Content about Health

CHICAGO — A majority of dry cleaners report they have given raises in the last six months, according to data from this month’s unscientific American Drycleaner Wire survey.

When asked if they’ve reviewed employee compensation in the last six months, 64.7% of respondents replied yes, saying they “raised pay on an individual basis,” while 23.5% “raised pay across the board.” Only 11.8% replied no, saying that they “did not raise pay.”

Coinciding with this trend, more than half of cleaners (52.9%) report that they pay their employees more than other plants in their market area. Roughly 41% of respondents have kept their pay rates about the same as other area plants. Just 5.9% report paying their staffers less than other plants in their area.

Just 17.6% of respondents report having had to lay off employees in the last 12 months for financial reasons.

CONCORD, N.C. — In a previous edition of American Drycleaner, readers like you were given a “heads-up” about what to expect from the fashion styles entering the marketplace (Fashion vs. Fabricare, November/December 2012).

The Federal Trade Commission’s recent request for comments on garment care labeling is a symptom of the continuing problem facing our industry.

The manufacturer’s focus on marketability and profitability at times runs contrary to serviceability. It is the obligation of the garment care professional to recognize that the customer’s item has a unique set of handling characteristics and then determine the best way to protect those unique characteristics while reconditioning the item for continued use in the future.

That is a mouthful, I admit, but I hope you get the point. “They” design the garment and “we” have to clean and finish the garment.

NEW YORK — Beginning next February, New York City dry cleaners will be required to disclose to consumers the primary chemicals used in their dry cleaning process, says the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

About 1,400 dry cleaning businesses throughout the Big Apple will be required to list the chemicals and a link to information about their health effects, so that consumers can access their potential impact.

DEP will work with affected businesses over the next year to implement the new rule ahead of the enforcement date.

“The local dry cleaner is an essential part of life for most New Yorkers, and it is important that information about all the chemicals used by these businesses is available,” says DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland. “At virtually no cost to businesses, this rule will ensure that this important public health information is available to the public.”

ARDMORE, Pa. — The so-called “fiscal cliff” tax package recently signed into law renewed more than 50 temporary tax breaks through 2013, saving individuals and businesses an estimated $76 billion. For the owners and operators of small- and medium-sized dry cleaning businesses, there is good news and bad news contained in the fiscal cliff tax laws.

First, the good news: greater certainty in taxes. The owners and operators of dry cleaning businesses have grown used to many longstanding tax breaks but they also have had to get used to the uncertainty of whether they will be renewed each year.

On the downside, in addition to a 3.8% Net Investment Income (NII) tax and a 0.9% Additional Medicare tax that, thanks to the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, began in 2013, many dry cleaners and laundry owners discovered they are subject to new taxes. Single individuals with incomes above the $400,000 level and married couples with income higher than $450,000 will pay more in taxes in 2013.

LUBBOCK, Texas — The newest location from Texas-based Comet Cleaners Franchise Group can be found in a fast-growing part of Lubbock. The clean, modern store, which covers 3,500 square feet, features two drive-thru lanes with a canopy. Friendly, professional staff greet customers with bottled water.

Comet Cleaners offers dry cleaning and laundry services, alterations, and wedding gown preservation, as well as cleaning of household items and drapes. Same-day service is available until 2 p.m. on weekdays.

The production area—customers can see the plant from the front counter—includes a Union dry cleaning machine, Wascomat laundry equipment, and Unipress and Forenta finishing and tensioning equipment. Boiler room equipment is by Lattner Boiler. The plant utilizes DCCS workstations.

Comet employs 13 full-time-equivalent workers and generates more than $10,000 in weekly sales.

Owner Ron Caffey designed the plant layout, Mike Lowe was architect, and Gulf States Laundry Machinery was the project’s equipment distributor.

CONCORD, N.C. — I recently received a phone call from my friend, Norman Oehlke. Norm probably served IFI (now DLI, the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute) in most every technical position and wrote this very column until 2008. When he speaks, I listen. Closely.

He still keeps a close eye on the cleaning industry and the changing solvents. We talked about the changes we had seen and the struggles facing owner/operators in today’s marketplace. We exchanged a few ideas and agreed that many cleaners have fallen victim to the concept of processing over pampering.

A symptom of this is that large companies have perceived there is profit in home dry cleaning kits due to consumer dissatisfaction with the quality of garment care available. Sadly, these dry cleaning kits have intimidated a number of cleaners, owner/operators who consider the end product of their service to be little better than the level of quality delivered by a rag, a bag and a home dryer.

CONCORD, N.C. — In order to honor reader requests and continue a tradition, this month’s column addresses some of the more common “land mines” awaiting the professional cleaner during the holiday period.

Party clothes can be a great source of income if you have earned the respect of potential customers and have built a reputation for reliable stain removal.

OIL AND BUTTER

When tablecloths and napkins containing oil and butter are put away, those substances will oxidize. This type of stain is relatively easy to remove when treated early, but the stain will turn deep yellow to brown over time.

Treat oxidized oil with paint-oil-grease remover (POG) on the dry side. Allow the garment to sit for at least an hour before dry cleaning as normal. If this procedure fails to completely remove the stain, repeat it. If the stain still remains, your last option is using KOH solution, made by mixing one-quarter tablespoon of potassium hydroxide into a quart of butyl alcohol. Apply the KOH solution on the dry side and allow the garment to sit for an hour. Tamp and re-clean the area to remove the remaining stain.

CHICAGO — If U.S. voters agree with the majority of dry cleaners who responded to this month's AmericanDrycleaner.com Wire survey, Mitt Romney will be elected the 45th president of the United States next month.

Nearly 62% of dry cleaners polled in the anonymous, unscientific survey say they are supporting the Republican ticket of Romney and running mate Paul Ryan. Roughly 24% are supporting Democratic incumbents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and the remaining 14.3% are not sure at this time. No one who took the survey said they would not be voting for president, or that they are supporting a third-party or write-in candidate.

In comparison, four years ago, 80.8% of dry cleaners supported Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin to only 14.1% for Obama/Biden and 5.1% for third-party or write-in candidates.

CHICAGO – The West and Northeast reported increased sales in August from one year ago, while dry cleaners in the Midwest and South saw their collective sales fall just short of August 2011 levels, according to the latest AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

When comparing first-half profits for 2012 to those for 2011, the only region reporting growth was the West, and it was minimal.

In comparing August 2012 sales to August 2011, the West saw a 6.3% increase. Sales in the Northeast rose 2.4%. The South and the Midwest saw their collective sales each drop 0.2% from August 2011.

First-half profits this year in the West topped 2011’s first-half results by 0.5%. The other regions reported declining profits when compared to the previous year’s January through June: Northeast, down 4.0%; South, down 2.1%; Midwest, down 0.3%.

LAFAYETTE, La. — A Louisiana dry cleaner pleaded guilty last week to negligently causing and allowing the discharge of hazardous waste—perchloroethylene, also known as perc—into a publicly owned treatment works or sewer system, according to U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley.

Jason Prejean, 38, of Lafayette owns One Low Price Cleaners (OLPC) and entered the guilty plea on behalf of him and his Lafayette business.

At the hearing, Prejean admitted that he acted negligently in failing to ensure the proper and lawful disposal of wastewater containing perc and that he failed to train OLPC employees on the lawful disposal of perc waste. He also admitted that he had not used a disposal company since February 2007.

Investigations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) revealed that from December 2007 through May 2009, perc was improperly stored on-site at OLPC and that employees routinely poured perc wastewater down the toilet inside the store.

CINCINNATI — Cintas Corp., a provider of first aid and safety products, has released its top tips for businesses impacted by the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) requirements for chemical classification and labeling. The new system will require millions of businesses and employees nationwide to be retrained on hazard communication.

“Hazardous-chemical information needs to be communicated to any employee who is exposed to or works with chemicals—even bleach,” says John Amann, vice president, First Aid & Safety, Cintas. “With GHS affecting over 5 million businesses, it is important that all employees are trained and understand the upcoming changes to chemical safety so businesses can keep workers safe and maintain OSHA compliance.”

The top tips for transitioning to GHS include:

UPDATE YOUR WRITTEN SAFETY PROGRAM

Anytime a safety standard is created or updated, written programs must be changed to include guidelines for complying with the regulation. Update your written program to incorporate GHS in all of your current hazard communication protocols.

CHICAGO — If there is one investment philosophy that approaches universal agreement among financial advisers, it’s the need for careful diversification in every portfolio in order to minimize risk, but exactly what does diversification mean, and how can you tell if your investments are truly diversified?

One popular TV show on finances features a segment called “Am I Diversified?” in which viewers call in, give the host their top five holdings and the host lets them know if they are properly diversified. According to Jason Whitby, MBA, CFA®, CFP®, AIFA®, senior financial adviser with Miami-based Investor Solutions, it’s not that simple. “The idea of five-stock diversification is mostly refuted by the financial community,” he says, “which tends to agree that the number of individual stocks needed for diversification is actually closer to 30.”