Resist the temptation of dipping a corner of your napkin into a water glass to rub the ketchup spill on your blouse.
“A mistake that a lot of people make is not using enough water to flush through a stain,” says Liz Barbatelli, owner of a Milwaukee laundry that specializes in fine linens and precious garments.
Most of us do laundry at least twice a week, and while some may see it as a chore, Barbatelli considers it an art form.
“People have busy lives, and all of us have different priorities,” she says. “But the art of laundering is a way to take care of your clothing and to make your home a cleaner and better place.”
From christening gowns to lace curtains, fine fabrics merit fine laundering, Barbatelli says. Her company — the Laundry At Linens Limited in Milwaukee — does some restoration of treasured items, but her primary business is laundering with Old World traditions that include copper boilers and oversized tables for hand-stretching linens. The tables also allow heirloom linens to air dry for a better finish.
Linens Limited has a good customer base in Wisconsin; however, Barbatelli says that she couldn’t survive only on local customers.
“We had to go out and market on both coasts, and because we are so unique, we have customers all over the country,” she adds.
Photo by Mike DeVries.
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