Content about Science

National Cleaners Association Extreme Stain Removal/Intensive Bleaching course. Location to be announced. 

CONCORD, N.C. —  I was interviewed recently for one of those all-too-common consumer reports on drycleaning. The reporter recounted horror stories at the cleaners. Soon, she hit a nerve: “My mom said that cleaners used to get out stains, but today they just make excuses.”

I sincerely hope that she is not referring to your operations. The technical side of garment cleaning carries as much importance to your success as do your promotional efforts. A reputation for poor quality and indifferent service will render each dollar you spend on advertising worthless.

I often hear that two stains—soy sauce and balsamic vinaigrette—are “impossible” to remove. Not true. Armed with knowledge and by giving a little effort, you can remove them and enhance your professional reputation.

HOUSTON — Confidence is improving among small-business owners, according to a recent survey from human-resources firm Administaff, but almost three-quarters (71%) continue to name the economy as their top short-term concern.

More than 39% of small-business owners expect an economic turnaround in 2010, says the firm's quarterly Business Confidence Survey, while 44% think a rebound will occur in 2011. About 17% were unsure.

CHICAGO — More than half (52.0%) of drycleaners are using social media tools in marketing their businesses, according to the most recent survey appearing in the Wire, American Drycleaner’s e-mail newsletter, while 48.0% are not.

Q: With all of the snowstorms this year, we’ve been getting a lot of garments with salt stains. What’s the best way to remove them?

A: Rock salt (sodium chloride) and calcium chloride are both used to melt ice and snow. While it’s fairly easy to remove these salts when they’re fresh, they may damage dyes and disintegrate fabrics, especially silk and wool, when left in garments for a period of time.

If you want to continue earning a living in the textile-cleaning industry, now’s the time to do something about it.

Several members of the industry have called recently to tell me what’s happening. The calls were mostly from distributors telling me how their business is down. One representative told me that cleaners are cutting supply costs and that it’s affecting their business.

CHICAGO — Drycleaning sales showed volatility in the third quarter, according to a survey panel of industry operators tapped by AmericanDrycleaner.com to provide a variety of financial and cost data anonymously for use at the site.

In year-to-year comparisons for the three-month period, sales varied wildly in the Midwest, where operations reported an average 7.5% increase in sales. Respondents in the West, however, had a 23% decrease in sales.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Census Bureau will send questionnaires to an estimated 42,000 laundry and drycleaning businesses next month, launching its 2007 Economic Census. Businesses receiving forms are required by law to respond by Feb. 12, 2008.

Performed every five years, the census measures industry output in all sectors and geographic areas. The report is a “cornerstone” of U.S. economic statistics and offers source data for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers and other economic indicators.

CHICAGO — Drycleaning sales nationwide grew in April, according to a survey panel of industry operators tapped by AmericanDrycleaner.com to provide a variety of financial and cost data anonymously for use at the site.

Year-to-year estimates for April showed a 2.7% increase in sales among respondents, outpacing first-quarter economic growth (1.7%) nationwide. Operators in the Midwest showed the greatest average gains, with business up 5.75%; the South reported a 4.2% increase.