American Flags are free - drycleaning in Oxford, Mississippi

I've only lived in a handfull of cities and towns, but I have to say that the folks who run Rainbow Cleaners in Oxford, Mississippi, are the nicest drycleaners I've ever dealt with. They are always pleasant, always helpful, always appear to be hard at work and aware of their customers. The owner is particiularly friendly and has asked me questions about other drycleaners I've been too, in an effort to find new ways to improve his own business.

Of course, Rainbow Cleaners has made mistakes. They lost 3 of my husband's shirts, shrunk my sweater and lost (but then found) an item of mine. Every time they made a mistake, they gave me a gift card with credit towards my next drycleaning for the monetary amount of the item lost or damaged.

So the reason that I choose to do business with Rainbow Cleaners instead of Starbrite - who I've also patronized is this:

1. Rainbow Cleaners does not STAPLE their drycleaning tags to my clothes. They use safety pins. Starbrite should know better than to staple tags to fabric. I had seen cleaners staple tags to the garment's tag - but I had NEVER encountered the practice of stapling through the fabric of nice blouses and shirts before.

2. Rainbow Cleaners has a very convenient Drive Thru drop off system. If you go at the right time, early in the morning, there is NO ONE in line. Of course if you hit Rainbow Cleaners right at rush hour, yes, you may have to wait.

Remember this: Rainbow Cleaners is one of 10 total washing/drycleaning businesses in a town of 19,000 people living just within the city limits. If you visit Rainbow you will see the staggering amount of clothing they process on a daily basis. It is best, in the event that they do lose something, for you to create a list of what you drop off, each time you visit them. This was very helpful when they lost 3 of my husbands shirts, and I had written down the brand names and size of each item.

Rainbow Cleaners is offering 10% off of their prices these days, no doubt as a reaction to the possible lack of clients due to a slacking economy. Despite a lack of cash, I as well am trying to avoid drycleaning all together. My issue with drycleaning in general is this:

Perchloroethylene, also known as tetrachloroethylene, perc, PCE, C2Cl4, Cl2C=CCl2, or tetrachloroethene, is a solvent used by 90% of dry cleaning businesses in the United States. Perchloroethylene is toxic and causes several harmful side effects.

Some studies have indicated that perc can cause menstrual irregularities, fertility problems, and spontaneous abortions among women who work in the dry cleaning industry. Perc residue from dry cleaning processes can also seep into drinking water, causing a variety of problems. For example, many scientists believe perc exposure can cause liver or kidney damage. In addition, perc has been named a “probable carcinogen” by the International Association for Research on Cancer.

In response to customer complaints about the dangers of perc, some dry cleaners have begun to investigate alternative cleaning methods. Hydrocarbon solvents such as Chevron-Phillips' EcoSolv or Exxon D-2000 work much like standard dry cleaning agents, but without the harmful side effects. Wet cleaning, a system that uses water and biodegradable soap, is an environmentally-friendly process that works well for silk, rayon, leather, suede, and wool garments. Liquid carbon dioxide obtained as a byproduct of certain industrial processes can be combined with silicone to create another effective, yet environmentally-safe dry cleaning method.

Unfortunately, since these “green” dry cleaning processes are relatively new, people who live outside of metropolitan areas may find it difficult to find a reputable dry cleaner who doesn’t use perc. However, home dry cleaning kits that use plastic bags and specialized cleaning sheets are widely available and provide a convenient way to freshen clothing while removing minor stains. Several studies have determined that these kits are less harmful to the environment than cleaning a garment with perchloroethylene. Using home drying kits between trips to your local dry cleaner is an inexpensive way to help reduce the environmental impact of dry cleaning.

While the process used to clean your clothing does have a substantial effect on the environment, there are other factors you may wish to consider when choosing a dry cleaner. For example, many dry cleaners have a policy of solvent recycling, plastic bag recycling, and hanger recycling. This can help by reducing the amount of waste that ends up in local landfills. Some dry cleaners have also upgraded to "third generation" machines that are more efficient at minimizing the amount of harmful chemicals used during the dry cleaning process.

So don't forget to recycle your metal clothes hangers, skip the garment bag and don't forget to visit Rainbow Cleaners at 1912 Jackson Ave W, Oxford, MS 38655 (662) 234-2266. Their sign outside includes a customer service pledge that states they will clean your American flag for free! If I had one, I would definitely take them up on that offer. They also claim to maintain a "commitment to environmental responsibility."