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January 16, 2012
New Year Brings Holiday Stains

CONCORD, N.C. — A new year brings new opportunities for those prepared to take advantage. You’re no doubt heard the saying, “Foolishness is continuing to do what you have always done and expecting different results.” Make the adjustments in your business model now to capture and keep the customers that will be on the move in the coming year.

The best time to plant an apple tree is 20 years ago, to have apples today. The second best time to plant an apple tree is today, to have apples in the future. If you never get around to planting the apple tree, you will never have apples.

Drycleaning volume may not return to the levels of 10 years ago in the foreseeable future; cleaners are being forced to make do with the lower garment count. The industry is saturated with processing plants that are based on speed and/or price. The niche in the marketplace is reliable stain removal by a knowledgeable operator.

Stain removal is quickly becoming a valuable commodity. Not only does it contribute to the bottom line, it leads to increased customer loyalty.

April 23, 2010
Excellence in Stain Removal, Part 2

The Clothing Care Council (CCC) offers every drycleaner an opportunity to distinguish himself or herself with the voluntary Award of Excellence (AOE) certification program. This month, I’ll cover the second half of AOE’s stain-removal test, which features egg, red wine and spaghetti-sauce stains on swatches of plain white silk.

EGG

April 22, 2009
How Can I Remove Easter-Egg Dyes Consistently?

Q: Easter is always the time I get lots of frilly, child-sized dresses with smudgy pastel stains on their sleeves and bodices, which I can only assume resulted from these girls dying eggs or eating dyed eggs in their Sunday best. I’ve had good luck and bad removing these stains, and every time I can’t remove the stains, the parents complain that they can’t pass these special dresses on to other kids. What’s the secret to getting rid of these stains completely, every time?

December 19, 2008
Make Stains Vanish without a Trace

Exceeding customer expectations is about taking the time to do things right. It’s about spending the time necessary to remove the last traces of a stain. It’s about knowing how to get out of trouble when the garment doesn’t respond as expected, and having the knowledge to go beyond what your competition can do. If your best isn’t good enough, the customer is going to look somewhere else.

March 12, 2008
Running in Reverse

I just happened to be at the counter when I saw the lady get out of her car. I saw that look on her face — but was pretty sure I hadn't taken her candy.

It turned out that her husband had given her the forest-green silk outfit for their anniversary. But when she showed it to me, the jacket was lime-green under the arms. She had worn it with only a scarf on one of those unseasonably warm November days.

July 25, 2007
How Do I Handle A Red Wine Stain?

Q: What's the best procedure for handling red wine spillage on cotton blends that include stretchy material, such as a cotton/elastic blend or a cotton/spandex blend?

A: Follow the procedure below until the stain is removed. Repeat a step if the stain responds to it. If the fabric contains spandex, test it first with heat on an unexposed area and look for puckering or fabric distortion.

Stain removal procedure:
1. Spray area with a fine mist of water.