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We program
everything today -- our VCRs or DVDs (those
of us who can!), our computers, gizmos in our
car that keep us on track, the lawn sprinklers.
But what about clothes?
Can't they be "programmed" to do more than just
look good? You bet!
They're
called Body-Responsive fibers, and they work
to keep you feeling comfortable whether it's
hot or cold. This time
of year it's a real drag to go outside and then
come back in because your clothes will quickly
feel like... well, a wet blanket. Not
with these innovative fabrics, which use channeled
polyester to draw the moisture away from your
skin, making you feel better.
No matter whether your
clothes are responding to your signals or not,
at this time of
year perspiration, body salts and lotions can
do a number on them. Remember
to maintain your regular garment cleaning regimen
so that they'll be ready to wear when you need
them.
See you soon!
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company |
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COUPON
of the week: Terrycloth
special!
Terrycloth
is the original "wicking" fabric. But
summer days with beach or sports usage can put
your terry items to the test. Mildew
can crop up when you least expect it!
Let us sanitize and refresh your terry garments,
towels and other items to keep the fun in summer
time. Have
three terry items cleaned and we'll do a fourth
at no charge. (Include
first page of this e-mail with your order.
Offer expires July 22, 2004. Cannot be
combined with other offers.) |
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Body-Responsive
Fabrics
A
new genre of fibers and garments suited to the
wearer's needs.
We spend an inordinate
amount of time just trying to get moisture off
of us -- or keep it from forming in the first
place. In
the muggy days of summer, clothing tends to
get dampened by our perspiration and then feels
clammy when we go from natural to conditioned
air.
The sports world is
way ahead of the rest of the fashion industry
when it comes to developing clothing for ultimate
comfort -- but you can expect the fashion industry
to catch up quickly, now that body-responsive
fabrics have been gaining ground and recognition.
What's a body-responsive
fiber? Simply
put, it's fibers in a garment that are specifically
designed to react to the condition of the body
and keep it comfortable.
In most cases, that means getting moisture off
your skin so that you feel cooler.
What's
in a Name?
These new fabrics have
funky names like Sensatech, Microlite, DriTech
(all trademarks of SportHill,
Inc.) as well as CoolMax (Dupont)
and Akwatek (Comfort
Technologies). In each case, the fibers
have been engineered to be both lightweight
and exceptionally adept at wicking moisture
away from your skin so that it can evaporate
faster. Most
will disburse the moisture faster than bare
skin alone. They
do this by the way the fabrics are made (for
instance, with channels or ribs in the fiber
closest to the skin to enable it to absorb more) or
by coating the fibers themselves with unique
compounds. |
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Pick
me! Pick me!
All
of the fabric manufacturers will tell you their
fibers are the best, of course, so you have
to compare claims. Here
are some of the more interesting ones:
- Holofiber
claims to utilize
ambient light and use it to increase oxygen
levels and absorption -- therefore
to reduce cramping and muscle fatigue because
blood oxygen levels are higher. Their
slogan is, "Play better on Sunday, feel better
on Monday." They have tested socks of this
fiber on diabetic people and found "statistically
significant" changes in oxygen level on their
feet. More testing is needed to prove
this, but it could be a boon to circulation-challenged
diabetics.
- CoolMax
produces garments for different levels of
activity, since they involve more or less
need for moisture absorption -- Everday wear,
Active wear, and Extreme wear.
It claims to retain 8 times less moisture
than nylon, 14 times less than cotton.
- Akwatek
and Akwadyne modify the fiber itself so
that repeated washings won't affect the ability
of the fabrics to either keep you warm or
keep you cool. In either case, they
keep you dry since that's a major factor in
comfort. An
innovative use of this fabric is in nightshirts,
particularly for
women who suffer from night sweats.
Undergarments are also available for ultimate
comfort.
Where
is all this going?
You'd be surprised
at the avid interest in fiber technologies,
until you stop and think about the actual sales
potential for items made from such things.
For instance, carpeting. How many hundreds
of thousands of square miles of the stuff is
covering our floors?
Researchers
at Georgia Institute of Technology are using
MRI technology (yes, the same
kind of machine your doctor uses to see inside
you) to watch carpet
fibers dry from the inside and see how fluids
move through them. Why?
Two reasons: Drying is a major time-consuming
part of the carpet-making process, and carpets
that are more resistant to mildew will be snapped
up in humid areas of the country.
No
matter how unexciting it sounds to watch carpet
drying, the payoffs to you and me in superior
fibers for clothing, household textiles and
more will probably amaze us in coming years. |
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We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
Click on the symbol to the right if your would
like to send this and future newsletters to
a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
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Interesting
enough, one of the benefits of our web
services is a concept we call "distance services".
This involves customers from "a far" sending
items to us for cleaning, repair and
restoration. We have gowns shipped to
us for the same from Colorado, Connecitut, and
New York and literally pillows from all over
the United States for refurbishment.
The Iris
City Cleaners Connection
is
a
weekly news letter dedicated to the interest
of fine garment care, restoration, and conservation.
It is published in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris
City Cleaners and is an extension of our services
described in www.iriscitycleaners.com
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International
Fabricare Institute
Iris
City Cleaners
is a proud member of the International Fabricare
Institute, a premier association of Dry
Cleaners, Wet Cleaners, and Launderers dedicated
to the advancement of technologies and service
to the textile industry. |
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