Olympic Torch

In the midst of its two-month journey toward Salt Lake City, UT, the Olympic Torch and its relay team burns cleanly on course, thanks in part to the help from more than 40 drycleaners across the country who are participating in the International Fabricare Institute’s “Operation Running Clean.” The project is an effective way for the industry to show its support for the 2002 Olympic Games that are scheduled to begin in February.

The torch’s progress

The following is the list of cleaners scheduled to help with the Olympic Torch Relay.

Dec. 1, Atlanta, Georgia: Fashion Care Cleaners, Atlanta.

Dec. 8, Mobile, Alabama: Brass Hanger Cleaners, Gautier.

Dec. 11, Fort Worth, Texas: Cousins Fabricare Specialists, Fort Worth; Reino Cleaners, Grand Prairie; D.D. French Cleaning, Dallas; Twin Kell Cleaners, Fort Worth; Glo Cleaning System, Dallas; Cox Drycleaners, Dallas; Gerald Stavely Cleaners, Dallas; Avons Cleaners, Dallas; Fishburns Cleaners, Dallas.

Dec. 15, Nashville, Tennessee: Ted’s Cleaners, Nashville; Signature Cleaners, Hendersonville.

Dec. 19, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Clean Care, Pittsburgh.

Dec. 23, New York City, New York: Aphrodite Cleaners, Brooklyn.

Dec. 29, Lake George, New York: Feigenbaum Cleaners & Furriers, Glen Falls.

Jan. 2, Columbus, Ohio: Swan Cleaners, Columbus.

Jan. 6, Detroit, Michigan: Michigan 49 Min. Cleaners, Detroit; Omega Cleaners, Detroit; Magic 40 Minute Cleaners, Detroit; Quality 40 Minute Cleaners, Detroit.

Jan. 10, Wichita, Kansas: Millers Cleaners, Wichita.

Jan. 15, Los Angeles, California: Sterling Westwood, Inc., Los Angeles; Bryan’s Cleaners & Dyers, Pasadena; Pico Cleaning Centers, Los Angeles.

Jan. 18, San Francisco, California: Fairmont Cleaners, Pacifica; Aristocrat Cleaners, San Francisco; Blue Bird Cleaners, San Francisco; Buck’s Change Cleaners, San Francisco; Fanta Delux Cleaners, San Francisco; Fine Arts Cleaners, San Francisco; Lucky Cleaners, San Francisco; Mill’s 1 Hour Cleaners, Millbrae; One Hour Cleaners, Colma; Parkside Cleaners, San Francisco; Sunshine Cleaners, San Francisco; Sunshine Express, San Francisco; Wardrobe Cleaners, San Francisco; Kent Cleaners, Foster City; One Hour Drycleaning. San Bruno.

Jan. 22, Portland, Oregon: Cintas, Portland.

Jan. 26, Idaho Falls, Idaho: Davis’s Imperial Cleaners, Idaho Falls.

Jan. 30, Denver, Colorado: Colorado Lace, Denver.

Feb. 4, Salt Lake City, Utah: Unavailable at press time.

While approximately 150 members of the Olympic Torch Relay Team travel across America bearing the symbolic flame in tow, they require volunteers to help keep their uniforms clean. Thus, 16 scheduled stops have been planned, each four days apart so that the members of the relay team can drop off their garments at 5 p.m. on one night and pick them up by 6 a.m on the following morning.

That means participating cleaners will have only thirteen hours to clean hundreds of clothing items. Among the garments being dropped off will be heavy black pants, socks, undergarments, fleece shirts and jackets. In all, more than 22,000 pieces of clothing will need to cleaned during the Olympic Torch’s epic run.

“Operation Running Clean, as it is referred to, covers 13,500 geographical miles and involves more than 40 individual cleaners,” said Roy Bestow, Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay RON Manager. “The planning, dedication and hard work of not only the International Fabricare Institute, but the individual local drycleaners, have been overwhelming.

“Cleaning 1,400 pieces of clothing every four days is no small feat. Most of the cleaners are working around the clock to ensure that we have our laundry back in time to move on with the flame to the next city.”

Jon Meijer, IFI’s vice president of membership and currently serving as the coordinator of Operation Running Clean, concurs that the biggest challenge to cleaners will be completing the arduous task in one evening.

“This is a one-hit, one-night job,” Meijer said. “What makes this effort so challenging is that the cleaning must be completed in the middle of the night. It requires a lot of dedication by the cleaners to offer these services for free or at a deep discount, but our members were more than willing to take on the challenge.”

In recognition of their efforts, each participating cleaner will receive a framed commemorative Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay shirt and certificate of appreciation.

Originally, the Operation Running Cleaning program was introduced in 1996 when IFI sought member support to help the Olympic Torch Relay Team on its 12-week journey to the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA. The trip covered a total distance of 15,000 miles, so 65 plants were required to clean about 30,000 pounds of laundry over 24 route stops.

For more information, contact Meijer at IFI, (301) 622-1900.