Tide Dry Cleaners, an eco-friendly dry cleaning service, opened it doors to the Ahwatukee community on Feb. 21.

LAS VEGAS - The ins and outs of dry cleaning are hardly a concern for most consumers. The mysterious process that takes a dirty piece of clothing and turns it into a clean, crisp garment is more often taken for granted than analyzed.

Gilbert residents Jeff and Tanya Kline are quickly making their transition into the East Valley dry cleaning industry. The husband-and-wife business duo recently opened its third Lapels Dry Cleaning franchise store in just a few short months.

Is Terri Kaduck the Michelangelo of shirt pressers?

Animal lovers can breathe easy knowing the food they’re feeding their cats and dogs is safe. The Arizona Department of Agriculture just concluded its annual testing of dry cat and dog food. No traces of the naturally occurring toxins aflatoxin and fumonisin were found in the samples.

They used to be ubiquitous — the One Hour Martinizing stores that seemed to be in every strip shopping center in town.

 It always helps to have the right equipment when you set out to perform any task and that certainly applies to washing, drying and cleaning your car.

Just because your area has water restrictions doesn’t mean you have to make do with a dirty vehicle.

You can thoroughly wash and rinse your prized set of wheels, but you know the job’s not finished until you’ve removed as much streak-creating leftover water as possible.

Cleaning auto parts doesn’t have to be a messy and expensive affair with The Portable Parts Washer on the job.

If you use do-it-yourself carwashes, chances are you’re doing it wrong — which could be costing you money.

If you use do-it-yourself carwashes, chances are you’re doing it wrong — which could be costing you money.

July 21, 2004

In this season of spring cleaning — when neglected, dreaded household chores are finally tackled — the everyday chores suddenly seem less tedious in comparison. Enjoyable, even.

July 30, 2004

East Valley residents took advantage of the sunshine after the storm Wednesday to clean up and resume outdoor activities normal for a desert winter. The sunny day was a brief respite from consecutive storms in the Valley’s wettest winter in six years.

Tired of chemical cleaners? Try these “green” methods to clean around the house. They come courtesy of “Haley’s Hints Green Edition” (NAL Trade, $14, 224 pages) by Graham and Rosemary Haley and “Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Home” (Wellness Central, $19.99, 240 pages) by Thelma Meyer.

A Scottsdale entrepreneur is using a sponge to clean up the environment.

Republican legislative leaders are making one last push Wednesday to get voters to repeal public financing of elections.

Mark Mayes, owner of Monte Carlo Cleaners, decided nine years ago to institute a policy of refusing to accept items made of leather, fur and angora rabbit wool.

No doubt plenty of Valley residents are anticipating a certain day in December when they'll be surprised by a bicycle, a computer or perhaps even a car.

Eight people from SERVPRO in Chandler hit the road Tuesday afternoon bound for lower Manhattan and New Jersey.

Terri Ouellette loves crafts, and this month the whole country will know about it. For the second year, the Valley TV personality — host of "Home With Terri O" and the upcoming "On the Go With Terri O" — is spokeswoman for National Craft Month. Ouellette will make appearances at craft stores as nearby as Prescott, and as far away as New Jersey.

My keyboard has gotten very grimy and sticky I seem to remember an article that said it could be put in the dishwasher, but I don’t remember if it was with soap or not and for how long. Any suggestions? — John