packaging: Individual and elegant packaging.

What follows is a brief overview of each of these 11 areas:

Professional stain removal

At RAVE FabriCARE, we perform extensive stain removal and cleaning procedures on every garment and household textile. Often using a multi-stage process, involving drycleaning, wetcleaning, handwashing and/or restoration techniques, to protect your investment. Even if that means taking the time to treat the same garment or household textile multiple times until the stain has been removed.

Contrast this to the vast majority of ordinary cleaners where the stain removal process is skipped entirely. Where their "stain removal technician" merely loads and unloads a machine. Where they hope the stains will miraculously disappear. And where even simple stains receive one of those sorry-we-tried-but-we-couldn't tags.

Proprietary drycleaning fluid

At RAVE FabriCARE, we use a proprietary drycleaning fluid that's used by fewer than 1% of all cleaners.

It's completely odorless and dermatologically friendly. No drycleaning solvent smell. No fragrance or perfume smell. Ever. It's extremely gentle. So gentle it's used as a base ingredient in many personal care products you apply to your skin on a daily basis. And it's chemically inert. Which means that our drycleaning fluid won't "bleed" or "fade" your colors.

Odorless and dermatologically friendly. Extremely gentle. Chemically inert. Just three reasons why our drycleaning fluid is perfectly compatible with the delicate nature of designer, high fashion, specialty and couture garments. As well as your fine business and casual apparel.

Drycleaning fluid purity

We both continuously purify (or "distill") and continuously filter our drycleaning fluid. Every single drop. As a result every garment and household textile is cleaned in crystal clear, freshly purified and freshly filtered drycleaning fluid. As clear as bottled mountain spring water.

It's your only guarantee against greyish and dingy whites, creams and pastels; dull and faded colors; and that all-to-familiar "drycleaning solvent smell."

Truth is, very few ordinary cleaners continuously purify every single drop of their drycleaning solvent before and after each load. And filter every single drop of their drycleaning solvent during each load. Nonetheless, that won't stop them from claiming that their drycleaning solvent is "clean and pure."

It's just like washing your clothes in a home washer and reusing the same dirty water over and over again.

Sanitone® drycleaning chemistry

At RAVE FabriCARE, we only use top-of-the-line Sanitone drycleaning fluid detergents.

Recognized internationally, Sanitone is the only drycleaning fluid detergent specifically recommended by leading designers and custom clothiers to restore and revitalize the color and texture of their fashions.

By contrast, most ordinary cleaners use the cheapest drycleaning solvent detergents. And when the pressure on costs increases, many eliminate detergents completely.

Zero moisture

Unlike ordinary cleaners, we never add or inject moisture into our drycleaning machines.

Ordinary cleaners rationalize the addition or injection of moisture into their drycleaning machines like this ...

We know we need drycleaning solvent to emulsify or dissolve oil-based stains such as butter, salad dressing, steak juice and body oils, and moisture to remove water-based stains such as soda, juice, champagne and perspiration. So why don't we just add or inject moisture into our drycleaning machine during the "wash" cycle. This way we'll kill two birds with one stone: the drycleaning solvent will "take care of the oil-based stains: and the moisture will "take care of the water-based stains".

Voila! Problem solved. With absolutely no investment of time, effort or skill. And absolutely no impact on our in-by-9:00-out-by-5:00, picked-up-on-day-1-delivered-on-day-3 "production system".

Unfortunately for ordinary cleaners, adding or injecting moisture has consequences: first, it just doesn't work as expected (which is why, for example, your "professionally cleaned" garments still smell of perspiration), and second, it's reckless (which is why, for example, your fine wools shrink and the water-soluble dyes on your "dryclean only" garments bleed).

Zero fragrance or perfume

Unlike ordinary cleaners, we never use fragrance or perfume to "disguise" or "neutralize" the odor associated with cleaning in drycleaning fluid that has not been continuously purified.

And the reason? We clean in drycleaning fluid that's crystal clear. As clear as bottled mountain spring water. Pure drycleaning fluid means zero odor. And zero odor means no need for fragrance or perfume.

Zero sizing

Unlike ordinary cleaners, we never add or inject sizing into our drycleaning machines. This way your fine wools and silks won't feel and drape like cardboard.

At RAVE FabriCARE, sizing is applied -- by a skilled finisher -- during the finishing stage -- to cottons and linens only. And only according to your stated personal preference.

Operational excellence

At RAVE FabriCARE, you can count on lighter loads, zero moisture, longer cleaning cycles and lower drying temperatures.

Unlike ordinary cleaners, we don't mix garments of different colors. We don't mix regular and fragile garments. We don't overload our machines. We don't add or inject moisture into our loads (a reckless undertaking). We don't reduce our "wash" cycle times. And we don't increase our "dry" cycle temperatures.

All of which produces the fastest, cheapest -- and worst -- drycleaning. What we call "ordinary cleaning."

Meticulous garment finishing

The highest standards of garment finishing can tolerate no compromises or shortcuts. Which is why our skilled garment finishers delicately hand finish every garment. Both inside and out. The old-fashioned way. Using a hand iron. No matter how long it might take.

It goes without saying that, at RAVE FabriCARE, you won't find those common "bang and hang" machine pressing practices typically found at ordinary cleaners: shine; seam, flap and button impressions; moire-like press pad impressions; double creases; wrinkled seams and linings; and other "crimes of fashion".

"Pressing", as practiced by ordinary cleaners, is such a poor descriptor of the art of finishing. Of course, a skilled finisher must know how to apply pressure to achieve a smooth finish on a linen or cotton. But a smooth, soft, hand-finish, that minimizes the possibility of shine or seam, flap and button impressions, best defines the finest professional finishing.

Personalized inspections

At RAVE FabriCARE, our full-time, trained inspectors are uncompromising in their attention to detail. They carefully and thoroughly examine every garment and household textile -- from top to bottom -- from inside to outside -- to ensure that our highest quality standards have been met. Including stain removal, cleaning, finishing and repairs (buttons, snaps, hooks, eyes, shoulder pads, seams, hems, zippers, etc.).

They also make sure that we've addressed all your personal preferences and special instructions.

Exquisite packaging

At RAVE FabriCARE, your garments are individually and elegantly packaged using only premium materials such as heavy duty, wide clip and contoured hangers; breathable sweater bags; soft, white, acid-free tissue; and extra-wide, heavy gauge poly.

Individual packaging, using the finest quality materials, ensures that your garments and household textiles are protected during transportation and short-term storage. And that they are ready to be worn or used -- without having to be refinished. At home or on the road.

So there you have it. A brief summary of what sets us apart from ordinary cleaners.

It's why we always tell our clients that there's practically nothing we do on a daily basis that an ordinary cleaner would ever consider doing. And there's practically nothing an ordinary cleaner does on a daily basis that we would ever consider doing.

Think of RAVE FabriCARE as a support group for your fine garments and household textiles.

What follows is an in-depth discussion of each of these 11 areas.

Professional Stain Removal

At RAVE FabriCARE, we perform extensive stain removal and cleaning procedures on every garment and household textile.

Our full-time, stain removal technicians bring decades of craftsmanship to your garments. Introducing a sophisticated understanding of delicate fabrics, sensitive dyes and unusual trims. Employing an array of specialty cleaning agents to battle even your toughest stains. And utilizing delicate drycleaning, wetcleaning, handwashing and/or restoration techniques to protect and enhance your investment.

Even if that means taking the time to treat the same garment or household textile multiple times until the stain has been removed or minimized.

Contrast this to the vast majority of ordinary cleaners

Where the stain removal process is skipped entirely.

"Exceptional stain removal and garment restoration skills"

Where their "stain removal technician" merely loads and unloads a machine.
Where they hope the stains will miraculously disappear based on a combination of the drycleaning solvent, the drycleaning detergent (if any), the addition or injection of moisture into the drycleaning machine (a reckless undertaking), and the drycleaning machine's tumbling action.
Where even simple stains receive one of those sorry-we-tried-but-we-couldn't tags.

We love the challenges our clients present to us. They help set up apart from ordinary cleaners.

Proprietary Drycleaning Fluid

At RAVE FabriCARE, we use a proprietary drycleaning fluid that is completely odorless and dermatologically friendly. That's right. Completely odorless and dermatologically friendly. No drycleaning solvent smell. No fragrance or perfume smell. Ever.

"A proprietary, odorless, fabric gentle, chemically inert drycleaning fluid used by fewer than 1% of all cleaners."

Our drycleaning fluid is also extremely gentle on your fine garments and household textiles. Fact is, our drycleaning fluid is so gentle on fabrics, its six times less aggressive than chlorinated drycleaning solvents like perchlorethylene (also known as "perc"), and two times less aggressive than hydrocarbon drycleaning solvents like petroleum or synthetic petroleum, the drycleaning solvents used by more than 99.9% of all cleaners.

So gentle, it's used as a base ingredient in many personal care products you apply to your skin on a daily basis. Such as shampoos, antiperspirants, deodorants and moisturizing creams.

What's more, our drycleaning fluid is chemically inert. This means that our drycleaning fluid does not react chemically with the dyes in your fabrics. The result? No "bleeding" or "fading" of dyes.

For example, if we were to clean a load of brand new black or red garments, with our filters turned off, the color of our drycleaning fluid will be crystal clear. If the same garments were to be cleaned in perc, petroleum or synthetic petroleum, with the filters turned off, the drycleaning solvent would be black or red respectively.

Where does the dye come from? You guessed it! Right out of your garments.

Odorless. Fabric gentle. Chemically inert. Think of our proprietary drycleaning fluid as life insurance for your fine garments and household textiles.

Drycleaning Fluid Purity

You've probably heard the notion that you should always ask your cleaner to clean all pieces of your white, cream and pastel outfits at the same time. And that you should always ask your cleaner to clean your whites, creams and pastels in the very first load after they have "purified" or "distilled" their drycleaning solvent, or after they have added "new" drycleaning solvent to their drycleaning machine.

The "rationale" for these misguided notions is that this might help ensure that your outfits have "consistent coloring" and that your "whites don't turn grey." What a concept!

It's like asking your doctor to scrub his hands and sterilize his surgical instruments prior to performing surgery. Shouldn't he do this as a matter of routine before and after each and every procedure?

Of course, he should!

So why should your cleaner be any different? Shouldn't your cleaner purify every single drop of his drycleaning solvent as a matter of routine before and after each and every load?

Of course, he should!

Truth is, very few ordinary cleaners purify every single drop of their drycleaning solvent before and after each and every load.

It's just like washing your clothes in a home washer and reusing the same dirty water over and over again. Maybe adding a little detergent every now and again. Fact is, that's how the vast majority of ordinary cleaners operate. They use the same drycleaning solvent over and over again. Without continuously purifying every single drop of their drycleaning solvent before and after each load.

At RAVE FabriCARE, we're different. Very different.

We both continuously purify and continuously filter our drycleaning fluid. Every single drop. As a result, each and every garment and household textile is cleaned in crystal clear, freshly purified and freshly filtered drycleaning fluid. As clear as bottled mountain spring water.

It's your only guarantee against greyish and dingy whites, creams and pastels; dull and faded colors; and that all-to-familiar "drycleaning solvent smell."

It's the difference between a black and white TV with mono sound and a high definition screen with surround sound.

"Crystal clear, freshly purified and freshly filtered drycleaning fluid. As clear as bottled mountain spring water"

The combination of continuous purification and continuous filtration is absolutely critical to achieving superior cleaning results. Continuous purification is much like boiling your tap water at home to obtain pure water; continuous filtration is much like filtering your tap water to remove any additional impurities.

Continuous purification is time consuming and costly, but absolutely necessary. That's because inadequate or no purification results in the accumulation of soluble impurities such as bacteria, residual dyes, food fats and body oils in the drycleaning fluid. These impurities are then absorbed by the fibers of your garments and household textiles. In particular, natural fibers, such as silk, wool, linen and cotton, absorb these impurities like a sponge absorbs liquid.

The result? Greyish and dingy whites, creams and pastels. Dull and faded colors. And that all-too-familiar "drycleaning solvent smell".

By the way, those few ordinary cleaners who do claim to purify their drycleaning solvent "on a regular basis", typically purify a meager 18 gallons for every 100 pounds of garments cleaned. That's the drycleaning industry's recommended "best practice". Unfortunately, it's a proverbial drop in the ocean. At RAVE FabriCARE, we purify every drop!

Fact is, we're so obsessive about drycleaning fluid purity that we have our drycleaning fluid checked for purity on a quarterly basis by an independent laboratory.

This obsession with drycleaning fluid purity also explains why we don't stop at just continuous purification.

At RAVE FabriCARE, we also continuously filter our fluids during each wash cycle to remove all insoluble impurities, such as sand, skin flakes, dander and hair, from the drycleaning fluid. And, unlike ordinary cleaners, we use completely separate filter systems for light/intermediate colored garments and dark colored garments.

At RAVE FabriCARE, each load of garments and household textiles is cleaned in crystal clear, freshly purified and freshly filtered drycleaning fluid. Not only that, but we use crystal clear, freshly purified and freshly filtered fluid for each of the two wash cycles in each load.

So if your whites, creams and pastels come back greyish or dingy, if your colors come back dull or faded, or if your clothes come back with that all-to-familiar "drycleaning solvent smell," maybe it's time to change outfits. Drycleaning outfits.

Continuous purification and continuous filtration of drycleaning fluids is absolutely critical to achieving superior cleaning results. Because cleaning your garments in drycleaning fluid that is not both continuously purified and continuously filtered is just like washing your clothes in the effluent from your dishwasher.

At RAVE FabriCARE, we invite you to visit our fabricare facility and to conduct your very own experiment: Stick your head into any one of our drycleaning machines. Inhale through your nose. Deeply. We challenge you to detect any odor.

Now comes the clincher. Go to ANY other cleaner in the Valley and ask them for permission to repeat the test. Without the aid of a teratogenic respirator! (That's a respirator custom made to fit the contour of your face.)

Then carefully observe their reaction to your request. It'll speak volumes. And we bet, it won't pass the smell test.

Sanitone® Drycleaning Chemistry

Safe, effective drycleaning not only requires odorless, fabric gentle, chemically inert, crystal clear, freshly purified and freshly filtered drycleaning
fluid. It also requires top-of-the-line drycleaning fluid additives.

"Top of the line Sanitone drycleaning fluid additives"

Which is why, at RAVE FabriCARE, we only use Sanitone® drycleaning fluid detergents. Recognized internationally, Sanitone is the only drycleaning fluid detergent specifically recommended by leading designers and custom clothiers to restore and revitalize the color and texture of their fashions.

By contrast, most ordinary cleaners use the cheapest drycleaning solvent detergents possible. And when the pressure on costs increases, they eliminate detergents completely.

RAVE FabriCARE is the exclusive licensee of Sanitone products in the Phoenix metro area.

Cleaning your garments and household textiles in our fabric gentle drycleaning fluid with Sanitone detergent additives is just like washing your hair in soft, purified water with a fine salon shampoo and conditioner.

Zero moisture

Unlike ordinary cleaners, we never add or inject moisture into our drycleaning machines.

Of course, there is some naturally occurring moisture in all wools, even in a relatively dry climate such as Arizona. Beyond that, however, we never add or inject additional moisture into our drycleaning machines.

Why do ordinary cleaners add or inject moisture into their drycleaning machines?

Before we can answer that question, you first have to know a little about drycleaning - at a very conceptual level.

You see, the vast majority of stains fall into one of two categories: dryside stains and wetside stains.

Dryside stains are oil-based stains such as butter, salad dressing, steak juice and body oil. To remove a dryside stain, the garment must be "prespotted"/ flushed with steam, fully dried and then drycleaned. Drycleaning should emulsify or dissolve the residue of the oil or grease stain that hasn't been flushed out with steam during prespotting. About 10% of all stains a drycleaner encounters are oil-based stains.

Wetside stains are water-based stains such as soda, juice, champagne and perspiration. To remove a dryside stain, the garment must be "prespotted"/flushed with steam, fully dried, and/or wetcleaned and fully dried. Prior to being drycleaned. About 90% of all stains a drycleaner encounters are water-based stains.

And here's where the problem arises.

You can dryclean a garment with a wetside stain as many times as you wish. More often than not, that stain won't "move" with drycleaning alone. Conversely, you can wetclean a garment with a dryside stain as many times as you wish. More often than not, that stain won't "move" with wetcleaning alone.

Now you know that

Wetside stains cannot be removed by merely tossing your garments into a drycleaning machine.
Wetside stains must be removed by a skilled stain removal technician. And completely dried. Prior to being drycleaned.

What should drycleaners do?

Briefly, they should:

"Prespot"/flush with steam and/or wetclean the garment to remove all wetside stains. Paying particular attention to all visible wetside stains such as soda and juice. And all invisible wetside stains such as perspiration (by flushing the underarms and/or crotch areas of all garments).
Dry the garment. Completely. Prior to placing the garment into a drycleaning machine.
Dryclean the garment in a load appropriately classified as to color, weight and fragility.

What do the vast majority of cleaners actually do?

Briefly, they:

Spray the visible wetside stains and the invisible wetside stains (primarily the underarms and/or crotches) with a solution that is two-thirds water.
Load the drycleaning machine with the garments that are both dry and damp, inject additional water during the first wash cycle, and hope that the wetside stains will miraculously disappear.

Alternatively, they

Skip both the stain removal and spray spotter processes completely.
Load the drycleaning machine with garments, inject water during the first wash cycle, and hope that the wetside stains will miraculously disappear.

And why do they do this?

Cost

True quality fabricare is an expensive proposition.

Amongst other things, true quality fabricare requires the hiring, retention and continuous training of skilled stain removal technicians. You cannot produce true quality fabricare by hiring one of RAVE FabriCARE's pant pressers and transforming that individual into a technically skilled drycleaner. Overnight.

Time

True quality fabricare takes time. Lots of time.

At the very least, garments must be prespotted/flushed with steam and completely dried prior to placing them into a drycleaning machine. However, when you offer same or next day service and/or pickup and delivery service that promises pickup on day 1 and delivery on day 3, the focus of all employees is diverted to getting the work out as quickly as possible. There simply isn't the time to do the job right -- even if you operate multiple shifts.

Twisted logic

Ordinary cleaners believe (or rather want to believe) their own twisted logic. It goes something like this: We know we need drycleaning solvent to emulsify or dissolve dryside stains, and moisture to remove wetside stains. So why don't we just add or inject moisture into our drycleaning machine during the "wash" cycle. This way we'll kill two birds with one stone: the drycleaning solvent will "take care of the dryside stains" and the moisture will "take care of the wetside stains".

Voila! Problem solved. With absolutely no investment of time, effort or skill. And absolutely no impact on our in-by-11:00-out-by-5:00, picked-up-on-day-1-delivered-on-day-3 "production system".

Unfortunately, adding or injecting moisture into a drycleaning machine has consequences ... consequences that ordinary cleaners won't tell you about or will strenuously deny.

It just doesn't work

Which, of course, is why your drycleaned garments still smell of perspiration after they've been "professionally cleaned". And why simple wetside stains still remain on your garments after they've been "professionally cleaned".

It's extremely reckless.

Why reckless? Because moisture in a drycleaning machine is the single most important contributor to the shrinkage of garments. And to the bleeding of water soluble dyes on "dryclean only" garments.

True quality drycleaning involves the application of care, judgment, skill, experience and time. Unfortunately for ordinary cleaners, there are no simple, shortcut solutions.

Zero Fragrance Or Perfume

Many ordinary cleaners add or inject fragrance or perfume into their drycleaning fluid, purportedly to impart a "breath of fresh air" into their garments and household textiles.

"No fragrance or perfume additives. Ever."

Truth is, these fragrances and perfumes are intended solely to "disguise" or "neutralize" the odor associated with cleaning in drycleaning fluid that has not been continuously purified.

At RAVE FabriCARE, our drycleaning fluid is non-chlorinated, non-hydrocarbon, fragrance-free, perfume-free and completely odorless. We call it Free & Clear Cleaning.® It's ideal for the chemically-sensitive who are unable to tolerate drycleaning solvents like perchlorethylene, petroleum, or synthetic petroleum, the drycleaning solvents used by more than 99.9% of all drycleaners. Or who are unable to tolerate the fragrances or perfumes that are part of the ordinary cleaner's bag of tricks.

Zero Sizing

Ordinary cleaners love sizing.

So they add or inject sizing into their drycleaning machines during the wash cycle. In much the same way that you inject detergent or softener into your home washer.

Their stated reason? According to two local drycleaning websites, to "keep each garment feeling new and crisp" and to "retain your garment's original shape, weight and feel" (we're not making this up, really!).

And the true reason? The more sizing they add, the quicker and easier it is for their employees to bang out your garments on a press.

"Sizing according to your personal preference only."

What gets sized? Everything in the load. Cottons. Linens. Silks. Rayons. Wools such as alpaca, angora, camelhair, cashmere, escorial, marino, mohair and vicuna. Super 100s, 120s, 150s and 160s.

Is it any wonder your fine wools and silks feel and drape like cardboard when you get them back from an ordinary cleaner?

At RAVE FabriCARE, we believe that sizing should never be applied to an entire load of drycleaning. Sizing should be applied -- by a skilled finisher -- during the finishing stage -- to cottons and linens only. And only according to your stated personal preference.

Like your cottons and linens smooth with no crispness? Light crispness? Medium crispness? Like your heavier fabric linens smooth with no crispness, and your lighter fabric linens smooth with light crispness? That's what we mean by personal preference.

Operational excellence

The vast majority of ordinary cleaners mix dark and intermediate colored garments; mix light and intermediate colored garments; mix red, black and other dark colored garments; mix regular and fragile garments; load their machines to full capacity; add or inject moisture into their drycleaning systems (a reckless undertaking); reduce the length of their "wash" cycles, and increase the temperature of their "dry" cycles.

This produces the fastest and cheapest -- and worst -- drycleaning. What we call "ordinary cleaning". And what ordinary cleaners call "exceptional"
or "award winning" cleaning.

"Lighter loads, zero moisture, longer cleaning cycles and lower drying temperatures."

At RAVE FabriCARE, we scrupulously sort our garments into at least 6 color classifications, and at least 2 fragility classifications. We never mix regular and fragile garments. We never add moisture to our drycleaning fluid to control any possibility of shrinkage or bleeding of dyes. We always underload our machines. We always extend the length of our wash cycles for maximum soil removal. And we always dry at lower temperatures to further control any possibility of shrinkage.

At RAVE FabriCARE, our drycleaning machines even have completely separate filter systems for light/intermediate colored loads and dark colored loads.

By contrast, the drycleaning machines at many ordinary cleaners have a single filter system.

This means that the drycleaning solvent from both their light/intermediate colored loads and their dark colored loads flows through the same set of filters. As a result, some of the dye residue from their dark garments that accumulates in their filters will eventually find its way onto your light/intermediate garments.

The result?

Whites, creams and pastels that are grey and dingy.

Meticulous Garment Finishing

"Old fashioned finishing craftsmanship. Inside and out. By hand. Not by machine."

In fact, we guarantee customized, personal attention on each and every garment. Such as perfectly rounded, non-rippled, "factory formed" collars, and soft, rolling lapels on your suit jackets, sport coats and blazers. Pleats that are precisely hand-finished to avoid seam impressions. Sweaters and knits that are measured prior to cleaning and then blocked to those original measurements after cleaning. And neckties and scarfs that are blocked to shape to prevent rippling, maintain fullness and provide gently rolled edges.

It goes without saying that, at RAVE FabriCARE, you won't find those common "bang and hang" machine pressing practices typically found at ordinary cleaners: crushed nap; shine; seam, flap and button impressions; moire-like press pad impressions; double creases; wrinkled seams and linings; and other "crimes of fashion".

At RAVE FabriCARE, we've even got different finishing stations, equipped with different types of finishing pads, adjusted to different pressures, equipped with handirons set at different temperatures, and staffed by finishers with different skills, to accommodate different categories of garments and even different types of fabrics within a specific category of garments.

To understand this nuance, you must first recognize that ordinary cleaners typically employ only two types of presses in their dryclean operations: pant presses (for slacks, trousers and shorts) and utility presses (for blouses, shirts, blazers, sport coats, dresses, skirts, sweaters, etc.).

Moreover, most ordinary cleaners cross train their pressers to be "jacks of all trades". So a presser may press slacks, trousers and shorts for 5 hours, and blouses, shirts, blazers, sport coats, dresses, skirts and sweaters for the rest of the day. Or their "stain removal technician" will load and unload their dryclean machine, and press slacks, trousers and shorts in between loads.

At RAVE FabriCARE, we'd never permit such cross utilization.

For example, our slacks, trousers and shorts finishers would never be assigned a sport coat or a dress.

Why?

Because skilled finishing is all about technique. And few finishers -- even highly skilled finishers -- have developed their technique to the point that would allow them to move seamlessly between different categories of garments. (Please note that "technique" does not equate to "experience". Many pressers with years of experience have zero technique.)

Not only that, but we've even got different finishing stations to accommodate different fabrics within a specific category of garments. For example, our cotton/linen slacks, trousers and shorts finishers would never be assigned a wool, silk, poly, acetate or rayon slacks, trousers or shorts.

Why?

Because our cotton/linen pant presses are equipped with a "harder" pad, are adjusted to a higher pressure, are equipped with handirons set at higher temperatures, and requires a hand finisher with a "stronger arm". By contrast, our wool, silk, poly, acetate and rayon pant presses are equipped with a "soft" pad, are adjusted to a negligible pressure, are equipped with handirons set at lower temperatures, and requires a hand finisher with a "delicate touch".

At RAVE FabriCARE, anything less is simply unacceptable.

If you're looking for validation of this point of view, just broach the subject of "pressing" with any custom tailor and watch their blood pressure rise.

Personalized Inspections

They also make sure that we've addressed all your personal preferences and special instructions.

You won't find anything close to this level of inspection at any ordinary cleaner.

"Careful, thorough inspections. From top to bottom. From inside to outside."

Many ordinary cleaners claim that they inspect each and every garment. They even use the term "hand inspect", implying that their inspections are careful and thorough.

But, in most ordinary cleaners, the "inspector" is really the garment bagger. Whose primary focus is on "getting your garments into a bag and onto the conveyor," and who simply doesn't have the time to carefully and thoroughly inspect each and every garment. From top to bottom. From inside to outside.

Let's assume, for argument's sake, that the garment bagger did, in fact, find something obvious on a garment -- a stain or wrinkle on a garment; rippled collar on a blazer or sport coat; a missing ornamental button; a loose hem; a broken zipper; etc.

What would they do? Return it for recleaning, refinishing, replacement or repair? Highly unlikely!

After all, why bother with a careful, thorough inspection when the entire modus operandi of the ordinary cleaner is geared to getting your garments into a machine, onto a press, and into a bag. ASAP. They're in by 11:00 and out by 5:00; or picked up on day 1 and delivered on day 3.

At ordinary cleaners, careful, thorough inspections just get in the way of their "production system".

Exquisite Packaging

Individual packaging, using quality materials, ensures that your garments and household textiles are protected during transportation and short-term storage. And that they are ready to be worn or used -- without having to be refinished. At home or on the road.

Contrast this to the vast majority of ordinary cleaners where multiple garments are stuffed into an ultra-thin, narrow bag. And where your entire order is then crammed onto a holding rack or conveyor.

"Individual and elegant garment packaging."

In order to significantly reduce the human element in the assembly and conveyoring process, many ordinary cleaners have introduced automated assembly and conveyoring equipment. Some have even extended this automated system to deliver your garments through a 24/7 "self serve window".

This means that your easily wrinkled and/or more fragile garments -- such as your cotton, linen and silk blouses and shirts -- are being shuttled around the cleaner's plant by automated equipment. Like slabs of meat winding their way through a meat packing plant. And, in the process, they're being crushed between other heavier garments -- such as coats, sport coats, blazers, sweaters, trousers and slacks. Then your completed order is being slotted onto a conveyor by the same automated equipment -- again, with total disregard to the type of garment in each order.

If this is the level of handling care exhibited after "cleaning" and "pressing" (what you see), imagine the level of care applied to your fine garments and household textiles during the "cleaning" and "pressing" process (what you don't see).

In recent years, many ordinary cleaners have "upgraded" their packaging -- everything from logo-printed tissue paper and tinted poly to wood and chrome hangers -- in an attempt to convince their customers that the quality of their cleaning has been similarly upgraded.

At RAVE FabriCARE, we believe that excellent packaging can and does enhance and protect garments and household textiles that have been cleaned and finished to perfection. We also believe that upgraded packaging on ordinary cleaning will be quickly seen for what it is -- an attempt to pass off bang and hang cleaning or ordinary cleaning as true quality fabricare.

There's an old saying in the drycleaning business that cafeteria food served on fine china is still just that -- cafeteria food.

We concur.

What Does All This Mean For You?

Garments that are exceptionally clean.
Spectacularly bright whites, creams and pastels (as long as they've always been cleaned at RAVE FabriCARE).
Colors that are rich and lustrous, without that "washed out", faded look (as long as they've always been cleaned at RAVE FabriCARE).
Renewed, revitalized fabric textures.
The softest, silkiest fabric feel, even on heavy cotton sweaters.
Garments that are meticulously hand finished. Inside and out. By hand. Not by machine.
Garments that are carefully and thoroughly inspected. From top to bottom. From inside to outside.
Garments that are individually and elegantly packaged.
And, of course, absolutely no drycleaning solvent smell. Or fragrance or perfume smell. Ever.

Think of our cleaning as a rejuvenating spa for all your fine garments and household textiles.

So stop in and ask to see some of our work -- selected at random -- right off our conveyors. We're always glad to have the opportunity to show off. And to highlight the difference between true quality fabricare and "bang and hang" or ordinary cleaning.

Life is full of compromises. Caring for your fine garments and household textiles needn't be one of them.