Vol. 66 . Issue 9 . June 2026
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Browse every issue of Cleaner & Launderer Journal and use the index below to jump to a specific issue or explore recent stories.
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Vol. 66 · Issue 3 · April 2026
Vol. 66 · Issue 3 · April 2026
Vol. 66 · Issue 8 · May 2026
Vol. 66 · Issue 8 · May 2026
All articles
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Maintenance On Your Stain Removal Board And The Best Of The West CCA Convention By: Kenney Slatten
I just returned from the very enjoyable Fabricare 2012 put on by the California Cleaners Association in Long Beach, California. The weather was traditionally pleasant and the company even better. I al
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Do You Track Where Your New Customers Come From? By: Greg Colosi
Most business owners, dry cleaner owners included, don’t have the foggiest idea where their new customers come from.You might be asking, “Why do I need to know this Greg?” You don’t need to k
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The Fine Art Of Customer Retention By: Allan J. Katz
The dry cleaning customer landscape is changing. Usage today is more determined by a customer’s occupation than his grooming preferences. The profile of the ideal dry cleaning consumer may be drifti
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Condensation 101- Don’t lose your cool By: Bruce Grossman
Last month I needed to segue into distillation to provide the foundation for this month’s article on condensation. When we speak of condensation the condensed liquids involved will be water and some
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Use three step letters to sell your dry cleaning delivery service By: Greg Colosi
Most business owners, dry cleaners included, only send out one mailing. Don’t stop at one. Send out a minimum of three. When you’re trying to woo prospects to become a delivery customer, and you’re doing it through direct mail, why stop at one mailing? If the first mailing pulled some in, why not do a […]
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Three Pieces By: Everett Childers
CommunicationsIn a more gentle time, people would actually talk to one another, face-to-face, and even have a little respect for others. I saw a sign the other day that urged people to get their fac
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Using Conceptual Site Models To Direct Investigations And Cleanups By: Steve Henshaw
In the early 1980’s, when the field of environmental consulting was just starting, the United States Congress was busy developing guidance documents to direct how site investigations and cleanup wou
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Fabricare 2012 is Educational and Historical By: Kenney Slatten
For those around my age, do you remember “be there or be square” clique? Yep, so it is with the grand California show in July, Fabricare 2012. Always considered, along with the SDA show, to be am
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A Dry Cleaning Gem by: Jackie Smith
In the early 1980s, I went to work for Henderson Insurance Agency. They specialized, as they do now, in insuring dry cleaners. At that time, men dominated the dry cleaning industry. All meetings or se
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Is Procrastination Keeping You In Debt? By: Allan Katz
Without an ongoing marketing effort that creates a constant stream of qualified customers who buy over and over again, your business might be in jeopardy. Because they’re putting out fires, doing pa
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Customer Service: By: Everett Childers
In Juneau, Alaska, at the Red Dog Saloon, there is a sign that brought a chuckle to most everybody who read it. The sign said, “If our food, drinks and service are not up to your standards, please l
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Risk Based Cleanup By: Steve Henshaw in Collaboration with Jeff Cornahan
More and more often, people are talking about “Risk Based Cleanups.” It sounds ominous and complicated, but because so many people are throwing the term around, it seems like everyone is supposed
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Workers Compensation Claims By: Jackie Smith
With the economy such that it is, we are finding there are many more worker compensation claims being filed than previously. An employee may feel a layoff is eminent or perhaps he/she was laid off and
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Cooling 103 – Cool As A Ghoul By: Bruce Grossman
In last month’s installment we covered how heat exchanging took place during the drying cycle within your dry cleaning machine. This month we are going to cover heat exchange during the distillation
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Are The Risks of Marketing Worth It? By: Allan Katz
Steve Cone, author of Steal These Ideas! Marketing Secrets That Will Make You a Star (2005) said, “The profession of marketing is at an all-time low because clients don’t want to take risks and re
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Word Environment Day, June 6th : By Kenney Slatten
Some of us in this industry will greet this with a wink and a nod, others will take it very seriously. Particularly, younger folks, or those new to the industry. The environment is important to us all
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Do You Know Your Company’s Most Valuable Assets? By: Steve Henshaw and Jeff Carnahan
When executives talk about a company’s assets, they generally refer to people, property, buildings, equipment, clients, job contracts and intellectual property. I’m sure there are more, but how of
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Streaks, Swales And Itsy-Bitsy Fabric Pieces By: Kenney Slatten
Ah, the days of constant swales and streaking. Yep, those days are still here. No matter the solvent of your choice, you can expect streaks and swales from time to time. Countless NID/IFI/DLI & NCA bu
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Does The Power Of Positive Thinking Work? By Jackie Smith
Remez Sasson, author of “Positive Thinking Your Key to Success,” states positive thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction. It also he
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Buying A New Drycleaning Machine By: Everett Childers
I recall when drycleaning machines, presses, laundry washers, etc. were purchased from who could offer you the most whisky. This was when petroleum machines never wore out or needed replacing. The onl
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Why Dry Cleaning Marketers Procrastinate By: Allan J. Katz
Dry cleaners tell me all the time, “I don’t have time to market my business…I’m too busy pulling clothes out of the washer…people find us on their own, we don’t do marketing…” With 15
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What Promotion Do You Have Set Up For This Month & Every Month? By Greg Colosi
Do you know what your promotions from every month are going to be?You should. And I’m gonna help you do that.Listed below are a bunch of items that you could offer as specials or promotions throu
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How Do You Retain Customers? By: Kenney Slatten
Such an important issue is retention of customers. I must have seen fifty different ways plant owners have done this over my 40 years in this industry. With the advent of computers in recent years, it
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What Is A Hazardous Communication Plan And Why Do I Need One? By: Adam J. Herrmann in Collaboration with Steve Henshaw
Do you have a Hazardous Communication Program (HazCom Program) in place? If you are a dry cleaning facility and use tetrachloroethylene (PERC) and/or other chemicals for dry cleaning or spotting, then
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How To Motivate Your Employees Without Breaking The Bank, By: Jackie Smith
Recently, the So Cal Cleaners Association sponsored a seminar, “Developing Your Communication Skills.” It was designed for owners and their employees. The attendance was great; one business owner
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CLEANING TEXTILES WITH HYDROCARBON SOLVENTS, PART TWO: EVERETT CHILDERS
The drycleaning procedures do not vary from perc cleaning other than there is not nearly as much chance of a dye migration or dye bleeding from garments. It is also rare that a garment cleaned in hy
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Time Flies…. 1985 To Date : Jack R. Ellison
In 1977 I entered the fabricare business, buying a two-year old package plant in Federal Way, Washington. It was the right time and place, a new building with parking lot, a drive-up window, on a main
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Personality Marketing, March 2012: By Greg Colosi
Groupon: Yes or No?Is Groupon a smart way to advertise your dry cleaning pick-up and delivery business?I have the benefit of my membership trying Groupon and giving me their feedback. Some were go
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The Environmental Corner BY Steve Henshaw and Keith Gaskill
Green Clean How: “Environmental” Is Remediation?Environmental impact due to historical drycleaning practices is not a rarity. In fact, it’s common to find drycleaning solvents in the soil, g
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Cleaning Textiles With Hydrocarbon Solvents, Part One: Everett Childers
What is this new solvent we keep hearing about? Isoparaffin? Hydrocarbon? Petroleum? Stoddard? 140F? Gas? I guess it depends on when you entered into the industry. This “new” solvent was the very
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Processing Difficult Stains By: Kenney Slatten
The very nature and purpose of drycleaning/wetcleaning in any solvent is not just for the sole purpose of stain removal. Surprised to hear me say that? Some of you probably are but many of you will (I
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Are You Making Any of These Mistakes? BY: Jackie Smith
I have been reading many articles lately about the common mistakes business owners make and not surprisingly all of the articles basically say the same things. Please read the following and keep an op
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The Secret To Make Marketing Work BY: Allan J. Katz
Marketing is a mind-set based on your integrity and belief in your service. The way you market yourself causes a certain perception in the mind of the public which causes individuals to react to your
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Royaltone Has A New Home
For the past couple of decades Royaltone, manufacturer of detergents and spotters for the Dry Clean, Laundry and Leather Cleaning Industry has been located in a small building in an industrial area of
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FRSTeam Recognized As Top 500 Franchise By Entrepreneur Magazine
Entrepreneur Magazine has recognized FRSTeam in its annual Franchise 500 listing of Top North American franchise companies for the fourth consecutive year. Based on a formula of financial strength and
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Personality Marketing by Greg Colosi
What Is Your Irresistible Offer? First Of All…What Is An Irresistible Offer?An irresistible offer is something that is specific, tangible and has a very, very clear benefit to your dry c
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Guess Who Is Inspecting Now? – Jackie Smith
Over the last few years, as small business owners, we have found many governmental agencies rearing their heads in the quest of any additional revenue they can find. We have been inspected by city, co
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Are We Really Moving Forward? By Kenney Slatten
Sometimes I wonder where we are heading in this industry. Not to be accused of being less than progressive, I write my comments carefully and with full understanding that we must move forward to survi
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SEFA’s Shirt Laundry and Dry Cleaning Finishing
SEFA'sUpcoming Schedule of Eventsin Tampa, Florida!Shirt Laundry and Drycleaning FinishingJane Zellers, Industry ExpertOn Februar
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EPA OFFICIALLY CHARACTERIZES PERCHLOROETHYLENE AS ‘LIKELY HUMAN CARCINOGEN’
On Friday, February 10, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final health assessment for perchloroethylene (Perc) to the EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) datab
