Outsource Your Laundry for More Time

Don’t you hate ironing? Studies have shown that it is one of the most disliked household tasks. Fortunately, there is a better option for you and your clothes.

Time really is worth more than money. Outsource the drudgery of doing laundry and chase the laundry blues away!

Procter & Gamble released a survey showing that the average American woman spends 7-9 hours a week doing laundry. Given that more Americans own more clothes than ever before, this is understandable. (According to P&G each American piles up 500 pounds of dirty clothing per year.)

We need to ask ourselves, is this the best use of an already-too-busy person’s time?

Feeling Good

More recently, P&G shared the Everyday Effect theory, stating the “feel good” benefits of looking good. Actions that may seem ordinary or routine, such as wearing a clean shirt or brushing our teeth, can have a significant positive impact on ourselves and those around us. The negative side of this is immediately noticeable. Consider the discomfort of worrying about whether or not our bodies emit an offensive odor. That worry uses up brain power. We need 100% of our minds’ ability to do our best. Let us free up those resources by helping you look your best.

Time is worth more than money.

Professional cleaning uses equipment that breathes new life into older garments, eliminates wrinkles, removes soils and stains home equipment can’t get out, and make you look great! De-stress yourself. Put that ironing board away. Bring your clothes to us for professional cleaning.

Not only will you have more time to do things you enjoy, but your clothes will look better than they would if you spent all that time washing, drying, and ironing. We even offer FREE pickup and delivery service of your laundry and clothing, right to your front door!

Professional cleaning gives you more time, brainpower, and keeps your clothes looking great.

 

Our Pro Tips on How to Clean Your Patio Cushions

Patio Cushions and Outdoor Pillows are a pricey investment in your deck and patio comfort. And they’re an important part of all of your fun summer events: Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day not to mention all of the other parties we host outside during our short Pennsylvanian summer.

They get dirty though. Sunscreen, pool chemicals, bug spray, pollen, messy barbecues, bird droppings. Patio cushions are often forgotten about but they need a little TLC after a hard summer.

Without a thorough cleaning, those stains can set over the long-winter months making them nearly impossible to remove.

If you want to clean your patio cushions at home, set aside an afternoon and follow the steps below:

1). Find a large, clean outdoor surface or lay down a tarp.

2). Wet your cushions down with a hose on the “jet” setting to removed any debris.

3). Hand scrub each patio cushion with a mild detergent and soft brush working in circles to get any visible stains removed but also focusing on the entire cushion so that there’s not a difference in color.

4). Rinse thoroughly with a hose.

5). Unfortunately, you’re not done yet; you have to flip them over and do the other side following the steps above.

6). Allow them to dry for 24-48 hours in the warm sun flipping over halfway so that you ensure they are completely dry. (Storing patio cushions even slightly damp will lead to mold and mildew problems).

7). Find a place to store your big, bulky patio cushions and pillows for the winter. 

If that sounds like too much work, let us help. Outsourcing your patio cushions for cleaning will not only get them cleaner (we use professional upholstery equipment to clean them) but it will save you 4-6 hours on a sunny Fall afternoon (instead you can to do something fun!).

We clean patio cushions and outdoor pillows using the following steps: 

1). Pre-treat entire cushions with a mild detergent and gentle scrub of the cushion by hand.

2). Use of Commercial Upholstery Tools to rinse and remove any stubborn dirt, allergens and stains.

3). Dry overnight in a heated, controlled drying room to ensure that they’re completely dry.

4). Winter Storage in our temp-controlled building in patio cushion storage bags.

5). In the Spring, contact us to schedule the delivery of your fresh and clean patio cushions.

If you’d like to schedule a patio cushion pickup, email us at info@balfurd.com. You can decide if you’d like us to store them for you for the winter or we can deliver them back.

Prepping Your Winter Hats, Gloves and Scarves

Remember last spring when you bagged up your hats, gloves, and scarves and put them in the back of your closet?  Well, it’s time to get them out and ready for the impending cold weather.

It’s important to inspect these items before wearing them. Many of us are so happy to see Spring arrive, we just throw our hats, scarves and gloves in a bag without properly cleaning them. If you take a look and see that they’re soiled, now’s the time to clean them.

If there are care labels on winter accessories, follow instructions carefully .  Many synthetics are hand or machine washable.  Often times tumble drying is recommended. Make sure that you use a low temperature setting.

Wool, fur, and leather accessories may require our assistance in cleaning.  Some will say clean by a leather/fur specialist only.  Don’t do these at home as you could permanently damage them.  These materials require special cleaning and finishing procedures.  Any known stains should be pointed out when you leave them with us so we can give special attention to them. Certain items are prone to specific stains, for example, ladies scarves tend to have make-up stains on them, while hats may have perspiration on the brow. 

Most items will clean beautifully, but accessories, particularly gloves, are exposed to many staining substances that sometimes cannot be removed.  The best course of action is to clean them before you store them but if you did wait until fall, it may not be too late.

Need help cleaning your winter accessories? Contact us at info@balfurd.com or 814.237.7661.

Caring for Table Linens and Napkins

As Thanksgiving approaches, we wanted to share some tips for caring for table linens and napkins. One of the biggest questions we receive is how to remove stains from tablecloths and napkins.

There are some definite do’s and don’ts when it comes to removing stains from these items.  One big mistake people make with a stained linen piece is applying bleach directly to a stain.  When you do this on your fine table linens (or any garment for that matter) it’s more like ly to leave a yellow blemish than it is to remove the spot you’re worried about. Also don’t rub the stain.  This can cause fabric damage and sometimes even set the stain deeper into the fibers of the tablecloth.

The best technique is to BLOT (never rub) any stain you see and bring the item in promptly for professional care.  Many of these stains are combination food stains, making them even more challenging to remove at home.

If you do want to try removing the stains at home, wash the linen with regular detergent.  After it’s washed, check the entire tablecloth for spots before you put it in the dryer.  Heat from a dryer is more likely to permanently set a stain.  If you see the stain is still there after washing, try the process over again or bring the tablecloth in for professional care. 

If you do decide to bring a stained tablecloth to your cleaner, make sure you do it ASAP!  Older stains will oxidize, complicating the stain removal process and often result in incomplete stain removal. Even better, we’ll press the linens after we clean them so that they’re ready for your next special occassion.

State College Laundry Service

Sick of doing laundry? We get it and we’re here to give you your time back with a laundry service for Penn State students and families in State College.

Laundry tops the list of America’s most hated chore. And for a good reason! The typical American family spends 6 hours every week on laundry-related tasks.

Our mission is to lower that number so you can spend your precious hours doing what’s important to you. Unlike you, we love doing laundry! And how nice would it be to have someone else wash, dry, and fold your laundry? We use only unscented detergents and softeners to accommodate even the most sensitive folks.

Our State College laundry service offers a door-to-door laundry service that will pick up your dirty laundry from your front door and deliver it back once it’s clean. It’s simple. You don’t even need to be home! Store a credit card on file for contactless laundry pickup and laundry delivery.

 

Whether you’re a Penn State student, a busy parent looking to lighten your laundry load, or a working professional that wants to spend their hours enjoying their life, our laundry service in State College can help. 

Sign up today for a subscription plan that can save you a boatload of money!

Or use a laundry service on demand by visiting one of our convenient locations.

The choice is yours but we know that once you try laundry service you’ll never want to fold your clothing again.