National Clothesline

With freshly minted facilities at its Laurel, MD, headquarters, the International Fabricare Institute has planned a series of one- and two-week drycleaning courses, two three-day stain removal courses and a two-day course on caring for wedding gowns in 2005.

Classes will be held at the School of Dry Cleaning Technology, which features a practical area with 13 stain removal boards, two shirt units, two pants units, three pressing units, as well as three solvent choices, wetcleaning and tensioning equipment in addition to a classroom for lectures.

IFI’s three-week cycle in the General Dry Cleaning Course has two phases and will be offered five times next year.

The one-week Introduction to Dry Cleaning course reinforces the principles of drycleaning for owners and employees, focusing on the basics, including elementary stain removal, drycleaning basics, fabric basics, finishing procedures for pants, coats, and skirts, assembly and invoicing, and customer service.

The two-week Advanced Dry Cleaning course is for individuals who have completed the introductory course or employees and owners/managers with more than one year of production experience.

The advanced course covers advanced stain removal procedures and bleaches, silk finishing, plant layout and workflow, fabric characteristics and fiber identification, drycleaning, wetcleaning, production costs and business analysis, and regulations and care labeling.

Starting dates for the one-week introductory course next year are Jan. 24, April 4, July 11, Aug. 8 and Oct. 17.

Starting dates for the two-week advanced course are Jan. 31, April 11, July 18, Aug. 15 and Oct 24.

The August courses will be conducted in both Korean and English; all instructional materials will also be available in both languages.

Cost for the one-week Introduction to Dry Cleaning rouse is $450 for IFI members and $695 for non-members. The advanced course is $900 for IFI members and $1,390 for non-members. The two courses may be taken separately or together as one continuous three-week course. The full three-week course is $1,250 for IFI members and $1,995 for non-members.

Stain removal courses will be offered March 16-18 and Sept. 21-23. The cost is $299 for members and $449 for non-members. The wedding gown course will be offered May 12-13; cost is $199 for members and $299 for non-members.

IFI also offers several “closer to home” educational opportunities for cleaners looking to deepen their knowledge or bring new staff up to speed in various areas of the field. These include self-study courses, educational videos, personalized in-plant training, and regional seminars.

For those needing financial assistance, many scholarships are available.

For information on IFI’s classes, seminars, and scholarships, call IFI Registrar Susan Bale, (800) 638-2627, ext. 1603.