National Clothesline

I narrow success in the drycleaning business down to just two factors: the counter and consistent quality (and quality can be incorporated into final finishing and inspection).

Each segment has at least a dozen very important areas that need continual upgrading and re-evaluation, but we have to focus on the items and methods that we can control by policy and management.

One of the most common areas at fault and carelessly goes on day in and day out in the finishing

department is the improper use of the vacuum or dryer.

At one time, all plants operated on the “piece work system.” There’s nothing wrong with that, but many pressers will speed up their piece work count by shortening the allotted vacuum time. Who’s to know? Most garments will look the same, except when you inspect a finished garment that’s been hanging and bagged up for few days.

The problem becomes more pronounced and obvious on a floor-to-ceiling conveyor where the finished garments are suspended from the high humidity heated ceiling. The open ended plastic bag traps more of the rising heat and exacerbates the problem. Lapel and pocket flaps, which had a crisp appearance, become puckered and wrinkled due to the release of the moisture that was retained from the shortened vacuum time.

A poor vacuum does not always point a finger at the operator, but can start with the vacuum itself. For instance, when it’s always installed in the basement at the farthest distance from the pressers, that five-press rated vacuum now has the power and capacity of three presses or less! For every elbow or change of direction a vacuum line takes, there is a loss of 1é8 to 1é4 hp, which is dissipated. More damaging is the outlet line at 1 1é2" pipe that is often reduced to an 1 1é4" line.

It reminds me of my days as a smoker, when sometimes I discovered a pinhole in my cigarette and lost the ability to inhale. Many times the flexible hose connected to the vacuum will be loosely connected and all will be going through the motions with little or no vacuum whatsoever.

There is a simple test to see if your vacuum is working as it should, and it is advisable to periodically conduct this simple test.

Take a page from any large tabloid newspaper and lay it across the buck of each press. Now press the vacuum pedal and slowly draw and pull the paper towards you. If the vacuum is working to its full capacity, the paper will naturally tear with the vacuum resistance. If it comes back easily with little or no resistance, then it’s time to see if there are leaks along the line, poor installation or an undersized vacuum. Or maybe it’s time for a padding change.

Why is this so important to consistent quality? (Write for my guidebook, “Pressed for Perfection.”) Visit any first-rate clothing store and inspect the garments that are about to be sold and purchased. Remember, they may be tried on many times and held or tossed, discarded, by perspiring customers. But the clothes must be capable of always being in the most attractive appearance for the next customer.

Vacuuming is most apparent in a clothing factory. Here you will witness a line of a dozens presses and finishers, all in a direct line, and at the end will be super-sized large turbine-style vacuum fully capable of removing any trace of moisture. The manufacturers know the importance of the retail merchant and the importance of having a completely dried garment, plus the problems that result from continually trying on garments many, many times before the final purchase.

When we look at shirt finishing, we know the purpose is to dry the shirt as well as press it. Shirt units today have built-in automatic vacuuming. Another realization why shirt units are set at 100 psi steam (the higher the psi the hotter and dryer the shirt) and clothing garment presses are set at 85 psi.

Properly dried, vacuumed garments enhance the finishing; the use of sizing in the final rinse in drycleaning makes quality come alive!

The popular Coat-a-Matic is one of the few pieces of equipment that molds and shapes the collar of jackets, with heat, steam and pressure, then sets it in place with the automatic vacuum. The next time you watch a TV commentator, observe his collar and lapel and notice how it sets on the wearer, with the collar never rolling in the back forward.

The vacuum is the answer, and to make this distinction more noticeable, the smart operator spends a few cents more on tissue in the sleeves, a coat retainer, even a shoulder molder on suit jackets. Preferred customers gladly pay 10 or 15 percent more for this crisp sharp and finished product. It’s all in the presentation. How do you present your product?

Ray Colucci, a consultant to the fabric care industry, has revised and made available three timely pamphlets: “Up Front Is Where It Counts” for counter training; “Pressed for Perfection” for finishing techniques; the popular “Route to Success To the Home of Office” for complete route training. The pamphlets are $20 each or all three for $50. Immediate delivery with all postage paid is promised. Send requests and payment to to R. Colucci, 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543.