National Clothesline

Whether you are a novice or an old pro, chances are there is still some room to improve at the spotting board.

Cleaners of all levels of experience and skill will have an excellent opportunity to achieve the next level of quality when the Southwest Drycleaners Association hosts two upcoming courses at the association’s school in Lubbock, Texas.

The International Textile Center, located on the campus of Texas Tech University, will offer a stain removal class for beginners from November 8-10, as well as an advanced class from November 10-12.

Both courses will be taught by the school’s chief instructor, Jane Zellers.

During the first two-and-a-half day course, she will train attendees on the proper stain removal techniques, with special attention paid to how dyes, pigments, prints and finishes are all vital components of the cleaning process.

Students will also gain an understanding on the proper use of stain removal tools and will be able to recognize terms such as wetside, dryside, alkaline and acid.

The class will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the first two days and from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the final day.

Instruction will be divided between lecture, class discussion, demonstrations and hands on experience.

The cost is $320 for SDA members, $395 for other IFI members and $465 for non-members.

The two-day advanced class will begin on Wednesday, November 10, running from 1 to 4:30 p.m. It will resume the next day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and again from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

The stain removal techniques outlined in the second course will be more suitable for experienced cleaners.

The course curriculum is designed to help students gain a better understanding of fiber content, weaves, garment construction, and how to test fiber content by burn testing.

Students will also receive hands on training using bleaches, digester and KOH.

Tuition is $310 for SDA members, $380 for all other IFI members, and $450 for non-members.

There is a 24-student maximum for both classes, so early registration is recommended.

To sign up for either course, call the Southwest Drycleaners Association at (210) 826-4684 or visit them online at www.sda-dryclean.com.

Men’s Wearhouse became popular by offering suits, now it aims to grow by offering to clean them, as well.

North America’s largest specialty retailer of men’s tailored clothing and business attire recently purchased all 23 locations of Nesbit’s Cleaners, located in Texas, and named Mike Nesbit president of Men’s Wearhouse Ventures.

The company’s latest objective is to create a nationally-known brand as a full-service, high-end cleaner.

In order to accomplish the goal, Men’s Wearhouse will acquire existing cleaning stores and build new ones while launching a marketing campaign with radio and television advertisements.

Nesbit told the Dallas Business Journal that the company will offer drive-through services, as well as 24-hour drop-off and pickup. Additionally, the company said it will use only GreenEarth solvent in the 1,000 or so plants it plans to launch over the course of the next decade.

The cleaning aspect of the business has yet to be named, but it will be considered separate from the Men’s Wearhouse clothing stores. However, the suit stores will still be used as a competitive tool to bring in drycleaning business.

One option to expect, according to the Business Journal, is that free cleanings may be offered with the purchase of every suit.

Another publication, Value Line, has reported that Men’s Wearhouse will likely offer customers a 20 percent discount on the cost of cleaning, provided the formal garments are purchased in-store and dropped off at the partner plants.

Despite having such a market advantage, one analyst for Value Line believed that the latest Men’s Wearhouse venture may still face considerable difficulties, writing: “We do not see the potential for a good amount of leverage in the concept, but wonder if it will be too different of a business to synch with the retail operations.”

Men’s Wearhouse was founded in 1973. Since then, the company has grown to include almost 700 stores. Its web site is www.menswearhouse.com.