dependable cleaners

We understand that you are confused by all the new care symbols that are showing up on your clothes labels and you're not alone. Every garment made in the U.S., or imported, needs to have a label listing at least ONE method of cleaning it safely. Let us decipher some of them for you:

 THE CUP SYMBOL: This looks like a cup holding water, and simply means washing.

THE TRIANGLE: Strangely, this symbol means bleach. There is really no easy way to

remember it, but it generally follows the  washing symbol, since bleaching would be

your next consideration after whether an item  is washable.

THE SQUARE: This is actually a tiny dryer, meaning it is safe to put in the clothes dryer.

There's often also a circle inside the square,  so it looks like the door on a dryer.

THE IRON: This is an easy one. It obviously means it is safe to press. Ok, so a kindergartner could draw a better iron, but you probably recognized it anyway.

THE CIRCLE: This lets you know if dry cleaning is appropriate. It's usually last in the row of symbols. Many times, the circle has a letter inside:

• A for Any Solvent can be used
• P for Perchloroethylene or Petroleum Solvent not Trichloroethylene
• F for Petroleum Solvent Only

What about the dots?

Just like any language, these particular hieroglyphics have punctuation marks that give them added meaning. There are just a few basic marks, and repeating them just means "more" of them.

For instance, looking at the symbols below, the "X" symbol is universally recognized as meaning "NO" or "DO NOT." So, if you see it over the top of any of our basic symbols, that means don't do that particular process -- for instance, "do not wash" or "do not iron."

The little dots represent temperature: one dot for low; two dots for medium; three dots for high. Used primarily with the "Wash" symbol and the "Iron" symbol, these let you know what settings you need to use on your equipment. In the case of water, cold is 75 F; warm is up to 95 F; hot is 115 F. On an iron, cool-warm-hot settings should be indicated.

Finally, there are lines. Just as we underline text to give it more emphasis, these lines draw attention to the symbol and tell you there is something special about it. One line indicates the garment is "permanent press/wrinkle resistant." Two lines indicate it is "gentle/delicate." In other words, more lines mean more care should be taken with the garment.

Bear in mind that there is often more than one way to clean a garment, and the one listed on the label may not always be the best method. The best solution is to bring your garment to one of our 17 locations, where one of our experts will chose the best possible way to clean your clothes in order to keep them looking bright and new.

Don't worry; you needn't be concerned about letter inside. All you need to know is whether the garment CAN be dry cleaned. We'll take care of the rest.