This year's elections are incredibly important for a number of reasons, and not surprising for #2020, they will also be a bit different than many we've seen in the past. Typically, most of the energy prior to an election is spent on persuasion - e.g. how can you convince voters to support your candidate (some of you are probably trying to do that with family and friends right now!) - but the interesting thing about this year's election is that it's less about persuasion and much more about mobilization.

It has become increasingly clear that Voter turnout will decide the election.

Like many of you, Rinse has been thinking about how we can help mobilize voters over the next 35 days. Below are a few things we are doing:

1. Rinse is closing service on Election Day (11/3) and giving our employees a paid holiday. We typically only close around July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. This year, we will be closed on Election Day so we can give our team time to vote, to volunteer as a poll worker, or to just enjoy the day off.
2. Rinse has joined the Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition that provides valuable tools, resources, events, and partnership opportunities to companies to help them engage employees and consumers as active participants in civic life.
3. Rinse has partnered with Power The Polls to help address the impending poll worker shortage this year.
4. Rinse will facilitate participation in the “Big Send” led by Vote Forward. Vote Forward is an organization that focuses on sending letters to drive voter turnout (a surprisingly effective approach). They have set October 17th as the "Big Send" date to maximize voter turnout.
5. I am personally supporting the Voter Participation Center and exploring ways that Rinse might be able to as well. Their only goal is to turn non-voters into voters.

Note that all of the organizations above are nonpartisan and primarily focused on voter turnout. Involvement in any of the above efforts is 100% optional for our employees (except for taking the day off ... they've earned it!) - our goal is simply to #MakeMomProud and facilitate ways our team and customers can help.

To stay up-to-date on our election initiatives, visit our blog page here.

Check out Rinse’s Co-Founders, Ajay and James, episode of NPR’s How I Built This with Guy Raz as part of the Resilience Series.

How I Built This is a very popular podcast about "innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built" produced by NPR. The Resilience Series focuses on Guy’s conversations with founders and entrepreneurs about how they're navigating turbulent times, including Airbnb, Hello Sunshine, DreamBox, and now Rinse!

In the episode, Ajay and James discuss with Guy how to start a business and choose the right Co-Founder, how Rinse’s business model works, and how Rinse’s core values have been guiding Rinse through the challenges of COVID-19. Download the episode or watch the full video interview below!

Download the audio podcast here.

Watch the video podcast:

Depending on your lifestyle you may need access to a dry cleaner regularly, particularly if you work in an office environment with a dress code or frequent social outings that require formal wear. Finding a trustworthy dry cleaner near you should not be taken lightly. After all, you are trusting the cleaners with your wardrobe which costs money, and ultimately can affect how you look and feel each day.

We put together a list of the top factors you should consider when choosing a dry cleaner near you in order to help you find the best option nearby.

1.) Cleaning Quality

Arguably the most important factor to consider when searching for a cleaner nearby is determining whether or not the cleaner is able to provide you with high-quality, professional cleaning. The easiest way to find this out is to try the cleaner yourself. If you choose to do so, it might be a good idea to start small and only provide a few clothing items that are relatively easy to clean, such as dress shirts. This way, you’re not putting too much of your wardrobe at risk.

Otherwise, we recommend doing your research on the cleaner to find out how long they have been in business and what their customers say about them. Sites such as Yelp! are helpful because customers are able to leave a review and post photos, which gives you a preview of what the service is like at the prospective cleaner.

Additionally, cleaners may have a website where they provide a brief description of their experience and list reasons why they are the right cleaner for you.

At Rinse, we have decades of cleaning experience. Our Co-founder James Joun has been in dry cleaning for over 30 years. As such, we know what it takes to provide high-quality cleaning and have been doing so for many years in several locations.

Another way to find out if a dry cleaner is able to provide you with high-quality cleaning is by asking them questions. (HINT: if you need to ask Rinse a question you can email us anytime at [email protected].)

For example, you can bring in an item that you know will need extra care and attention, such as a formal dress with ornamentation, and ask the cleaners how they would handle the cleaning process. By doing so, you’ll gain a better understanding of how knowledgeable the cleaner is and it will help you determine if they are able to provide you with quality cleaning service that you can trust.

2.) Accessibility

Finding a dry cleaner that is accessible for you and your schedule is another important factor to consider. Many dry cleaners are only open during normal business hours (e.g. 9am to 5pm). If you do find a cleaner near you, may have to navigate parking or the lack thereof. However, this schedule causes issues for most of us since we typically work during the day. Spending precious minutes before or after work to drive to the cleaners isn’t a great use of your time either.

In addition, you will want to find out if any cleaners near you offer a delivery service. If they do, they may only deliver during the day which isn’t helpful if you work or they may only deliver within a certain radius.

Rinse has addressed these two major pain points to make dry cleaning more accessible and easier than ever. We offer door-to-door pickup and delivery 7 days a week between 8pm and 10pm. With this schedule, our customers are able to fit dry cleaning into their daily routine.

3.) Damage Policies

Accidents and mistakes happen to the best of us, including professional cleaners. If your next cleaner inadvertently loses or damages your items it’s important to understand how the cleaner will handle the situation and what your options are as their customer.

While reputable cleaners rarely lose or damage items, they might have policies in place just in case the worst-case scenario does happen.

At Rinse, we have the best guarantee on the market. In the rare instance that an item goes missing or is damaged during the cleaning process, we will provide reimbursement for up to the full value of that item ($1,000 max per order), in accordance with our terms and conditions.

Furthermore, if you’re not satisfied with the cleaning of your clothes, we will re-clean them — free of charge.

4.) Additional Services

While you may be in the market for dry cleaning today you never know what you might need in the future. Finding a cleaner near you that does more than just dry cleaning is valuable because it will save you time from having to search for another cleaner and perhaps even save you money depending on the type of service you’re looking for.

It’s rather difficult for dry cleaners to offer laundry services but you may be lucky and live near one that offers both laundry and dry cleaning.

Another reason why Rinse is a leader in the clothing care industry is that we offer a variety of services including Wash & Fold, Hang Dry, Dry Cleaning, Launder & Press, Repairs, and Leather Cleaning.

Many of our Dry Cleaning customers end up using us for Wash & Fold and vice versa. You may need a cleaner that is versatile sometime in the future so finding a cleaner that offers several services now as opposed to later can save you time in the long-run.

Perhaps you are already thinking of this given what has transpired as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Now more than ever, door-to-door services are becoming much more important. Rinse will continue to a leader in the space and provide door-to-door delivery service to those who need it

Choosing a dry cleaner near you shouldn’t just be based on the proximity of the cleaner to your home — it’s a decision that should take into account everything from pricing, convenience, experience, and quality.

Cleaning Service Reviewed, one of the leading independent review sites for cleaners around the world, has named Rinse as one of the Top 9 Best Dry Cleaners in San Francisco! Receiving this recognition would not be possible without the hard-work and dedication from our team at Rinse including our Valets, Cleaning Partners, Customer Care team, and all of our local Operations teams.

We appreciate the support of all of our customers, especially our customers in the Bay Area. We're proud to be recognized as one of the best dry cleaners in San Francisco and look forward to continuing to serve the San Francisco Bay Area for years to come!  

Rinse has always worked to help local businesses. In the wake of COVID-19, we have spent significant time and energy helping our Local Cleaning Partners navigate the current environment.

In addition, we know there are other ways we can help local business while also helping our customers get through this. To that end, we have partnered with our friends at Union Kitchen to bring you a “Stay-at-Home Snack Pack” that they have created with a focus on products that are made in Washington, DC.

The Basics

Union Kitchen has curated a Snack Pack that consists primarily of assorted items that are made locally in the Washington D.C. area (and they’ve even included hand sanitizer for good measure!). Each box sold helps support these local businesses while bringing you some great snacks to enjoy.

The price of each Stay-at-Home Snack Pack is $50. Each box includes the following items:

• 2 – Tony's Chocolonely Small Chocolate Bars - (1 Milk Chocolate, 1 Caramel Sea Salt)
• 1 – Stacy's Pita Chips (1.5oz - Cinnamon Sugar)
• 1 – Kettle Chips (5oz - Sour Cream & Onion)
• 2 – Wood Fire Big Bag Pita Chips – (1 Garlic Parmesan, 1 Za’atar)
• 1 – Berg Bites - Chocolate Peanut Butter Madness 
• 1 – Afirma Water (750 mL bottle)
• 2 – Clark's Cubes (1 coffee, 1 tea)
• 1 – Sahale California Almonds
• 1 – Meat Empire Biltong
• 1 – Tasty 6 - Relax & Rest
• 1 – Ignite Bar - Salted Chocolate
• 2 – Snacklins – (1 BBQ, 1 Chesapeake)
• 1 – Walt's Waffle & Pancake Mix
• 1 – Compass Coffee Hand Sanitizer (6 oz)

How To Order

You can request a Stay-at-Home Snack Pack by texting SNACKS to 746-73 (“RINSE”) or emailing [email protected]. We will confirm availability with you before your delivery, and you will be charged the $50 upon delivery. Customers may order more than one Snack Pack at a time.

Note that if you choose to order a Snack Pack without an additional Rinse service like laundry or dry cleaning, it will be subject to our standard Service Fee and Health & Safety Fee.

We hope you enjoy Union Kitchen’s Snack Pack as much as we have. More importantly, we hope you continue to stay safe and healthy, and stay home if you can.

For Non-Rinse Customers:

If you have not used Rinse before but would like to order a Stay-at-Home Snack Pack, please take the following steps:

1. Create your free account here.
2. Follow the instructions to schedule a pickup and create your account. If you would like to ONLY order a Stay-at-Home Snack Pack and do not plan to use Rinse’s clothing care services, that’s okay. The signup process will ask you to select the type of service you are looking for (just go ahead and select any option).
3. Once you have created your account, simply text “SNACKS” to 746-73. We will confirm availability with you before your delivery, and you will be charged the $50 upon delivery plus our standard Service Fee and Health & Safety Fee. You may order more than one Snack Pack at a time.

More on Union Kitchen

Union Kitchen is a food and beverage business accelerator in DC. It builds Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands through its manufacturing infrastructure which includes a commercial kitchen, retail stores, and distribution. Since starting in 2012, Union Kitchen has worked with over 650 food businesses, including DC favorites Compass Coffee, Snacklins, Eat Pizza, Swapples.

Terms of Use

Read more about our Terms of Use here.

Did you know that the vast majority of children entering foster care have to carry their belongings in garbage bags? There are more than 55,000 children in foster care in California today and due to limited financial means, Social Services cannot provide luggage to pack a child’s essential belongings before bringing them to a foster home. If no bags are donated, Social Services often uses trash bags out of necessity. It is tragic enough that a child has been abused or neglected, but to have all of his or her items put into trash bags can place a feeling of worthlessness on the child.

No child should feel like garbage, and no child should have to carry their belongings around in a garbage bag. That’s why Rinse is so proud to support and raise awareness for Bags4Kids, a southern California non-profit that provides foster children with “bags of hope.”

Bags4Kids and their work

The bags of hope that Bags4Kids provides are not just a means of transporting foster children’s possessions, but also include items of necessity and comfort to help these children during one of the most stressful periods of their lives.

Each bag of hope includes necessities that a child will need in their new home like a toothbrush and shampoo -- items they may not have had access to or been able to pack from their previous living situation. The bags also include items to bring them comfort and distraction as they adjust to their new home. Depending on the child’s age, the bags of hope can include items ranging from stuffed animals and other toys to art supplies, journals, books, and school supplies.

An opportunity to help

During the first week of March, 2020, Rinse was able to donate over 2,500 duffle bags to Bags4Kids to support their important cause.

If you’re familiar with our service, you know that we provide each customer with a premium duffle bag to use for their laundry. As we’ve grown, we’ve built up a very large supply and this spring we found a surplus of 2,500+ brand-new duffle bags. Through a member of the Rinse team, we learned about Bags4Kids, their incredible work, and their need for supplies -- including duffle bags!

Bags4Kids has already assembled and donated the first several hundred Rinse + Bags4Kids bags of hope to social service organizations and police stations throughout southern California. Even in the face of the coronavirus, Bags4Kids continues their work, providing comfort to some of the most vulnerable children in our community.

Make Mom Proud

Since our founding, one of Rinse’s core values has been to “Make Mom Proud.” We are so grateful and proud to support such a wonderful organization and raise awareness for their important work.

If you would like to learn more about Bags4Kids and how to support them, please visit https://bags4kids.org/.