While looking our best and staying warm may be our top priorities as the weather gets chillier, we also want to make sure that we're well prepared to take care of our wardrobes in the coming months. Stay effortlessly layered with these comfortable fabrics for a season of changing colors and cooling temperatures.

Knitwear

Few things say fall quite like curling up with a big cup of coffee in your favorite oversized knit. To keep your favorite cuddle buddy in great shape, place your knitwear item into a mesh laundry bag before cleaning, and use the delicate cycle. If you're washing by hand, use warm water mixed with a gentle detergent. Press or squeeze to remove excess water—wringing will stretch the material—and lay flat or hang to dry, depending on specific instructions, to maintain its shape so you can keep wearing that cozy top all season long.

Leather

This sleek, durable material works well for a lot of looks. Dress it up with a pencil skirt for work, or keep it casual with ripped jeans on the weekend. To keep your leather apparel in top condition, entrust it to a specialty cleaner—they can maintain the natural oils in the fabric, while protecting against color changes or cracks. In between professional washings, there are a few things you can do to prolong the lifespan of your leather:

• Ask your cleaner for advice on an appropriate leather conditioner.
• Hang leather pieces on wide wooden, plastic or padded hangers, in order to maintain shape.
• Keep leather out of hot or damp areas.
• Avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, and don’t cover it in plastic—all of these factors can cause your leather to dry out.
• If stains do arise, blot them out with a wet cloth.

Denim

Jeans are an uncomplicated style staple that look good on almost everyone, but consider a distressed jacket for a different twist on denim—and an on-trend ode to the 90s. On that note, take a cue from street style bloggers and pair denim on denim in different shades. While this is a sturdy fabric, you should avoid machine washing because denim can shrink and fade. Most denim can be washed in cold water with mild detergent and hung to dry, but some brands would benefit from dry cleaning, and raw denim is better left unwashed.

Corduroy

For occasions when you want to give your leather jacket a break, reach for a corduroy coat to channel a style that's equal parts polished and preppy. Look for quality details such as brass buttons, which can elevate the look of standard corduroy clothing. This versatile fabric is easy to care for. It can be machine washed in warm water (for lighter hues) or cold water (for darker hues). Remember to turn it inside out before tossing the item in the machine to avoid collecting lint on the material. A quick spin on the normal cycle—tumble dry low between wears—and you're good to go.

Flannel

A fall classic, flannel is perfect for scarves, shirts, outerwear, or even a poncho—a comfortable transitional piece when the outside temperature doesn't quite call for a winter coat. Check the clothing label for the most optimal cleaning options. Most basic flannel pieces can be hand washed with a gentle laundry soap and hung to dry, while other items (such as scarves or coats) may require dry cleaning.

Wool

When the fall season gets especially chilly, you can don a wool coat, hat or sweater to stay warm. Most wool can be hand washed, but follow the label's instructions for specific guidelines. Sweaters should be swished and soaked inside-out in lukewarm water for at least ten minutes. When drying, squeeze out excess water before laying the garment flat on a mesh rack. Don’t wring out or hang your wool as it stretches easily.

With these clothing care tips, you can stay stylish all season long in the cozy textures of fall.

Photos: Maria Shanina, Llywelyn Nys, John Mark Arnold, Priscilla Westra, Luke Pamer, Benjamin Combs, Ben Blennerhassett

What is PERC?

PERC is short for Perchloroethylene, a colorless volatile organic solvent commonly used in dry cleaning. Although PERC is effective at dissolving stains and dirt from clothing, it also poses significant health risks if it’s not properly controlled. Since the 1930s, PERC has set the standard for cleaning performance in the industry—nearly 80% of dry cleaner in the US and Canada currently use PERC. Its effectiveness as a cleaning agent however comes with some significant downsides.

Dangers

The Environmental Protection Agency considers PERC a toxic air pollutant, meaning that it’s “known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects.”

According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), PERC is a "potential occupational carcinogen." The National Toxicology Program has designated it as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen," while The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has designated PERC to be a "probable human carcinogen."

It’s clear that PERC poses significant health risks. If not properly handled, PERC can penetrate through nearly any surface, including concrete, and can even seep into groundwater. Dry cleaners are required by federal law to handle PERC as a hazardous waste, and if mishandled, the solvent poses risk to both people and the environment.

During the dry cleaning process, PERC primarily enters the body from inhalation of the vapors. Exposure to high concentrations of PERC can cause:

• Dizziness
• Headaches Loss of consciousness
• Irritated eyes, nose, mouth, throat, and respiratory tract
 

While short-term exposure can cause immediate harm, the most common risk to workers at dry cleaning facilities involves long-term exposure via increased risk of cancer. PERC's most dangerous noncancer effect is nerve and brain damage.

Although the dry cleaning industry has improved the control of PERC in recent years, largely through advancements in machine design and equipment technology, PERC remains a dangerous factor not only for workers, but for the environment.

Alternatives to Perc

Although the majority of dry cleaners still use PERC, fortunately, safer and environmentally-friendly alternatives do exist. When used, these cleaning methods are just as effective at cleaning as PERC, but they often require more time, a different expertise, and different equipment which is why the majority of dry cleaners have not switched over. Supporting dry cleaners that use sustainable and safe cleaning methods will help the industry move in the right direction.

Some of the alternatives to PERC present challenges in their own right. While they may be safer for workers and less hazardous to the environment, alternatives like CO2 are not economically feasible for most mom and pop dry cleaning shops. Others options like Propylene-glycol ethers are less toxic but are highly flammable or combustible so they require extra equipment and safety precautions to be used safely.

Of the various alternative cleaning methods, the safest, most effective, and most economically feasible option is wet cleaning.

Wet cleaning uses water and soap and utilizes equipment that’s computer-controlled in order to precisely regulate the garment’s exposure to the combination of heat, water, and detergents. Since exposure to water can cause some fabrics to shrink during the cleaning process, the garments are re-shaped using specialized equipment that’s finely-tuned to safely and effectively restore garments to their original shape and size.

Another up-side to wet cleaning: the used wash water doesn’t contain dangerous chemicals or solvents and can therefore be disposed of directly down the drain. Dry cleaning with PERC requires an additional process to recover solvents before disposing of the cleaning byproducts, wet cleaning is the most energy-efficient of PERC alternatives.

Is Your Dry Cleaner Using PERC?

Given the dangers of PERC and the availability of “greener” cleaning alternatives, it’s well worthwhile to make sure you’re not sending your garments to a dry cleaner that’s exposing people and the environment to risk.

Rinse is committed to working only with cleaning partners who never use PERC and are using safe and sustainable alternatives.

So next time you consider sending your clothes to a dry cleaner that may be using a known toxin and potential carcinogen, ask yourself “is this really worth it?” We believe the answer is a resounding “no”, which is why we try to make it easy for you to make the right choice for yourself and the environment. Learn more about Rinse.

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS PROMOTION. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

By participating in Rinse Referral Promotion (the “Promotion”), each entrant (or his or her parent or legal guardian if the entrant is under the age of majority in his or her state of residence) unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Rinse, Inc. (“Sponsor”), which shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsor is responsible for the collection and scoring of entries and the overall administration of the Promotion. Entrants should look solely to Sponsor with any questions, comments or problems related to the Promotion.

1. ELIGIBILITY: The Promotion is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 or older at time of entry (individually “Entrant”, collectively “Entrants”). Employees of Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, and related companies, agencies, and the judging panel and immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings and spouse and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in the same household, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter, win or vote. Void in Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions and overseas military installations and where prohibited or restricted by law. Once an Entrant wins a prize, that Entrant will no longer be eligible to win another prize in this Promotion.

2. TIMING: The Promotion begins Feb 20, 2018 at 9 AM PT and ends on March 31st, 2018 at 11:59 PM PT (the “Promotion Period”).

3. HOW TO ENTER: To enter the Promotion, Entrants must refer someone who completes their first Rinse pickup during the Promotion Period. Entries must be received by Sponsor no later than March 31st, 2018 at 11:59 PM PT to be eligible for the grand prize. No limit on the number of entries.

4. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Entrants can submit an entry if (i) a referred friend clicks on their referral link to create a valid Rinse account; and (ii) the referred friend completes a a Rinse pickup during the Promotion Period. Sponsor reserves the right to verify the accuracy or truthfulness of any information contained within a submitted entry. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify an entry for any reason. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding with respect to all matters relating to this Promotion.

5. PRIZES: One (1) Entrant will receive a $1000 USD Rinse credit issued via a discount applied to their account. All Entrants who refer a friend who completes their first pickup during the Promotion Period will receive $25 of Rinse credit. All Entrants that refer three (3) or more friends who complete a their first pickup during the Promotion Period will receive three (3) months of free delivery. All Entrants will receive one (1) entry for a chance to the grand prize of $1000 of Rinse credit for every friend that they refer that completes their first Rinse pickp during the Promotion Period. Please allow 2 to 4 weeks for prize delivery. Taxes on prize, if any, are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winners of a prize valued at $600 or more will receive a Federal Tax Form 1099. We recommend that you consult with your tax advisor if you have further questions. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in its sole discretion, unless such substitution is prohibited by law. Sponsor may disqualify a winner and select an alternate winner if any prize is returned undeliverable. Prizes are non-transferable. Sponsor need not substitute a prize based on the winner’s request.

6. WINNER SELECTION: Winners will be selected from valid entries received during the Promotion Period. Sponsor’s decisions will be final and binding. Each winning Entrant will be notified via email. The potential winning Entrant must respond to Sponsor’s prize notification post via email within 72 hours from the date and time of the Sponsor’s prize notification and sign an affidavit and release in the form provided by Sponsor. In the event that the potential winning Entrant does not respond to Sponsor’s prize notification post within the specified time or the prize notification post or email is returned as undeliverable or fails to sign Sponsor’s affidavit and release, a new winner will be chosen based on the Judging Criteria. Alternate winners will be contacted via email and must respond to the Sponsor’s prize notification post or within 72 hours from the date and time of the Sponsor’s prize notification post and sign Sponsor’s affidavit and release.

7. LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY: Sponsor and its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, parent corporations, advertising and promotional agencies, and all of their officers, directors, shareholders, employees, and agents are not responsible for: any incorrect or inaccurate entry information; human errors; technical malfunctions; failures, omissions, interruptions, deletions, or defects of any telephone network, computer online system, computer equipment, servers, providers, or software, including any injury or damage to Entrant's or any other person's computer relating to participation or inability to participate in the Promotion; inability to access the Sponsor’s website, mobile applications or social media outlets or upload information or data; theft, tampering, destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, Entries; data that is processed late or incorrectly or is incomplete or lost due to telephone, computer, or electronic malfunction or traffic congestion on telephone lines or the Internet or any website or mobile application or for any other reason whatsoever; printing or other errors; or any combination thereof. Proof of uploading information or data or entering information at Sponsor’s website or social media outlets is not considered proof of delivery or receipt. Illegible, duplicate and incomplete Entries will be disqualified. False, fraudulent, or deceptive entries or acts shall render Entrants ineligible and all associated entries will be void.

8. INDEMNITY: Entrant shall indemnify and defend Sponsor its parent companies, each of Sponsor’s advertising agencies, and the officers, directors, employees, and agents of all of the foregoing and the successors and assigns of each of them, from and against actions, claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable counsel fees related to (i) Entrant’s use of any prize, (ii) the Sponsor’s use of any of the materials submitted by Entrant in connection with this Promotion or (iii) any intentional misconduct or negligence by Entrant in connection with this Promotion.

9. RELEASES: As a condition of participating in the Promotion, Entrants release Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions and affiliates  from liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including property damage, personal injury and death that may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in the Promotion, or possession, acceptance or use of prize or participation in any Promotion-related activities and claims based on publicity rights, copyright or trademark infringement, defamation or invasion of privacy and merchandise delivery.

10. GENERAL CONDITIONS: Potential winning Entrants are subject to Sponsor’s verification. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Potential winners must comply with these Official Rules, and receipt of prizes is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or unforeseen schedule changes that may limit an Entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion, even if caused by Sponsor’s negligence. Sponsor has the sole discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this Promotion should viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Promotion or Sponsor otherwise becomes incapable of running the Promotion as planned. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to Entrant’s contact information.

11. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION: Information collected in connection with the Promotion will be collected in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, available at https://www.rinse.com/privacy. By participating in the Promotion, each entrant agrees to the terms of Sponsor’s Privacy Policy.

12. WINNER LIST: To obtain a winner list by mail, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to “Rinse Referral Promotion”, Attn Rinse Marketing Dept, 1000 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103. Sponsor will send requested winner lists within 4-6 weeks after all prizes are awarded. Requests for the winner list must be received by April 7th, 2018.

13. SPONSOR: Rinse, Inc., 1000 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA, 94103.

14. This Promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered, or associated with Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter

Today I’m excited to announce that Rinse has closed a $14mm Series B, led by Partech Ventures, along with continued support from Javelin VP, Arena Ventures, and several other existing investors. I am really proud of our team for their hard work and dedication to date, and we are excited for the next phase in our journey. As we continue on our path to build the first and largest national brand in clothing care, I wanted to take this opportunity to look back on how we got here.

Why Rinse?

In early 2013, my co-founder James Joun came to me with the idea of starting a company in clothing care and the story of Rinse began. James has been one of my best friends since college (I’ve known him for 18 years now), and has always been someone I viewed as a potential co-founder. He also had the unique advantage of being raised in dry cleaning. He wanted to start a company to help address the pain points of existing dry cleaners, which he understood intimately. At the same time, I was already working on a few ideas to remove friction from the customer experience of necessary and recurring services. Over breakfast at Union Cafe in Cow Hollow, Rinse was born.

Since the early days, the consistent theme James and I have heard from both customers and cleaning partners alike is that they are experiencing significant friction.

We now refer to the friction customers experience in clothing care as “death by a thousand cuts” — there isn’t just one big point of friction we need to remove, but many points across the entire customer experience. For example, in dry cleaning, (1) you don’t actually know who’s a good cleaner, you just go to the nearest one; (2) you can’t assess quality until after you get your clothes back; (3) cleaners typically operate during normal business hours and are closed on weekends, which makes pickup and drop-off inconvenient; (4) there is limited transparency, limited customer service, and limited technology-enablement.

Cleaners also experience their fair share of friction. Most cleaners are underutilized and do not know how to drive more volume. Historically, foot traffic was enough to acquire customers, but times have changed. When customers do walk in, there is limited incentive to invest in customer service or technology because the main focus is on paying the bills.

With Rinse, our goal has always been to remove the friction on both sides. For our customers, we are systematically dismantling the “thousand cuts” by providing one simple solution for everything in their closet. For our cleaning partners, we send a predictable and steady stream of volume and enable them with technology to help ensure the highest quality cleaning for our customers.

“Smart scheduling” in an on-demand world

Our needs-focused, solution-agnostic approach has heavily influenced the decisions we have made as we have built Rinse. At times, our approach has been at odds with the consensus view among startups, but it’s always been aligned with our customers’ needs.

We launched in 2013, at a time when it seemed like every consumer service start-up chose to be “on-demand,” due in large part to Uber’s success. Rinse took the approach of focusing on “smart scheduling” and quality instead of “on-demand” and speed. We realized that Uber was solving an acute pain point — if you need a taxi, you need it now — where an on-demand model made sense to remove the friction. Rinse, however, is solving a chronic pain point — you always have dirty clothes — and customers almost unanimously prefer quality over speed, and crave consistency and predictability.

We decided early on to classify our Valets as employees (W-2) instead of independent contractors (1099). Our Valets are the front lines of our customer experience and it’s important to us that we invest in their training and development. We were also very clear in our approach to create mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with cleaning partners, rather than moving towards vertical integration and operating our own facilities.

These decisions are core to who we are as a company today. We have seen the highs and lows that the “on-demand” world has experienced (including our main venture-backed competitor shutting down), and have remained steadfast in our focus on the customer, our team, and our partners throughout.

Why we raised a Series B

We raised our Series B to accelerate our path to becoming the first and largest national brand in clothing care.

Rinse has grown at double-digit month-over-month rates since inception. Our customers love our service, which has led to a loyal customer base. We have built a business with attractive economics to help ensure long-term sustainability. We are also getting stronger with each new city. Rinse Washington, DC, which launched in late 2016, has seen 40% month-over-month growth and was contribution margin positive after only three months on the ground.

We are more confident and excited than ever that we are moving in the right direction to becoming a household name.

We are fortunate to have worked with world-class investors along the way who believe in our team and our approach, including Javelin Ventures, Arena Ventures, Accelerator Ventures, Structure Capital, and several founder/CEO angels who have walked in our shoes before. Our Series B is no different and we are thrilled to welcome Partech Ventures to the Rinse family.

What’s next for Rinse?

With our Series B, we will continue to drive strong growth in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, while also expanding to several new markets. We will also grow our team. We are actively recruiting for key roles in Marketing, Product, Operations, Technology, and Customer Experience, in addition to always looking for great Valets and cleaning partners.

Our success to date is a reflection of our team’s hard work; our cleaning partners’ dedication to quality; our Valets’ work on the front lines of the customer experience; our investors’ incredible support; and our customers, who use us, love us, challenge us, and continue to make us better.

What’s next for Rinse? We will continue to do right by everyone involved by staying true to our core values, investing in the growth and development of our team, and creating a world-class service that our customers will enjoy for many years ahead.

At Rinse, your health and the environment matter. That's why we take the following actions to make sure that it’s not just your clothes that are treated with care.
 

1. Rinse is perc-free

Historically, the most widely used solvent in dry cleaning has been perchloroethylene (“perc”), but this solvent is a known carcinogen and can have a hazardous impact on the environment and individuals’ health.

An estimated 80% of dry cleaners still use it, but Rinse only works with dry cleaning partners who use environmentally friendly cleaning processes, and none of our partners use perc.

Wait, why would anyone use perc?

The short answer is that it’s a very effective cleaning agent and it is accepted as a part of the industry. The environmentally friendly alternatives to cleaning with perc, are effective, but they take more time and effort on the part of the cleaner, which means it costs them more.

When you support cleaners that abstain from using perc, you are helping the entire industry move in a more environmentally friendly direction.

Read more about Perc and Rinse’s Green Cleaning Practices.
 

2. Rinse accepts clothing donations

We’ll collect any clothing that you’d like to donate and make sure it gets to a charitable organization, rather than ending up in landfill.

Did you know that the average American throws away up to 81 pounds of laundry per year? And that one in three of people surveyed said that they threw their old clothes out because it was easier that recycling or donating?

Many people don’t realize the true cost and value of their clothes—just creating a single t-shirt can take up to 700 gallons of water. By donating or recycling your old clothes instead of throwing them away, you are not just helping your community and the charitable organizations that receive them but you are making a huge impact on the environment!

What you can do - When you have clothes you’d like to donate, just put them in a separate bag (don’t put them in your Rinse bags!) and your Rinse Valet will collect them during your next pickup or delivery. We then make sure that your clothes are given to a local charity and stay out of the landfill!

3. Rinse uses less water and less energy

Our cleaning partners use high-efficiency washing machines which means up to 50% less water is used when compared to traditional, at-home washing machines, resulting in millions of gallons of water saved each year.

Additionally, cold water washing not only keeps your clothes looking better for longer, but it saves energy. Combined with high-speed spin cycles which reduces the amount of time clothes need to spend in the dryer, Rinse is able to significantly reduce the amount of water, electricity, and carbon emissions associated with cleaning.

4. Rinse uses biodegradable poly bags and recycles hangers

Traditional Dry Cleaning and Wash & Fold practices use plastic to ensure your clean clothes stay clean when they’re delivered to you. Rinse does this, too, however, much of the plastic wrapping that Rinse uses is biodegradable. For the portion that isn’t we’re happy to collect the plastic and recycle it for you.
 

What you can do - At your next pickup or delivery, give your Rinse Valet any unwanted wire hangers and the non-biodegradable portion of plastic used to protect your Rinse orders so Rinse can recycle them.
 

Rinse is committed to doing what we can to help and reduce our environmental footprint.

We use highly-efficient washing machines, which compared to traditional washing machines found inside most homes and apartments, conserve significantly more water and can fit more laundry inside. Rinse has helped to save 10's of millions of gallons of water and counting!  

We’ll also collect any gently used clothing you wish to donate during any regular Rinse pickup or delivery to make it easier for our customers to recycle their unused clothing. By doing so, we help our customers reduce waste — decreasing the amount of clothing that ends up in the landfill and preventing the extra water usage required to make new clothing.

Since 2013, Rinse has helped to donate over 10 tons of clothing to local community members in need! We don’t just recycle clothing either, we also recycle hangers and plastic wrapping.

Additionally, we practice green dry cleaning. Meaning, our cleaning partners do not use any toxic or harmful cleaning solvents or detergents. At Rinse, we have a strict no perc policy so rest assured your dry cleaning is perc-free.

Not only are we consistently doing our part to help reduce our environmental footprint but we are also proud to be the leading national clothing care provider helping to care for some of the top brands in fashion, including those who share in our mission to reduce waste and build an environmentally sustainable business.

We’ve identified some of the top brands our customers wear and wanted to highlight what they are doing to promote sustainability.

Our Customer's Top 3 Brands and What They're Doing For The Environment

1. Banana Republic

Over the past year, Rinse has cleaned more Banana Republic garments than any other brand — our customers love Banana Republic! Turns out, we love them too because of their commitment to building a sustainable brand.

In September 2019, the brand laid out a plan to use more sustainable materials and reduce waste. By 2023, Banana Republic plans to source and use more sustainable cotton and fibers. And by 2025, the brand is aiming to save at least 20% of water during their manufacturing process and shift towards using “cleaner chemistry” throughout their supply chain.

Fun Fact: Since 2018, Rinse has cleaned more shirts from Banana Republic than any other brand.

2. J. Crew

The second most popular brand among our customer-base is J. Crew. Like Banana Republic, J. Crew has a number of initiatives and protocols in place to help limit their impact on the environment.

For example, the shopping bags at J. Crew are now made from 100% recycled paper. J. Crew is also now sourcing 97% of its paper used for catalogs from sources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The company has outlined a new policy for sourcing high-quality, recycled paper from verified sources.

Furthermore, since 2002, J. Crew has focused on making all of its brick-and-mortar stores and offices energy efficient by installing energy management systems that allow each building to optimize the heating, cooling, and lighting systems.

Fun Fact: Rinse cleaned more scarves from J. Crew than any other brand between 2018 and 2019.

3. Brooks Brothers

Brooks Brothers is another top brand our customers seem to like. Rinse is proud to say that we share Brooks Brothers’ mission when it comes to helping local communities and providing clothing donations to those in need.

Since their inception nearly 200 years ago, Brooks Brothers has been investing in and helping local communities throughout the country. The company has partnered with several local and national non-profit organizations, including a 15-year partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital joining them in the fight against childhood cancer.

Fun Fact: Rinse has cleaned nearly 6x more Brooks Brothers shirts than pants over the last year.