How Parents Are Navigating the Challenges of Managing Work and School at Home

Oftentimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our day and forget to look around and admire the beauty of our Earth. A quiet backdrop to our busy lives, the Earth is truly at the forefront of what makes us human and enables us to do the incredible things we do everyday. That’s why it’s so important to take the time to reflect on our planet, our environment, and what we can do to keep it healthy.

Taking care of the environment is everyone's responsibility. At Rinse, we are committed to doing our part to conserving our natural resources and keeping any materials that don't belong in the environment out of it.

4 Ways Rinse Provides Eco-Friendly Laundry & Dry Cleaning:

1) Use high-efficiency washers

This saves water and reduces energy consumption

As one of our most important natural resources, it is imperative that we do what we can to conserve water. To date, Rinse has helped save over 6 million gallons of water simply by using more high-efficiency washers than those found in a typical home or apartment.

These washers are also better at initially spin drying garments, reducing the time that it takes to machine dry them. This simple but important step uses less electricity and helps to reduce carbon emissions.

2) Collect clothing donations

This helps to reduce waste, save water, and keep harmful chemicals out of the environment 

The average American throws away about 65 lbs. of clothing each year. Beyond the exorbitant amount of garbage created and water wasted because of this, the textile, dyes, and chemicals in clothing can release methane into the air, and seep into the soil wreaking havoc on local ecosystems.

Instead of throwing away your clothes, you can donate them with Rinse! We come straight to your door to collect any unwanted clothes, and donate them on your behalf. We have donated over 20,000 lbs. of clothing so far! Recycling your clothes instead of throwing them away can reduce consumption habits, as well as save large quantities of water that are typically used to create garments -- a single T-shirt can require up to 700 gallons of water to make!

3) Recycle old hangers and plastic wrapping

This reduces waste

If you Dry Clean your clothes often, you likely have an excess amount of wire hangers lying around, as well as the plastic wrapping that your clothes are returned in. We recognize that using these items as our method for returning your clothes is not ideal, and are working hard to find a long term solution. In the meantime, we want to do our part to make sure that recycling these hangers and plastic is as easy as possible. We will pick up any old hangers and plastic wrapping that you may have, and recycle them on your behalf.

4) Use safe and natural cleaning detergents

This keeps harmful chemicals away from you and the environment

While it can be easy to overlook, it’s important to remember that whatever we put into our water -- including our laundry detergent -- is released into the environment and can be harmful to surrounding ecosystems that depend on that water supply. Rinse is committed to preserving the environment, so we only work with Dry Cleaning and Laundry partners who use safe and natural cleaning detergents without any chemicals that are known carcinogens.

To learn more about what Rinse does to care for the environment or to take advantage of any of the services above, consider scheduling a Rinse laundry or dry cleaning pickup.


Photography: Pablo Fierro for Unsplash

People are often reluctant to dry clean their clothing because it is more expensive than traditional laundry, but a professional cleaning service can be a great investment for your lifestyle and closet that saves you money in the long run. Consider these three cost-effective conveniences the next time you're headed to the laundromat.

It helps your polished pieces last longer

While there are items that you can take care of at home, certain upscale pieces such as your silk dress or structured wool blazer are best left in the care of a professional dry cleaner. Pieces that aren’t properly cleaned before being put away can carry undetectable odors that attract insects and moths. These pests can eat certain fabrics, including wool, cashmere, silk and cotton, gradually ruining your favourite items. Sensitive fabrics may also fade in color or stretch in shape in a washing machine or dryer. By using a professional cleaning service, your pieces will last much longer so you won't have to replace them as often, ultimately saving you money.

Care tip: Familiarize yourself with different fabrics and the appropriate treatment for each material. For instance, cashmere can often be hand washed with a gentle laundry soap. Before doing so, it's always good to double check the clothing label to see if hand washing is appropriate. Other fabrics like silk require professional dry cleaning.  Our guide on which pieces can be dry cleaned provides an in-depth breakdown.

It can treat stubborn stains

Besides helping your pieces maintain their color and shape, dry cleaning can help treat stubborn stains like grass, which you might not be able to remove using traditional laundry means. A professional service might be able to salvage your favorite sweater or slacks so you don't waste money on different detergents or DIY treatments just to end up with a slightly faded but still visible mark. Furthermore, if you don't pre-treat stains or if you use the wrong cleaning agent, you might actually cause further damage to your clothing. Either way you can be left having to replace these pieces altogether, and wasting money on your wardrobe.

Care tip: Food stains can affect fabrics differently than sweat residue. In some cases, you might be able to apply a DIY treatment. Know when to treat the stain yourself and when to visit a dry cleaner with our summer stains guide.

It adds professionalism to your workplace attire

First impressions are extremely important. Being smartly dressed will help you make your mark at a job interview or client meeting—which can lead to financial gain down the road. An inexpensive way to elevate your office style is to ensure that your pieces are always freshly pressed. You don't need to spend a lot to create a chic ensemble: well tailored and maintained pieces create a professional look that will help you get ahead in the workplace. To keep your business attire looking top notch, leave your suit or dress shirt with the dry cleaners. Even if you work in a creative or casual environment, a creased shirt can make you look sloppy. Unsightly wrinkles, stains or smells on worn clothing detract from your professionalism. A trusted service will help you take care of these smaller details so you can focus on the big picture and impress your boss or client.

Care tip: Besides taking care of your basic clothing maintenance needs, most modern dry cleaners provide additional options such as alterations or repairs. Take advantage of their services to ensure your office outfit is always as impressive as your portfolio.

While you save on short-term costs doing laundry at home, your finest attire requires professional care to keep them looking as fresh as the day you bought them. And that's a worthwhile investment.

Photos: DeVaul / Shutterstock.com, Chelsea Francis, Nico Beard, Benjamin Child

What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?

Believe it or not, your bath towels are the ideal living quarters for microbes or microscopic organisms such as bacteria and fungi. Gross...right!? The water, warm air, and oxygen provide a spa-like habitat and they make themselves right at home. Therefore, it is recommended to use your towels no more than three times before washing them.

You may be thinking well thanks Rinse I know to wash my towels. However, you may not know about the risks involved by not washing them as often.

When you dry yourself with a towel layered in microscopic bacteria you are transferring those germs back onto your body. Yuck! And if you are sharing a hand towel with multiple people you are putting your body at risk of being exposed to bacteria you are not accustomed to. This can cause irritation of the skin, slight illness, or even an infection.

Nobody likes being sick so trust us when we tell you that washing your towels more often is totally worth it!

Have laundry or dry cleaning to do?

Rinse picks up, cleans and delivers 7 days a week. Amazingly awesome. Ridiculously simple.

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Happiness is clean sheets!

We can hear you now. Rinse, please don’t ruin my relationship with my bed! Don’t worry, we know it’s a sacred place of relaxation and comfort for many of you. We are only here to help you keep it clean and keep you happy.

So how often should you wash your bed sheets? You only sleep in it...right?

First, consider that you most likely spend 8 hours (or a third) of your day in your bed. That’s a lot of hours per week! It is recommended to wash your bed sheets once a week. Not only will the smell of fresh linens brighten your day but you will be washing away dead skin cells, sweat, body oil, and whatever small particles latch onto your sheets.

We wish it was as simple as putting sheets in the washer and adding detergent. But there are some useful tips to consider when washing bed sheets.

• Ideally, you should wash your sheets separately as they take up a lot of space and other items tend to get tangled up with your sheets. Or if you include additional items make sure they are small, lightweight, and similar in color to avoid color-bleeding.
• Different cycles should be considered depending on how dirty your sheets are. A normal cycle is recommended for light soil and heavy duty is recommended for major stains and a lot of soil. But remember to always check the care label before washing.
• White and light-colored cotton sheets typically wash well in any water temperature (cold or hot). However, it is recommended to wash your sheets in warm water, especially during cold and flu season to ensure you’re removing any tough to get bacteria. If you own darker colored sheets you may want to wash them in cold water to avoid fading.

Rinse and our cleaning partners ensure that you receive high-quality cleaning and that we follow all standard recommendations and cleaning practices once you give us your sheets to be cared for. And as an added bonus we are experts at folding fitted sheets!

Phew, that was a lot of information! We understand that trying to keep up with the work required to maintain a clean environment and home might cause you to throw in the towel. But you know what that means...more laundry!

Easy, just schedule a Rinse!

We can take care of your bath towels, hand towels, sheets, and comforters any day of the week. We ask that you consider that comforters are priced differently due to their size and the time involved to dry them. You can read more about how we care for your comforters in our FAQ section here. 

Just schedule a pickup with us and one of our friendly Valets will pick up your items. We will then send them to one of our cleaning partners to be cleaned and deliver them to your door as early as the very next day.

If you're interested in hearing more tips and advice on how to keep your home and linens germ free here is a useful segment from NBC's "TODAY" featuring Good Housekeeping’s Meaghan Murphy.

Happy Rinsing!