Dry Cleaning: Then and Now

Believe it or not, people have been entrusting their garments to professional cleaners for millenia! Local garment care businesses have around since at least as early as the Ancient Romans (togas didn’t clean themselves, you know!), and waterless (“dry”) cleaning has been used since the mid-1800’s (did you know that the first dry cleaning patent granted in the U.S. was also the first patent ever to be granted to an African American?). While people have always needed their clothes cleaned, laundry and dry cleaning methods have changed a lot throughout the centuries, with many innovations occurring just in the last decade or so.

Here’s a quick history lesson:

Then:

white_way_early_1900s

Who says you need an internal combustion engine to provide laundry delivery service? The first “laundry wagons” were motored by horses! This photo from the early 1900’s shows the laundry wagon “fleet” of Elk Laundry Company (the original name of White Way Cleaners). As you can see, it was made up of both horse-drawn and motorized vehicles!

Now:

DeliveryVan

St. Croix and White Way Cleaners continue to offer (free) home delivery! Our “wagons” look a little more modern nowadays…

Then:

Pompeii

Evidence of “professional” garment cleaning dates back to the Ancient Romans. Launderers were known as fullers and their workshops were called fullonicas.

Now:

HEN - finished

Our brand new Loring Park location, connected to Treasured Garment Restoration, can serve any of your garment care needs: laundering, dry cleaning, alterations, preservation, and vintage restoration. Or visit one of our other nineteen locations throughout the Twin Cities!

Then:

kerosene

Believe it or not, kerosene and petroleum were used as solvents In the earliest years of dry cleaning. Sure they got out the stains, but think of the smell!

LATER:

Equipment at Nu Life FL 002

Beginning in the 1930’s, dry cleaners cleaned garments using a chemical called perchloroethylene (known as “perc”). Perc is a soil contaminant and carcinogen, and cleans so harshly that it can lead to color loss and other damage. According to the EPA, the majority of drycleaners still use perc as their primary solvent.

Now:

St Croix Cleaners 011

St. Croix/White Way Cleaners is 100% perc-free! We use only non-toxic/earth-friendly solvents like Hydrocarbon, a biodegradable and odorless compound. Not only is this better for the Earth, it’s better for your clothes! Learn more about our earth and fabric-friendly cleaning process here.

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2013 Green Business Award-Winner!

Green Award

Pictured (from left to right): Patrick Hanlon – City of Minneapolis, Environmental Services, Polly & Dave Nemec – Owners, St Croix | White Way Cleaners, Kelley Nemec – Marketing Manager, St Croix | White Way Cleaners, and Mike Nelson – MN Pollution Control Agency.

In April, St Croix | White Way Cleaners’ owner, Dave Nemec was invited to the Minneapolis City Hall to receive a “Green Business Award” in recognition for their eco-friendly cleaning methods.  The dry cleaning company which is based in Stillwater, MN, switched to eco-friendly cleaning solvents in 2007 and have never looked back.  “We are always looking for the next best technologies and opportunities to clean clothes with sustainable and eco-friendly practices.  We have been working very hard to continue increasing our quality standards while staying as earth-friendly as possible.  It’s such an honor to be recognized for these efforts,” Nemec stated.

Why eco-friendly?  Because when your garments are cleaned using earth-friendly solvents, they smell better, stay brighter longer, and are softer to the touch.  St Croix | White Way Cleaners has also installed a water re-circulation system, uses bio-degradable plastic bags and recycles hangers at all of their 20 Twin Cities Metro locations.

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Six Stains, Six Years in a ROW!

ST CROIX CLEANERS EARNS INTERNATIONAL DRYCLEANING AWARD

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For the 6th consecutive year, St Croix Cleaners has earned the prestigious Seal of Approval for Quality Garment Cleaning & Customer Service.  The Minnesota-based cleaner passed all the rigorous cleaning and customer service evaluations.  Earning the Seal of Approval signifies that St Croix Cleaners has successfully maintained high quality cleaning standards and has proven their ability in complex stain removal and consistently demonstrates superior quality and customer service.

This prestigious international award program is administered by the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute, a Washington-DC-based group.  To date, approximately 140 companies around the world have attained the Seal of Approval.

“Finding a good cleaner who will consistently treat you like a valued customer shouldn’t be a guessing game,”  Drycleaning and Laundry Institute CEO Mary Scalco said.  The 24-year veteran of the cleaning industry noted, “By becoming a Seal of Approval cleaner, St Croix Cleaners proved there is a difference between quality cleaners and their competition.  Now customers know where to find a cleaner who will treat them and their garments properly – every time.”

Each year, Seal of Approval Drycleaners must renew their status with the program by successfully completing stain removal and cleaning performance tests.  In addition, each business must meet other requirements such as continuing education, community service, and offering superior customer service as evidenced by the company’s standing with the Better Business Bureau.

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The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute represents the interests of the cleaning industry, clothing manufacturers, and consumer advisors in identifying those cleaning plants that provide the highest level of clothing care.  The group began accepting applications for the Seal of Approval Award of Excellence for Quality Garment Cleaning & Customer Service in 2005.  Visit their website or call Mary Scalco at 800.638.2627.

www.gooddrycleaners.com

St Croix | White Way Cleaners is an award-winning dry cleaning company based in Stillwater, Minnesota.  They have won the DryClean and Laundry Institute’s Seal of Approval 6 years in a row and have been voted “Best DryCleaner” over 10 times by Reader’s Choice.  They specialize in exceptional customer service, high-quality garment care, and eco-friendly dry cleaning by using non-toxic solvents, bio-degradable plastic bags, a water conservation system, and recycling hangers.  They have 20 drop-off locations throughout the Eastern Metro and within Minneapolis and St Paul.

www.StCroixCleaners.com   |   www.WhiteWayCleaners.net

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Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaning: What's in it for you?

Have you been wondering what the phrases “Eco-Friendly”, “Earth Friendly” and “Non-Toxic” really have to do with dry cleaning?  And why it should matter to you?

To put it in the simplest of terms, ‘earth friendly’ means that non-toxic solvents (that’s right, solvents that are NOT toxic) are used in the dry cleaning process to clean your garments.  By using this different type of cleaning solvent, you will notice substantial improvements to your wardrobe including:

  • Softer feeling clothes
  • No color loss (colors actually stay brighter, longer!)
  • Garments last longer
  • Better care and cleaning for delicate fabrics and embellishments
  • Your clothes will no longer have that “dry cleaner” smell

green-dry-cleanersIn addition to using non-toxic solvents, we also use bio-degradable plastic bags, online billing methods to save paper, recycle hangers, have the ONLY water-conservation system for a dry cleaner in Minnesota and try our best to design our home delivery routes to cut down on gas usage.

All of this contributes to decreasing your carbon footprint, and to helping you feel great about preserving the environment for future generations!

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The Grinch is Green and so are WE!

On December 6th we had a special visitor at our IDS Center location!  The infamous “Grinch” from The Children’s Theater Company’s production of, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” came out to visit our store, take photos with customers and passersby and to give away tickets to his show.  It was a great kick-off to the Holiday season, and we hope to do a lot more!  Check out more photos on our Facebook page!

Such a brave little guy!

Such a brave little guy!

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Supercharging Green Cleaning – The K4 System

At St Croix | White Way Cleaners we’re always looking for ways to improve the quality of our cleaning, while still keeping with our earth friendly mission.

Since building our new plant in 2007, St Croix | White Way Cleaners has been using a solvent known as Hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbon is an odorless, biodegradable compound, that works very well (Just look at our five straight Seal of Approval wins from the DryCleaning and Laundry Institute!) with the added benefit of being earth friendly.

Recently though, we discovered an exciting new solvent package that has all the environmental benefits of Hydrocarbon, but that cleans garments even better : SystemK4!

Before we get into what makes K4 better though, we should probably explain what Dry Cleaning itself really is.  It isn’t actually the act of cleaning your clothes when they are dry.  They still are saturated and become ‘wet,’  just not from water.  For over 100 years, Dry Cleaners have primarily used a chemical called perchloroethylene, also known as “Perc”, as the solvent in the dry cleaning process.  This is a harsh chemical which cleans your clothes very well, but with each wash can fade the colors and roughen the fabrics  Perc is also responsible for the chemical smell most people associate with Dry Cleaners.

But besides just bad smells, Perc is also considered a hazardous chemical and some researchers have declared it to be a carcinogen. It is taxed by the government to use, and must be disposed of properly.  Every dry cleaner in the nation must pay into a drycleaners’ “superfund” for hazardous waste cleanups (even if the dry cleaner doesn’t use Perc!).  If there is a spill in a dry cleaning facility, it can be very expensive to clean up.

K4 has no such risks; K4 is completely non-toxic, 99% organic and 100% biodegradable.

One of the benefits of Perc was its aggressiveness against oil, fat and grease based stains. While Hydrocarbon could clean such stains, it wasn’t as effective and sometimes required multiple cleanings.

K4 on the other hand, tackles those stains as well as Perc did, something our dry cleaning geeks love!  It also cuts down on the need for pre-spotting because previously hard to get stains lift out on the first wash.

Other K4 benefits include:

  • No Color Loss
  • Extended Garment Life
  • Softer Feeling Clothes
  • Safe on Delicate fabrics, beads, sequins and embellishments.
  • Dermatologically  tested

As you can see, K4 is a “win win” for us at here at St Croix | White Way; we get the cleaning power of Perc and the environmental friendliness of Hydrocarbon. We’re thrilled to be using such a state of the art system,  and think you’ll be just as thrilled when you see the results for yourself!

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Help St Croix | White Way Meet our Hanger Recycling Goal!

As we’ve talked about before, on this very blog, being environmentally friendly is more than just lip-service for us here at St Croix | White Way Cleaners.

We have been leaders in “Green” dry cleaning technology; from our state- of- the- art water circulation system to the use of earth friendly solvents, St Croix | White Way has been committed to do our part.

Now though, we need some help from our amazing customers as well!

We are excited to announce our participation in the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute’s “Cleaners Care: Hanger Recycling Program.”

DLI’s goal is a big one, as the group is looking for its member drycleaners to recycle 25 Million hangers in 2012.

To put that into context, 25 million hangers is roughly equivalent to 750 tons of steel -enough to create six Statues of Liberty!

So far, along with us, nearly 300 environmentally-conscious drycleaners from around the world have pledged to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than 19 million hangers and the resources it takes to make them. With your help, can we make it to 25 million?!!

So be sure to drop off your extra hangers with us on your next visit, and remind others to do so too! With your help, and continued support we’ll be able to meet our goal, and DLI’s!

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Keep Your Clothes Looking Cool This Summer!

With the weather getting warmer and summer approaching, we thought we’d take some time this week to give you a few tips for keeping your clothes looking their best no matter what your summer has in store for you!

Perspiration shows up particularly in underarms, collar, back and waistbands of garments. It may not be noticeable at first, but oxidizes over time, becomes darker and it ultimately stains clothing. Garments should be washed or dry cleaned regularly so the perspiration residue is removed when fresh, thereby preventing permanent damage.

Sunscreen and sun tanning lotions contain ingredients that can cause stains. It is best to apply the lotion and let it dry before dressing. Wash your hands thoroughly before touching your clothes. When cleaning your clothes, follow the care instructions carefully. When washing, pre-treat the stain with a prewash product, then launder in the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric or have it Dry Cleaned. Remember to point out and identify the stain to your drycleaner.

Spills seem inevitable in the summertime – outdoor parties, barbecues and light color clothing can spell disaster. If the stain is water-based, like soda, coffee, juices, wine and most fruits, and the item is washable, dab, do not rub, the stain carefully. As soon as possible, wash the item according to care instructions. Remember that sugar-based stains such as those from fruits should be washed within 24 hours to prevent yellowing.

For oily stains, such as salad dressing, cooking oil, meat juice, butter, and lipstick, the best approach is to blot, do not rub, the stain carefully with a dry, clean white cloth. Do not use water and do not rub the stain as this can set it and break the surface fibers. Oily stains are most safely removed by dry cleaning when the stains are fresh; so do not delay in having the garment cleaned. Be sure to identify the stain to the drycleaner. If you do not know the nature of the stain, it is safest to assume that the stain is oil-based.

As always, if you have any questions about fabric care or stain removal, let us know! Our world famous “Dry Cleaning Geeks” are more than happy to help!

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What is "Green Dry Cleaning"?

“Earth Friendly.”  “Non-Toxic.”  “Environmentally Friendly.”  “100% Toxin Free.”

Not exactly the words that come to mind when you think about Dry Cleaning.  So what really is the meaning of ‘green’ dry cleaning, and what does it mean to you, the consumer, when a dry cleaner claims they are ‘green’?

First of all, we should probably explain what Dry Cleaning itself really is.  It isn’t actually the act of cleaning your clothes when they are dry.  They still are saturated and become ‘wet,’  just not from water.  For over 100 years, Dry Cleaners have primarily used a chemical called perchloroethylene, also known as “Perc”, as the solvent in the dry cleaning process.  This is a harsh chemical which cleans your clothes very well, but with each wash can fade the colors and roughen the fabrics  Perc is also responsible for the chemical smell most people associate with Dry Cleaners.

But besides just bad smells, Perc is also considered a hazardous chemical and some researchers have declared it to be a carcinogen. It is taxed by the government to use, and must be disposed of properly.  Every dry cleaner in the nation must pay into a drycleaners’ “superfund” for hazardous waste cleanups (even if the dry cleaner doesn’t use Perc!).  If there is a spill in a dry cleaning facility, it can be very expensive to clean up.

In the past few years, new technologies have emerged allowing Dry Cleaners to try different solvents for cleaning garments, most with the focus of being more environmentally friendly.

Since building our new plant in 2007, St Croix | White Way Cleaners uses a Hydrocarbon solvent, which, along with being odorless,  biodegrades within days of being exposed to air, water or earth. Oh, and it cleans pretty well too! (Just look at our five straight Seal of Approval wins from the DryCleaning and Laundry Institute!)

Other benefits include:

Softer Feeling Clothes

Extended Garment Life

Virtually Odorless

No Color Loss

Safe on Delicate Fabrics, beads, sequins and other embellishments

We have also invested in another new technology called “Wet Cleaning”.  These machines use water but, unlike “washing machines”, wet cleaning machines infuse detergents, softeners and other cleaning agents via different computer programs to efficiently & effectively clean many garments that previously could only be “dry cleaned”.

St Croix |White Way Cleaners is committed to being an environmentally friendly Dry Cleaner. We are no longer considered a hazardous waste producer by the MN EPA.  Not only do we use non-toxic solvents and recycle hangers, but we were the first in the Midwest to implement the use of bio-degradable plastic bags. These bags are kinder to the environment, and will help preserve our future.

We also use a state of the art water circulation system, effectively recycling and reusing the water supply in our dry cleaning plant.  Since installing this system, we have reduced the amount of water used in our plant by over 35%! It effectively makes our environmental footprint even smaller.

While other Dry Cleaners may say they are “green,” (isn’t everyone, these days?)  Most are still using unnatural solvents to clean your garments.  Though Perc is still being used in the majority of dry cleaners, it is commendable that many dry cleaners are working as hard as possible to use more earth friendly technologies and solvents.  If you want the best of both worlds right now, green cleaning is the clear choice and St Croix | White Way Cleaners is proud to be one of the leaders in the movement.

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Earth Day – More Businesses are Going Green

In honor of Earth Day this Sunday, we wanted to share this interesting article on how different industries, including Dry Cleaners, are “Going Green” and the benefits they see from doing it.

Stay tuned next week as well for a more in-depth look at how St Croix | White Way Cleaners has embraced earth friendly cleaning!

From the Ft. Lauderdale Business Examiner:

Green products are transforming businesses — in a big way since the first Earth Day in 1970.

The Miami Herald reported that more business both within and outside of Florida are going green.  Why is that?  Because it means big business. Just how much has the environmental movement changed South Florida businesses and consumer trends since the first Earth Day 42 years ago? Let’s take a look…

In 1970: The environmentalist picked up litter at the beach and by the highway. Petitioned Congress to ban DDT in pesticides and lead from gas. Joined the local food co-op to buy organic products.

Today: The environmentalist services the family Prius at a green auto center. Uses an eco-friendly dry cleaner or house-cleaning contractor. Shops the GreenWise aisle at Publix.

Eco-friendly trends have transformed government and corporate policies over the past four decades. And those changes are most evident in the rise of green businesses and a new wave of pocketbook environmentalists who believe that going green makes financial sense.

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“I see it every day; more and more people are turning to organics and green products,” says Edward Watson, owner of EJ Organic Lawn Service in Miami. “There’s been a big increase in my business over the past couple years.”

And for good reason, he says. “Using organic products in your yard is better for the environment,” he argues, “but it’s also better for the kids and even the cats and dogs.”

Earth Day on April 22 will highlight the green movement’s progress. Green businesses in the United States constitute a $175 billion industry that employs nearly two million workers, according to a report issued last year based on U.S. Census Bureau data. In Florida alone, environmental businesses contribute an estimated $9 billion a year to the economy and employ nearly 200,000 workers.

The trend has impacted the building industry with regard to LEED certifications. Miami’s commercial real estate tower — the $310 million, 40-story 600 Brickell at Brickell World Plaza — is the only building in Florida to earn the construction industry’s highest green rating of LEED pre-certified platinum (short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Building Council. The West Kendall Baptist Hospital, which opened last year, received a LEED gold certification (the second highest designation).

Mainstream grocery stores have jumped on the organic-foods bandwagon in a big way. Whole Foods and Fresh Market stores have been in the forefront, but Publix Super Markets now features its GreenWise stores and brands. And regional chains like Winn-Dixie Stores and retail giants Target and Walmart are also grabbing a share of the organic-foods market.

Consumer demand for products with fewer agricultural chemicals and additives is skyrocketing, with $26.7 billion in sales last year in the United States, up from $1 billion in 1990, according to the Organic Trade Association. Nearly three-quarters of families buy organic products at least occasionally, according to a 2009 U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Belief Study.

Now, the green movement is also impacting greenery.

“This all began with food, and it’s trickled down into the lawn and garden sector,” says Paul Tukey, founder of safelawns.org and a former host of People, Places & Plants on HGTV. “These same people who are buying organic food for their kids are saying, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t want toxic pesticides on my lawns and around my children.’ ”

An estimated 12 million households use only natural and organic lawn and garden products, up from five million in 2004, according to the National Gardening Association.

The need to ensure businesses follow green standards has led to nonprofit organizations like Certified Green Partners of Hialeah and the Green Seal group, which certify eco-friendly businesses and products. Certified Green Partners has certified more than 100 businesses and government agencies, based on a range of criteria, including recycling programs, water-conservation efforts, energy-saving techniques and the use of nontoxic products.

The Green Seal has provided a “green” equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal for more than 230 eco-friendly products — including paint, paper, cleaning products — as well as hotels, restaurants and cleaning services.

“If you look at the interest in organic foods and the interest in ingredients in certain kinds of beauty care products and cosmetics…people are getting more interested in what a product is made of and how it affects them and their families,” says Linda Chipperfield, vice president of marketing and outreach for Green Seal

Here’s a closer look at three South Florida businesses that have embraced earth-friendly trends and services.

Car repairs

From the street, Sully Dawson’s Oakland Park auto shop is virtually indistinguishable from the dozens of others in the neighborhood. But look past the tires, fluids and engine parts and you’ll see a distinct difference.

Barrels of recyclable materials — metals, oil, tires and antifreeze — share space in the bays with auto lifts. Organic glass cleaners, wheel degreasers, car-wash detergents and biodegradable synthetic “G-oil” are stacked neatly on shelves. And many fuel products are held in 55-gallon drums — not small, individualized bottles — which cuts down on waste and plastic packaging.

“People can’t believe an auto service center can be green, but that’s what we are,” says Dawson, who opened the Eco-Friendly Auto Repair Center two years ago.

Dawson’s philosophy: Recycle and reuse as much as possible. Tires are converted into playground flooring products. The shop uses a service called Safety-Kleen, which cleans and recycles its used oils. It’s also one of the few to offer customers the choice of re-refined (used) Eco Power oil or a biodegradable alternative made from animal fat — “G-Oil,” certified by the American Petroleum Institute — instead of regular motor oil.

Going green doesn’t have to mean compromising on cost or engine performance, Dawson says.

“I get $24.99 for an oil change, so I’m average for the area, even though everything I do is green,” he says. “And like I tell my customers, the military’s been using re-refined oil for about 15 years. And if it’s good enough for a Hummer that’s in the middle of Afghanistan at 130 degrees, it’s good enough for my customers.”

Dawson says he believes his business is as much about changing attitudes as changing oil.

“I get some people who come in sometimes who say, ‘Are you like Whole Foods?’ And then I explain what we do here.”

But Dawson adds that businesses “can basically make small changes — little tweaks, really — that make huge ripples downstream, in terms of the impact on the environment.”

Dry cleaners

Dean Neiger and his brother Steven, who own and operate Dryeco Cleaners in Sunny Isles, are so committed to being green that they offer an environmental pledge on their web site.

The Neigers, who have been in business three years, say they do not use the toxic chemical solvent perchloroethylene (perc).

Dryeco uses a nontoxic biodegradable acetal-based cleaner called K4, developed by the German company Kreussler. The firm also uses a “wet-cleaning” process that uses gentle detergents on even dry clean-only clothes.

“All the other products we use are biodegradable, too,” Dean says. “Even the plastic bags we use on the clothes … they’re made from recycled materials and completely degradable and biodegradable.”

As for being environmentally friendly, Neiger says, “I just believe it’s the right thing to do. And I think our customers appreciate that.”

Maid service

For Petter and Teresa Nahed, the decision to open an eco-friendly maid service was personal as well as professional.

For years, Petter’s mother, Claudia, suffered from chronic breathing problems and illnesses — conditions the family suspects were related to her work for 10 years as a housekeeper using toxic cleaning chemicals. So when the Naheds opened their own family cleaning business in 2006, they decided to go green.

Today, the couple’s business, Maid Green, employs about a dozen house- and commercial-building cleaners who handle an average of 10 jobs on an average day. All use nontoxic biodegradable mineral- or citrus-based cleaners that the EPA has approved to kill germs and bacteria without harsh chemicals that can contribute to environmental contamination and indoor air-pollution levels that can be up to five times higher than outdoors. The Naheds also use reusable microfiber cloths and low-energy, HEPA filtration vacuums.

“Not using all the chemicals is good for the maids and the customers, too,” Teresa Nahed says.

Maid Green uses mineral-based and citrus-based cleaning products that don’t contain toxic chemicals or bleach. It also uses natural cleaners, such as vinegar and lemon juice, which can be effective disinfectants.

Teresa Nahed says the company’s success embodies a key philosophy behind many green businesses: “You can get the same results from using all-natural products and it’s better for us and our customers in the long run … and it’s better for the environment.”

These are just three of many more kinds of businesses going green.  It can add both good publicity and more dollars to your business bottom line and just makes common sense.

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