A recent report that says drycleaning workers exposed to perc have an increased risk of cancer sounded alarming as it was related by the media, but both the International Fabricare Institute and the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance say the study is inconclusive and the suggested links to cancer are weak.
The report is based on an update of an old study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health that tracks the health history of 1,708 union members in four cities who were exposed to perc, and in some cases petroleum, drycleaning solvents for at least one year prior to 1960. The update, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, added six years of follow-up data to the study.
A summary of the update published by Reuters Health news service declared that "drycleaning workers have a greater risk of dying from certain types of cancer compared with people in the general population."
Dr. Avima M. Ruder, who led the research, said the "results of this study add to the weight of the evidence that solvents used in the dry-cleaning industry are carcinogenic."
In particular, the researchers cited increases in tongue cancer and ischemic heart disease and an excess of esophageal cancer among individuals believed to have worked with perc for more than five years beginning in the mid-1970s or earlier.
Responding to the media reports, IFI said, "The problem with the Reuters Health wire report and other media reports like it is they make results of the NIOSH study seem more conclusive than they in fact are."
For example, while the authors of the updated NIOSH study say that "drycleaning workers have excess cancer mortality at several sites," they also noted the their "ability to associate these excesses directly with PCE (perc) exposure is limited because relatively few workers were exposed only to PCE and the remainder of the cohort had exposure to other solvents."
In its critique of the NIOSH report, HSIA noted that the study assumes that all workers had the same level of exposure, yet the authors admit that they could not quantify exposures "as we do not have job titles for two-thirds of the cohort, or personal exposure measurements for anyone."
The researchers also had no information on other "lifestyle" factors that could effect the outcomes, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption. Other studies have shown a higher prevalence of cigarette smoking among drycleaning workers, HSIA noted, but that was not considered in the NIOSH analysis.
On the heart disease question, HSIA cited the NIOSH study's own comment that "no biologically plausible link between chronic exposure (to perc) and cardiovascular pathology has been established."
One point of agreement between HSIA, IFI and the NIOSH researchers is that a more comprehensive study is necessary. One such study is being undertaken by HSIA. The study will cover about 7,000 drycleaning workers in four Nordic countries, examining the incidence of several types of cancer and taking into account lifestyle factors such as drinking and smoking.
HSIA believes this study will produce better data on exposures of workers, using surveys conducted by government and industry and other available data. The study is expected to be completed next year.
HSIA is also sponsoring research to identify the mechanism of action for the formation of liver tumors in laboratory mice and to clarify its potential significance to humans.
"In assessing the potential risk from exposure to perchloroethylene (and other substances), regulatory agencies have assumed that humans will respond in the same way as laboratory mice," HSIA said. HSIA believes humans respond differently than mice.
This study, too, should be completed next year.
"The new research... is designed to confirm and supplement the earlier evidence that humans respond differently, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to perchloroethylene exposure."
HSIA said it expects the new study will provide a scientific basis for assessing potential risks associated with exposure.
This study is a joint effort of the Central Toxicological Laboratory of Astra-Zeneca and researchers at the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom.
To honor the Neighborhood Cleaners Association for its Coats for Kids project, New York City council president Peter Vallone invited NCA members and staff to a brunch at City Hall where he presented a proclamation recognizing the association's work.
Several hundred cleaners, guests, recipients, donors and allied trades people attended, along with representatives of Macy's and principals and assistant principals of the city's public schools.
"This combined effort in community outreach has prevented countless children from suffering the cold due to the lack of a warm winter coat," Vallone said.
Over the past 17 years, NCA has collected, cleaned and distributed hundreds of thousands of coats during its annual Coats for Kids drives. NCA said that the 2000 campaign was the biggest ever. More than 440 cleaners in the metropolitan New York area alone participated and a total of about 900 throughout the Northeast helped swell this year's collection.
The International Fabricare Institute has published its garment analysis statistics for 2000 and there is good news and bad news.
The good news is that cleaners continued the trends of the past few years of being at fault for a smaller share of the problems in the estimation of IFI's analysts. Last year the blame for garment failure was assigned to cleaners in just over 11 percent of the cases analyzed at IFI. That's down from 14 percent a year ago and was the lowest percentage cleaners have turned in any previous year.
The bad news is that the problems that are the fault of the cleaners continue to be the same as in past years and in many cases would be easily correctable.
Failure to follow care label instructions leads the list, accounting for nearly 15 percent of the problems that analysts laid at the feet of the cleaner. Each year, "Failure to follow care label" instructions is the source of about one in six cleaner-caused problems in the IFI report.
"Many cleaners complain that care labels are incorrect, and this may be true in many instances, as shown by the large percentage of damage in the manufacturer responsibility category," wrote Lorraine Muir, manager of IFI's International Textile Analysis Laboratory.
"However, when a cleaner does not follow the care label, he or she is responsible for the damage unless testing shows that the item may not withstand any care process."
Also high on the list of problems caused by drycleaners was another perennial trouble spot: redeposition. Until the early 1990s, redeposition was a relatively minor problem. But during the past ten years it has risen to near the top. Muir recommends using fresh solvent and careful classification of items to avoid redeposition in drycleaning. A smaller portion of the redeposition problems occur in laundering. There, too, careful classification could reduce the problem.
Another ongoing source of drycleaner disasters is problems occurring in stain removal. Here the solution is a little more involved but nonetheless do-able through more training for stain removal personnel.
Similar results were reported by the Neighborhood Cleaners Association in its garment analysis summary. Assorted problems related to prespotting and spotting accounted for about half of the drycleaner problems while redeposition alone was to blame for about a fourth of them.
The drycleaner-caused problems, at least, are things that can be addressed in the plant or within the industry by better training and more attention to detail. But the majority of the problem garments that go under the microscope at both IFI and NCA suffer from defects in manufacture or have been mishandled by consumers.
What can be done about those problems?
IFI provides a monthly report on manufacturer problems to the Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the Care Labeling Rule.
Clearly, accurate care labels would help avoid problems. For example, more than 20 percent of the 5,643 problems that IFI determined were a manufacturer's responsibility were due to solvent soluble dyes, prints, sizings or coatings. When these garments are cleaned, more than just the dirt comes out.
The general category of "defects" also accounted for a large portion of manufacturer problems -- defects in dye, construction, resin, weaving, sulfur, etc. Drycleaners might also steer clear of problems of labels warned of washing hazards due to water-soluble dyes.
Why doesn't the FTC do more to correct bad care labels? IFI put that question to Connie Vecellio an FTC attorney, who explained that the commission considers several factors in determining whether to initiate enforcement. Those include the type of violation, the nature and amount of consumer harm; the likelihood of preventing future problems and the likelihood of securing redress.
The FTC "usually needs evidence that the manufacturer or importer has engaged in a pattern of rule violations," Vecellio told IFI. "Evidence of one garment labeled in violation of the rule, for example, would not usually cause the Commission to take action."
Consumers, who make up the third category of problem sources, often bring their garments to the cleaner to "fix" after they have done something. Color loss from bleach led the IFI list of consumer-caused problems. Perfumes, hair preparations, beverage and food spills, wear and tear, insects, chemicals are listed, too, along with the all-inclusive catch-all category "variety."
If the cleaner can't fix the problems, sometimes the IFI lab can. IFI members who have no other option for returning the garment to a satisfactory condition can try IFI's restoration service which last year processed 60 garments.
Dan Eisen, the Neighborhood Cleaners Association's chief garment analyst and assistant director of the New York School of Drycleaning, has announced that he will retire from the organization this July.
During his 33 years with NCA, he analyzed hundreds of thousands of garments that for one reason or another faded, fell apart or otherwise became unusable after cleaning. His analysis reports could take a cleaner to task as well as a garment maker, and his impartiality has earned him respect both outside the industry and within. The Wall Street Journal, in a 1997 article on his work, dubbed him "The Mr. Blackwell of Drycleaners."
Since 1982, Eisen has shared his wealth of garment care knowledge with National Clothesline readers every month in his column, "The Spotting Board." Each month he addresses a particular garment care problem that cleaners face, describes and dissects it and offers a solution. He will continue writing that column after he leaves NCA.
Last year he published a book, "The Art of Spotting," that includes many of his National Clothesline articles as well as articles he wrote for NCA over the years.
Eisen was part owner and operator of several drycleaning plants before joining NCA in 1968 and he maintained close contacts with many cleaners throughout his NCA years. In a letter announcing his retirement, he wrote:
"I have dealt with thousands of cleaners throughout the years and have been fortunate to have built up many close relationships. I have shared your frustrations and problems that most cleaners encounter. I have also shared your happiness when things went well. You people shared your problem-solving ideas with me and I was able to pass this information on to other cleaners.... I hope that I have passed something on to you that helped you succeed in business."
Eisen also thanked the industry's trade journals and allied trades firms for making his work "both rewarding and full of enrichment."
The allied trades, he said "are the major ingredient that has kept this industry alive" by developing new machines and chemicals and providing cleaners with technical assistance to learn how to use them.
He also had special words of thanks for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where he has the opportunity to teach the future designers (who he hopes will help produce more serviceable garments) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art for its recommendations and support and projects that "were interesting to work on."
After he finishes his work at NCA in July, he and his wife will move to Port St. Lucie, FL. He will remain available for consultations and teaching situations.
Consumers are paying more attention to the labels in garments when they go shopping, according to a recent survey by Cotton Inc.
Forty-one percent of the women surveyed said they always read fabric labels before buying. That was a 37 percent increase in from the same survey taken a year earlier. Another 20 percent said they usually read the labels. Only 15 percent said they never read labels.
Consumers told Cotton Inc.'s Lifestyle Monitor survey that they want clothes that are comfortable, look good, travel well and are easy to care for. Sixty-three percent of the women said they are unwilling to sacrifice comfort for fashion.
"Consumers today are very educate about how fabrics hold up and perform," said Celeste Turner, owner of the upscale Celeste Turner Boutique in Chicago
"As retailers, we also try to educate and steer them in the right direction, We do get resistance to 100 percent wool, if it's not a fine, soft wool. We also get a little resistance to corduroy it it's to bulky."
The number-one reason women avoid certain fabrics such as wool and polyester, according to the Monitor, is that they find them uncomfortable. Turner said that "anything that is stiff or rough to the touch or itchy or scratchy doesn't sell well.
"Everything now is a blend, and is very comfortable, so I think consumers are into the way things look and also feel... there's so much to choose from that being uncomfortable translates into being unfashionable."
Wholesale prices for domestically produced women's apparel declined 0.3 percent in March, reflecting ongoing pressures form low-priced imports, the U.S. Department of Labor reported in April.
Wholesale prices for U.S.-made women's apparel continued a long-term downward trend, falling 1.3 percent compared to March 2000. For all apparel, wholesale prices decline 0.2 percent from February through March of this year and 0.7 percent in the 12-month period that ended in March 2001.
When Clean '01 attendees arrive at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 19, they will be greeted by mimes and magicians, as well as performers who will play New Orleans style music.
Breaking from the format of past Clean shows, this year's opening festivities will not include the traditional opening ceremony highlighted by a keynote speaker.
Instead, a variety of entertainment is scheduled for the lobby and registration area prior to the ribbon cutting that will open up the exhibit floor at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 19. Celebrity look-alikes will mingle with attendees and provide photo opportunities.
"Sponsors and show management wanted to add some new excitement to the Clean Show," said John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates, who is managing Clean '01. "We think what we have planned will be a lot of fun for our attendees."
One of the new features planned for this year's show is Café Clean, an afternoon entertainment program that will give attendees a chance to take a break from over 40 hours of educational sessions and over 600 company exhibits that will highlight the four-day event.
Café Clean will be comprised of New Orleans musical groups, cooking demonstrations of traditional New Orleans cuisine and Cajun dance lessons.
On Friday, July 20, Chef Kevin Belton, who is an instructor at the New Orleans School of Cooking, will prepare some Louisiana jambalaya. Attendees might recognize him from his BBC cooking series "Big Kevin, Little Kevin" or his appearance on the "Live with Regis and Kathy Lee" television show.
Café Clean will feature Horst Pfeifer on Saturday, July 21. Pfeifer is the executive chef and co-owner of the French Quarter restaurant Bella Luna. He has been featured on the television cooking series "Great Chefs" and in the James Beard House "Rising Star Series." For his demonstration, he will cook some Creole crab Cakes with chipotle remoulade.
On Sunday, Café Clean will offer attendees a traditional jazz brunch, as well.
For information about Clean '01, visit its web site at www.cleanshow.com or contact the show's management company, Riddle & Associates, Suite 360-C, 1874 Piedmont Rd., Atlanta, GA 30324, phone (404) 876-1988, fax (404) 876-5121, e-mail info@cleanshow.com.
The time is fast approaching for this year's Clean '01 Show, scheduled from July 19-22, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.
Hotel accommodations are still available through the Clean '01 housing package, which offers attendees a total of 23 hotels to choose from. Room rates range from $79 to $165 a night.
International Fabricare Institute members seeking to make a reservation with IFI's headquarters hotel, the Monteleone, should call the hotel directly at (800) 535-8595 or (504) 523-3341. The booking code for IFI members at the hotel is IF6 and the secured room rate costs $120 a night, not including taxes.
Reservations for all other hotels should be made by contacting the Clean '01 Housing Bureau. The phone numbers for the bureau are: (800) 424-5250 or international (847) 940-2153, and fax numbers are (800) 521-6017 or international (847) 940-2386.
Attendees are also running out of time to be eligible for a discounted show registration cost of $35 before June 15. Registration after that date will go up to $60.
The registration fee will cover admittance to all of this year's educational programs, which will focus on everything from business and personnel management to marketing, technology and legislative issues.
The educational sessions have all been scheduled to take place between 8 and 11 a.m. daily so that attendees will have the maximum time allotted to visit the exhibit floor.
IFI deadlines loom
The "Best Dressed" winners and the recipients of 2000's Meritorious Service Awards will be announced during special presentations at this year's Clean Show.
All entry submissions for either contest must be sent by May 30.
The Meritorious Service Awards were originally started in 1999 to honor individuals and companies who have made contributions to the betterment of the drycleaning industry.
The award recipients may be plant owners, suppliers, educators and other members of the industry -- whether they are IFI members or not -- so long as those potential nominees have illustrated exceptional volunteer efforts.
The categories include: Industry Positive Recognition; Legislative-Regulatory; Technology Trailblazer; Allied Trades; Green Fields; Commitment to Professionalism; and the top service award, Diamond Achievement.
IFI is also still looking for the ten best dressed Allied Trade representatives and the ten best drycleaners in the industry.
The association hopes to recognize industry members who advertise a positive daily image for the industry by dressing professionally. IFI CEO Bill Fisher will personally be reviewing all contest submissions and will determine the winners.
Nomination forms for IFI's Meritorious Service Awards and "Best Dressed" contests can be found in a current issue of IFI's Fabricare magazine. A picture of each nominee for the "Best Dressed" contests should be included with each submission form.
For more information, contact Jay Calleja at (800) 638-2627, ext. 122 or visit IFI's web site at www.ifi.org.
This year's schedule of educational programs for Clean '01 can be found at www.cleanshow.com, the show's official web site.
The site also offers detailed information about exhibiting, registering and reserving hotel accommodations.
The show's management company, Riddle & Associates, can be contacted by phone, (404) 876-1998; fax, (404) 876-5121; e-mail, info@cleanshow.com; or mail, Suite 360-C, 1874 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, GA, 30324.
Gary Dawson and Steven Poulos are currently running unopposed for the International Fabricare Institute's District 3 and 4 Board of Director positions.
If elected, Dawson would take the District 3 seat held by fellow Floridian Lang Houston who will become president of IFI this summer. District 3 includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
He is a third generation drycleaner who first was introduced to the industry when he visited his grandfather's plant, The Archer Laundry Company, located in Baltimore, MD.
During his high school years, Dawson helped his father at his drycleaning business by route training, pressing and spotting. Later on, he worked with R.R. Street & Co. Inc. servicing customers in Birmingham, AL, and San Diego, CA, for about five years.
In 1980, Dawson and his wife, Joan, bought Belleair Bluffs Cleaners in Belleair Bluffs, FL, and have run the plant since.
Dawson is a past president of the South Eastern Fabricare Association, and is a current director of the group. He is also the co-executive officer of the Florida Drycleaners Coalition, a non-profit corporation that monitors drycleaning-related legislative issues in Florida.
Dawson also serves as chairman for the State of Florida Small Business Assistance Program.
"I've been involved in the industry all of my life," he said, "and this is the next logical step for me to give something back to the industry."
"I want to do it for the love of the industry," he added. "I don't want to see the industry being attacked by the media, environmental groups or other forces. I want to see it continue to grow. It's an opportunity for me to get more involved and help the industry move forward."
The other IFI board candidate, Steven Poulos, is running for the District 4 seat now held by Debbie Barnett of Indiana. The district includes Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan.
Poulos has been a member of the Ohio Cleaners Association since 1970. In addition to being a lifetime trustee of the association, he also served as president from 1998 to 1999.
He owns Blair's Cleaners-Elmest Inc. in North Canton, OH, which he originally began in 1983 under the name of J.P.S. Associates Inc. The company operated 12 retail drycleaning and laundromats in Stark County, OH, and was reorganized in 1994.
Now, Elmest Inc. owns and operates seven retail locations, including two drycleaning plants and a shirt plant that employs almost fifty people.
Before becoming involved with Elmest Inc., Poulos ran has family's movie cinema chain from 1977 to 1984.
Poulos is also a majority shareholder of Midpark, Inc. and he spends some of his spare time working with Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, OH.
He is an advisor board member for the Fabricare Technology Center and has served as a board member and president of the Pegasus Farm, where mentally and physically challenged people go for therapy and recreation.
"I've been actively involved in every organization I've ever been part of," Poulos said. "My mentor, Tom Kimmel, was a good example for all of us."
Poulos also added, "I want to promote education and teamwork... I think the industry has an image problem and it's time for the next generation of drycleaners to step forward and move the industry to the next level."
The IFI board consists of eight district directors. Each year, two directors are elected to four-year terms. Holdover directors this year include Don Fawcett of Massachusetts, David Rosenblatt of Pennsylvania, Dan Martino of Wisconsin, Jim Cripe of Texas, Gary Campbell of Oregon, and Perry Pulos of California. Joe Amato III of Amato Industries represents the allied trades on the board.
The current president, Bob Shirley of Nevada, will become chairman of the board after Houston becomes president this summer.
For the last nine years, the members of the National Management Group have visited each other's plants. But for their February 14 meeting, the members decided to forgo the customary plant visit and meet at a sunnier and more elegant location. Hence: Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, a magnificent resort area on the furthermost southern tip of the Baja peninsula between the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean.
A regular cost group meeting lasts almost two days. At a typical meeting the members visit and critique a host plant down to the smallest detail. Additionally, they compare costs, study ways to improve productivity, study how to better satisfy the customer, and examine critical issues of the day. But at this intense meeting at Cabo, the members concentrated on examining the results of the year 2000.
Discussion Points For 1999 vs. 2000 P&L Analysis
You have heard this before: "If you don't understand history, you are condemned to repeat it!" You must understand the dynamics of your operation so that you can control it. Your analysis of your operation is critical to the success of your future.
Your 15-minute incisive presentation should include:
1. My sales for 2000 were up or down for this reason.
2. My profits for 2000 were up or down for this reason. If sales were up, (for example $50,000), shouldn't about $25,000 drop to the bottom line? If it didn't, what happened?
3. Here are the two to three really significant things that happened in 2000.
a. What did you do right?
b. What did you do wrong? What were your major mistakes?
4. Look at your depreciation figure. How much money do you expect to spend for capital expenditures in 2001? Is it justified by your depreciation figure? Will the money come from profits or borrowing?
5. Discuss your 2000 objectives and comment on successes and failures.
6. Here are the three truly significant objectives I am targeting in 2001. Prepare a written action plan for one objective.
7. Lastly, give your traditional update.
But all work and no play makes drycleaners very dull people, so recreation time was planned to flush out the brain.
At the completion of the meeting, everyone committed to concentrate on finding the processes necessary to reduce turnover so that the very best employees would be retained. Why? Because turnover is a profit killer. The conclusions:
1. Management must be committed to become an Employer of Choice so their companies will be the company where good people will want to work.
2. Committed employees will produce the best quality cleaning and finishing for their customers, leading to better customer bonding leading to increased sales.
3. Satisfied employees and satisfied customers stop the turnover in employees and customers leading to higher and higher profits.
With this commitment the group will be able to afford more and more trips to places like Cabo San Lucas!
Sid Tuchman is president of Tuchman Training Systems. He formerly was the owner of Tuchman Cleaners, a company of 32 plants and stores. He was also a founder of Apparelmaster. As a consultant and the facilitator of two management groups, he shows organizations how to exceed customer's expectations by developing a culture that retains and nurtures the best in employees. If you have interest in a cost group, or need a speaker at your convention, Tuchman can be reached at (317) 844-7747 or (415) 751-3373.Anything that was ever made had a beginning. Nothing happens without a beginning. A good idea has a beginning. Drycleaning had a beginning. Beginning begins with thinking, and thinking is the mother of ideas and inventions. Knowing that, drycleaning had a beginning.
Therefore, this story about drycleaning goes back to its beginning. It happened in France as told by Vat Dyeing establishment owner M. Belin in the year of 1794.
Later Mr. Belin sold his dyeing establishment to Jean Baptiste Jolly who then formed a cleaning company named Jolly-Belin and the process was called "French Cleaning."
The cleaning process came by accident when a servant in the Jean-Baptiste Jolly household spilled a flammable liquid from a table lamp onto a tablecloth, making soil and spots disappear.
Now I find that hard to believe. Here is this gentleman with servants, wealth and refinement of culture having a dirty, greasy tablecloth on his dining room table. This doesn't make sense, even with imagination.
The real story
My opinion is that this accident happened in a sleazy restaurant where refinement wasn't necessary. This is the place where customers drank alcoholic beverages, where there was more of drinking than of eating.
What happened here to cause the accident were two drunks arguing and punching.
One of the drunks tipped over a lamp that was lit, spilling flammable liquid onto a tablecloth that was nailed to the table in order to prevent stealing.
Now, the tablecloth was dirty and greasy with hog fat. Fortunately, it was a miracle the lamp liquid did not explode. When the liquid dried a clean path was shown and the dirt and stains were gone. One witness who was amazed said, "Holy mackerel, look at that!"
Another person sitting next to the door smoking his pipe also witnessed the accident, but without a word, he hurried out of the door. Once outside he yelled, "Hallelujah! I'm going to get rich! I'm going to be a millionaire! Hot ziggety-zag!"
He was elated. Why not? He had a good idea that would soon become drycleaning.
The trouble begins
When drycleaning became a reality, so did trouble. Organized crime got into the business. Criminals known as racketeers demanded money from drycleaners. When payments were not made, the cleaning plants would go up in smoke.
Aside from that, lack of knowledge became a big problem. No one knew for sure what was going on
One thing was certain: a better and safer way in cleaning was needed. Who would know and who would help?
It wouldn't be competition. Competition was fierce and destructive. Price-cutting became a competitive weapon.
It was a miracle how 25 drycleaners from different parts of the country got together and formed an association. They knew that the drycleaning industry was going in the wrong direction and that no one would benefit. The year was 1907.
The purpose of the association was to learn and teach. All drycleaners were welcomed to join, including manufacturers and distributors. Later the association became known as the National Institute of Drycleaners (NID).
Today the same institute with its basic fundamental principles is known as the International Fabricare Institute (IFI). Uninformed drycleaners should know that IFI is not the brainchild of money investors. It was formed by 25 drycleaners, for the benefit of drycleaners.
However, IFI is not responsible for the behavior of drycleaners. Its purpose is to help build a strong industry through education and research.
The trouble continues
Today drycleaners have problems, but not as big as what drycleaners had in the formative years. At that time they had no source for information. None whatsoever. It was a hit-and-miss situation. Decisions were made on chance, and when things went wrong, drycleaners became miserable.
Today drycleaners should feel less miserable because information is available. Institutions and associations have information and learning facilities. Chemical manufacturing companies that have been in the drycleaning industry from the beginning understand the needs of the drycleaner.
So what's the problem? It is not so much of a problem, but unfortunately, attitude.
Too many drycleaners believe that drycleaning is a simplistic business. And, oversimplified by modern advances in machinery technology, they believe all that is needed is a certain amount of cash.
Customers provide the inventory and machinery is not difficult to operate. This is probably why so many chose to become drycleaners. However, what was not realized is that too many cleaners would become a problem.
With too little experience, which money cannot buy, dependency is placed on the drycleaning machine rather than on the knowledge of the drycleaning operator. This, of course, reduces the potential value of drycleaning, making the service a push-button operation.
All alike except in price
When drycleaners hold fast and become glued to this kind of operation, everyone is doing the same thing. One is not better than the other; price and location become the dominant factors. The cheapest price gets the business.
Drycleaning counter sales personnel are not the same as sales personnel in the retail self-service industry. Drycleaning sales personnel are more communicative with customers. Customers get individual attention.
The needs and wants of customers must be understood. Customers ask questions and they want answers. Good communication is what brings customers back, and knowledge and good service is what keeps them coming back.
Koreans who immigrated to America wanting to become drycleaners ran into a serious problem, a language problem. They didn't have the opportunity to learn a second language while attending classes in Korea. Private tutoring was forbidden during early grade school years. All children, rich or poor, had to be treated equal during their learning years. That included lunches and the clothes they wore. One was not better than the other. Egalitarianism was strictly enforced.
Not knowing the business and not knowing the language created tumultuous problems. The industry became swelled with many inexperienced drycleaners, which caused many disappointments for consumers.
Think solutions, not blame
ut let's face it. Immigrants alone cannot be blamed for all the problems of the drycleaning industry. U.S.-born drycleaners must also share the blame. Goody-two-shoes are not on everyone's feet. However, blaming is not a solution.
In today's world of doing business, the customer is always right. Drycleaners can no longer differentiate themselves on quality alone. Other factors are involved. Price is a big factor. When price is too high or too low, then one will cause profit to erode and the other will stymie volume flow. It is the consumer's income that will determine how much money will be spent. It is important to know your customers and how to do business on their terms.
To succeed in business one must satisfy customers. And, to do better work begins in the mind of the operator, not machinery. A machine does not think, it responds.
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.Most drycleaners are actually law-abiding citizens. They recognize that environmental laws were put in place to protect the environment, as well as the people who must live in it. They know full well that they work with solvents that must be handled in a responsible manner. In addition to feeling better about themselves for doing the right thing, those cleaners know that it simply makes good business sense to adhere to government regulations.
Sure, the paperwork is time-consuming and the extra costs are expensive, but smarter cleaners realize the alternative.
If you break the law, it will eventually catch up with you. Some cleaners have refused to accept this, believing they are saving money in the short run by cutting corners. However, nothing puts a company out of business faster than a heavy fine or clean-up cost. Of course, negative news headlines can destroy a company's reputation fairly quickly, as well.
Speaking of headlines, a Connecticut cleaner broke the law recently and it cost him $200,000 in clean-up fees, plus he gave an additional $40,000 to homeowners who lived near a reservoir that he admittedly contaminated with perc waste. He could still face $500,000 more in fines plus up to five years of jail time -- all for something that could have been avoided.
In Queens, NY, the EPA fined the White-Sun Cleaners Corporation $134,988 for allowing perc wastewater to evaporate into the plant's air, among other violations. Another New York cleaner, Splendid Enterprises Limited, was given $34,250 worth of penalties to pay for mislabeling and mismanaging barrels of drycleaning waste.
Obviously, environmental agencies are through playing games. They are going after companies that break the law and they are making them pay heavily for their illegal and unethical actions.
Drycleaners have a responsibility to their community. Fortunately, most cleaners are aware of this fact and are doing the right thing already. However, there are many out there who are still misrepresenting the industry. If you cannot follow the law and keep your plant compliant to protect your customers and your employees (not to mention your children and grandchildren), then at least conform to environmental laws because it will help you stay in business. After all, there is no sensible reason to do otherwise.
Considering the millions of garments that are processed in drycleaning plants each year, the few thousand that turn up in IFI's and NCA's labs for problem analysis seem like little more than grains of sand on the beach. Unfortunately, when that single grain is in your eye -- or worse, your customer's -- it looms large. A third-party analyst may be able to explain how that grain of sand got there, whose fault it was and how to get it out. But the best solution is to keep it from ever getting into your eye in the first place.
One-hundred percent perfection in processing is impossible. Nonetheless, the declining numbers of problem garments showing up in the IFI and NCA labs over the past few years suggest that the situation is improving. We never know what garment makers will turn out next so each new season brings new adventures in professional garment care. But the basic principles for successful outcomes remain the same: a solid understanding of cleaning, stain removal and finishing; proper maintenance of equipment and solvent; and, perhaps most important, paying attention to the work in front of you. Following these principles will reduce the three main sources of drycleaner-caused problems that IFI's lab has been reporting for several years: improper stain removal, redeposition and failure to follow care instructions.
Yes, cleaners should work together and through their trade associations to try to correct the mistakes that garment manufacturers make. But the problem garments will always be with us. What we could easily do without, and do away with, are the mistakes that cleaners make. That takes a personal commitment to professionalism and constant improvement. With the sand out of our eyes, we will see a better future.
Time and time again we see bulletins from trade journals of the garments that have various problems. It could be sequins, beads, puckering, etc.
From my standpoint, dye bleed is the most common daily problem facing drycleaners today. It seems that dye bleed is inherent in multiple manufacturers from not only America but across the globe.
Why does this problem persist? Is it environmental restrictions on dye setting processed garments? Are manufacturers not performing a final rinse?
When I first started drycleaning 16 years ago, it was always red that was a notorious bleeder. But today I would have to say that the problem exists in all colors, including some lights.
Another problem area are the ever-popular two-toned garments that turn out discolored. I know, "TEST, TEST, TEST," and I do that. But it has become so time consuming, in fact I am writing this while I test and have over 30 items that are solvent-ruining dye bleeds in one night!
I feel this is excessive. I do distill more than the usual recommended amount, but with utilities continuously rising, this is very costly.
I realize that none of this is new to anyone, but it seems much more prevalent now across the board in manufacturing. And there doesn't seem to be any difference from the least expensive garment to the higher cost ones.
Interestingly enough, I even find from the same manufacturer the same garments -- for example a women's suit from Amanda Smith -- that the skirt will be fine but the jacket will bleed. Even taking into account different dye lots, this seems too inconsistent.
The following is a list of manufacturers and RN numbers of dye-bleed garments that have dryclean labels attached. This list was compiled over a three-week period alone.
I urge other cleaners and trade organizations to add to this list, including the RN numbers. I would like to see this issue addressed by the manufacturers. Wouldn't this make your life a bit easier?
Gary Biela
Sentry Cleaners
Chicopee, MA
| Manufacturer | RN Number |
| Valerie Stevens | 13711 |
| NY & Co | 54867 |
| 233243 | |
| Allison Che | |
| Max Studio | |
| Express | 55285, 54837 |
| Michael Blake | 45159 |
| Amanda Smith Petites | 13711 |
| Vintage Blue | 52438 |
| Positive Attitude | |
| Casual Corner | 93986 |
| Gap | 54023 |
| Cykstess | |
| Chiasso | 56622 |
| W | |
| Harlow | 92344, 92544 |
| Express | 54867 |
| Perceptions | 66585 |
| Unknown | 83409, 42435 |
| Ultra Press | 53048 |
| Avenue | 73960 |
| Spring Street | 65432 |
| Evan Picone | 54050 |
| Alex Garfield | 90166 |
| Larry Lavine | 38843 |
| FV2 | 86149 |
| Fashion Bug | |
| Jacqueline Ferar | 93677 |
| Jones NY | 54050 |
| City Stretch | 23243 |
| Tommy Hilfiger | 66476 |
| Sheri Martin | 42435 |
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