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February 28, 2011
Foster-Stephens Set for 75th Anniversary

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. — Supplier Foster-Stephens Inc. will celebrate its 75th anniversary in the industry next week. Today, the widow and daughter of its founder, Bill Jones, operate the company.

Foster-Stephens started in 1936 when someone abandoned a set of printed drycleaning posters at Westlake Press in Chicago. A salesman there at the time, Elmer “Bill” Jones bought and resold the posters to area drycleaners—so successfully that he incorporated the company on March 11, 1936. 

October 19, 2010
Cintas Introduces Machine-Wash Tux

CHICAGO — Cintas Corp. introduced a new, “environmentally friendly” apparel option for banquet staff. The company’s new, single-breasted tuxedos for men and women include recycled polyester fibers woven from recycled plastic bottles and are machine-washable.

May 11, 2009
House Bill Seeks Bag Tax to Combat Pollution

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) introduced a bill last month that seeks to cut pollution by placing a 5-cent tax on single-use plastic bags from drycleaners, grocery stores and other retailers.

“Our environment is literally choking on plastic bags,” Moran said in a statement, noting that oceans and rivers are clogged with plastic wastes. “Equally disturbing, as these plastics break down, toxic chemicals are being released into the environment.”

April 8, 2009
Life & Times in The Industry: Personal Memories from Those Who Were There

The idea of metal press pads was one Morris Rosenthal had while in the laundry business. Every Saturday, the pads needed to be changed because they were made of cotton and burned out in a week’s time. He went to the local hardware store and bought some steel wool, formed some padding and put them on the presses. Presto — the pads lasted for weeks.

February 28, 2008
Why Do Polyurethane Coats Deteriorate in Perc?

Q: We use perchloroethylene as our drycleaning solvent. For the past several years, we have been having serviceability issues with coats that contain polyurethane (bonding failure, peeling of coatings, discoloration). Are these garments better serviced using alternate solvents?

December 5, 2006
Using Amyl Acetate

Amyl acetate is a dry-side agent that is much more aggressive in certain respects than either VDS or POG. It’s important to have amyl acetate on the spotting board, since it helps dissolve stains that usually aren’t dissolved by other dry-side agents. Many spotters don’t use amyl acetate because they don’t understand its purpose.

Amyl acetate has an aroma similar to bananas and is often referred to as “banana oil.” Spotters also confuse amyl acetate with acetic acid and acetone.

December 5, 2006
Using Amyl Acetate

Amyl acetate is a dry-side agent that is much more aggressive in certain respects than either VDS or POG. It’s important to have amyl acetate on the spotting board, since it helps dissolve stains that usually aren’t dissolved by other dry-side agents. Many spotters don’t use amyl acetate because they don’t understand its purpose.

Amyl acetate has an aroma similar to bananas and is often referred to as “banana oil.” Spotters also confuse amyl acetate with acetic acid and acetone.