Alabama Cleaners Doing Restoration.

I spent some time in North Georgia and Alabama this past week.  The devastation and destruction that took place in cities like Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Cullman, Alabama and towns like Ringgold, GA from last months tornadoes is just unbelievable.  Whole city blocks have been demolished, some homes have been turned into piles of rubble, sections of woodlands with Pine trees 2 feet in diameter are broken in half like match sticks and the older hardwoods are ripped from the ground.  The whole picture is very surreal when you are in the middle of these areas.

It will be a long time, if ever before things get back to normal, but I have to report, the dry cleaners in these areas fared a little better than many other businesses.  To date, I know of one pick up store that was totally demolished and 2 plants that lost their roofs (which is horrible, but not in the scope of all the damage done to other businesses).  In the city of Huntsville, it was reported that the cleaners where without power for nearly a week. But amidst all this devastation and destruction, dry cleaners are back into production and in some cases are actually busy!!

One of the biggest reason for this upswing in business, is the amount of restoration dry cleaning and laundry that is being done.   Operations that do not normally do restoration work are having all types of household items brought in to be cleaned and restored. Everything from garments, curtains, dolls, furniture and luggage are being processed successfully helping the cash flow of many Alabama dry cleaners and laundries during this tough time.

 In the wake of the devastating storms on Wednesday April 27, 2011 , 238 Alabamians are confirmed dead, at least 1700 injured, and hundreds more are missing. Facing these immediate needs can be overwhelming, but there are many ways for us to give, volunteer and advocate for our friends and neighbors for more information go to:  Alabama Possible

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The Clean Show is Rapidly Approaching

Time is flying by and The Clean Show is rapidly approaching.  Held June 6 - 9, 2011 at the Las Vegas Convention center in Las Vegas, NV, this years show promises to be a good one. With over 10,000 attending, The Clean Show is the largest show for the dry cleaning and laundry industry and if you have never attended one, you should.
There will be many seminars available to help further your dry cleaning knowledge.  Everything from customer service, restoration, marketing, environmental and so much more. For the first time, Korean language educational classes will be offered, each morning of the show.  These will be covering Social Marketing, Wet Cleaning and Dry Cleaning, just to name a few.
So, if you can, I would strongly take advantage of all The Clean Show has to offer, to see the demonstrations, latest equipment, newest products and educational seminars.  This is a great chance to network with others in the dry cleaning and laundry industries, as well as to take a little time off and enjoy all Las Vegas has to offer.  I know will be there. Stop by and see me at the R.R. Street & Co. booth Tuesday thru Thursday, I hope to see you there!

For more information visit The Clean Show Website @:  www.cleanshow.com

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Make Sure to Read the Garment Care Label

I had a dry cleaner outside of Chattanooga, TN point this care label out to me today.  Many of you may have seen this type of labeling before but it was a first for me.
The garment is manufactured by Carlisle, the RN#  69161. The material was linen with an acetate lining.  The care label reads "Dry Clean With Green Earth Solvent Only".  The only problem with the care instructions was the symbol for the dry cleaning process was a P with a circle around it, indicating that it can be cleaned in any solvent except tricholorethylene.
What really had surprised the cleaner and myself was that this was the first garment that we had seen that had specifically named Green Earth as the type of solvent to be used for cleaning and with an ever increasing number of cleaners moving away from perc, I suspect that we will see more care labels like this.
In my opinion, this more specific label is a very welcome tool to assist all professional dry cleaners to choose the proper process needed to clean the garments in the way the manufacturer of the garment intended.  The only drawback being the cleaner will have to check these labels more closely and may not be using the solvent type specified by the manufacturer.

This perc dry cleaner was on his toes and caught the garment before it got into his perc dry cleaning machine.  The garment was no different in appearance from any other garment that could normally be cleaned in his perc machine. What had really made him look at the label was the feel of the garment.  It had a very different, almost a slightly plastic or rubber- like feel to the fabric finish that had been used to preserve the dimensional stability of the garment.  The fabric finish would have surely came out during dry cleaning in the perc machine and would have probably resulted in an upset customer and possibly a claim.
Click here for the Textile Affairs guide to garment care labels.

Check The Care Labels!!

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Good First Impressions.

It is often said that you only get one chance to make a good first impression.  Let's face it, people's first impressions last a long time and it is that first impression that may or may not keep them coming back to your dry cleaning business.
I have seen some cleaners that have done outstanding quality work, but their counter personnel had very poor attitudes or the lobby had not been updated in 20 years.  Is this the impression that you want to leave with your customers?   The bottom line is you may be the best dry cleaner in the world, but if you do not give that impression, all the work you put into your quality may be have gone to waste. 

Some things you can do that will help to give a good first impression:

• Update your lobby on a regular basis.  Fresh paint, new signage, new pictures and posters, new carpet can all go a long way to improving that first impression.
• At the very minimum, keep the lobby clean, dust free, no cobwebs and uncluttered.  Definitely do not have piles of clothes laying all over, on the floor, etc.  
• Train your counter personnel.  They are the point of sale and the face of your business.  
• Well groomed and uniformed counter personnel project a very professional image and will help to leave a good impression.
• Keep the plant clean, especially if it is visible from the counter.  One idea that I like was something that One Hour Martinizing used for their "open" plant design in smaller stores.  They had signage over each of the work stations describing what the key functions of that position where, from spotting to pressing to inspection.  The customer was able to read these while waiting in the lobby, which helped them to better understand the components of quality dry cleaning.

Lastly, you might want to consider hiring a mystery shopper, asking your distributor sales reps, manufacturer's reps, friends or family for their impression of your lobby area.  Do they feel it is attractive?  Do they feel it projects a good first impression?  Listen to their opinions, while they may be tough to hear, it is hard to overcome our ego and look objectively at our own businesses.

With today's economy you need to be looking at every aspect of your business, including the first impression that you make. 

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