Put Service Before Profits

By Bill Bogus

There is a misconception that drycleaners are reluctant and fear change, That is not true. When change is just for alternatives and not for improvement, then threat becomes greater than opportunity.

Today, drycleaning equipment is more sophisticated and has more moving parts that call for knowledgeable mechanics. There is a shortage of good mechanics. This fact alone has become a serious matter for change.

Drycleaners believe in change and, importantly, in making the right decision for change. To change calls for investment, so it must be better for the drycleaner and also better for the customers. Without customers there is no need for change.

As for the environment and health concerns, modern drycleaning technology has put a lid on toxic solvents and pollution. Waste disposal is practically free of toxic solvent. There are more hazardous chemicals flushed down home toilet,s wasting clean, safe, drinking water. It is important to know that drycleaning uses less water than any other cleaning process, It is a known fact that 72 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water and less than 10 percent of that water is safe for drinking.

I understand now how the man felt on a raft in the middle of the ocean: “Water everywhere and not a drop to drink.”

Perc uses less water in the cleaning process than other cleaning solvents. On the dryside, perc is the best degreaser in removing all kinds of oil and wax from garments. And, it removes insoluble soil in less time from garments than any other solvents, It has yet to be told that alternative solvents perform better then perc.

A photograph taken in 1897 shows 15 men standing shoulder to shoulder, not smiling. They are dressed in three-piece suits, all wearing clean, white shirts with ties and pocket watches in their vests with gold chains hanging. All have mustaches, but no beards. Their suits appear to be scrubby and out of shape with suit jackets that were too loose and too long, and the lapels were a mess. Some jackets are too tight to be buttoned up and the trousers are wrinkled. The garments appear weedy and out-of-shape from over washing. They were considered to be the well-dressed men of years past. The good old days.

There is more to drycleaning than restoring the appearance of a garment. Much more. Keep in mind that outerwear garments are the first to attract contaminants. Aside from sticky food stains, drink stains and air-born dust, soil and other stuff, outer garments are a hiding place for insect parasites that wait for a chance to get onto one’s skin. Scratching them offers temporary relief. It’s no problem to find out where the itch is.

Mites and insects can become a serious health problem. During World War II infantry soldiers dusted their bodies with DDT. The powder was very effective in killing ticks, chiggers and other insects, but it also caused skin poisoning blisters. DDT was so harmful it was banned for human use.

What brought about this need for DDT was infectious disease control. Infantry soldiers lived in fox holes. Bathing and clean uniforms were something to dream about. It can be said without doubt that clean clothes not only contribute to one’s well-being, but more importantly to one’s health. It can also be said that drycleaned clothes are hygienically cleaner. There is more to drycleaning than what meets the eye. And there is no alternative for cleanliness.

Drycleaners are not afraid of change, providing that change is better for the customers. Big investors see drycleaning as an opportunity for making money. They are trying to overpower small businesses with big plants, lots of equipment and spending more money on advertising trying to convince and persuade customers that their services are superior. Customers have yet to see the evidence of satisfactory cleaning and good service.

For small drycleaners to compete with “big” requires hitting big where big is not doing. It takes sharp eyes, time and busy hands to do quality work. Big doesn’t take time. Small drycleaners take time. They know what customers want.