Dry Cleaning and Laundry Tips

Is it safe to do laundry outside your home during the pandemic? This is a question many ask, given the uncertainty of the environment today. Here are the things we know for sure:

• People who go outside for whatever reason have a higher risk of catching the coronavirus than people who stay at home.
• The longer you stay outside, the higher the risk to your health (although wearing a mask reduces the risk significantly).
• There are no visible tells that a person or object is carrying the virus. Even people who are already sick may turn out to be asymptomatic.
• The coronavirus has a high transmission rate, mostly because the virus can cling on clothes, metals, and other objects, and stay active for the next three to 24 hours.
• Touching an object that has come into contact with the virus can immediately put you and the people around you at risk, thanks to contact transmission.

It’s clear: going to a laundromat or the nearest dry cleaners can expose you to the virus. But if you don’t go out to complete this errand, you could be saddled with a mountain of dirty and smelly laundry for months. For people who don’t have a washer and dryer, or have no space in their tiny apartments to do laundry the old way, this is imperative. If you are caught in any of these situations or if you still have several loads of unwashed clothes from when your self- and government-imposed isolation started, we have an answer for you.

Valet Laundry Services: The Safest Way to do Laundry Today

Here are the reasons why a valet laundry service is the best option given the current situation:

• You don’t need to leave your house.
• PPE-protected staff will collect your laundry, and they can do it without getting in contact with you, too.
• The same trusted and trained staff will deliver your clean clothes on your doorstep. This means your belongings won’t pass through several and unnecessarily multiple hands before you get them back.
• You can request for dry cleaning, same-day washing, and other special services.

We can’t speak for other laundry services, but at Starcrest Cleaners, we guarantee laundry shops that are compliant with the CDC’s recommendations for cleaning and disinfection in the workplace.

Cover All Your Bases: Tips to Protect Yourself from COVID-19

Let’s suppose that for any reason, you have to skip the valet service and do your laundry yourself. You don’t have a machine at home, so you have no choice but to go to a coin-operated laundromat. Here are our tips on how you can protect yourself for the duration of the chore.

• Wear a mask and wear it properly. It must cover both your nose and mouth with the edges resting snugly on your cheeks and chin, sealing the mask so that no air can pass through the sides.
• Bring your own bottle of hand sanitizer. Establishments are required to provide this for their customers, but you can never tell when they will run out.
• Avoid touching random objects and surfaces (e.g., picking up someone’s detergent container, putting your hand on the escalator handrail) or leaning against surfaces that are bound to be touched by so many people.
• Spray disinfectant on your laundry bags before you leave the laundromat. This is to ensure you don’t accidentally bring the virus home.
• Disinfect all surfaces you need to touch first (e.g., the keypads, door handles, and benches) before you actually touch them.

These are simple tips and reminders on what to do to get all of your washing done safely during the pandemic. A single slip-up can lead to devastating outcomes, so cover all your bases and follow our safety recommendations.

You can start by signing up for our valet laundry services. If you have questions about our schedules or would like to know about the crowd situation in any of our coin-op laundromats, get in touch with any of our three dry cleaning branches in Champaign, IL. Starcrest Cleaners will be happy to accommodate you.

Contact us today.