LAUREL, Md. — The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) has scheduled its resident courses for 2016, according to the organization’s website. Courses are to be held at the School of Drycleaning Technology, located just outside of Washington D.C. and Baltimore.
The 2016 course schedule is split into spring, summer and fall sessions. DLI has scheduled the following:
Introduction to Drycleaning — Feb. 22-26; July 11-15; Oct. 17-21
The five-day course is geared toward individuals new to the industry or with less than one year of experience, DLI says.
It covers sorting loads for dry cleaning; drycleaning science; fibers and their characteristics; fabric constructions; cleaning silk, satin and other fabrics; soil and cleaning theory; operating a drycleaning machine; stain removal chemistry and procedures; removing coffee, ink, grease and other stains from clothing; pressing pants, coats and skirts; and using tensioning equipment to improve finishing quality.
Advanced Drycleaning — Feb. 29-March 11; July 18-29; Oct. 24-Nov. 4
The 10-day course is for individuals who have completed the Introduction course or who have hands-on production experience and knowledge of basic stain removal and finishing techniques.
It covers identification of cotton, silk, polyester and other fabrics; fibers and their characteristics; fiber identification through burn testing; fabric constructions; using bleaches without damaging fabric color; pressing blouses, dresses, ties, pleated garments, silks, velvets and corduroy; wet-cleaning wool, silk and more; maintaining and changing filters; distillation procedures; troubleshooting; using tensioning equipment to improve finishing quality; current regulations facing the drycleaning industry; customer service techniques; getting laundry clean and white; cleaning and preserving wedding gowns; understanding the differences between solvents; pressing laundered shirts; and designing a drycleaning plant for the most effective workflow.
Students have the option of taking them both together as a 15-day course, DLI says.
Cleaning & Stain Removal — Aug. 22-26
The five-day course will provide instruction and practical application on stain removal and cleaning procedures.
It will cover sorting loads for dry cleaning; drycleaning science; fiber identification through burn testing; fibers and their characteristics; fabric constructions; identification of cotton, silk, polyester and other fabrics; soil and cleaning theory; cleaning silk, satin and other fabrics; operating a drycleaning machine; stain removal chemistry and procedures; removing coffee, ink, grease and other stains from clothing; using bleaches without damaging fabric color; maintaining and changing machine filters; distillation procedures; troubleshooting; and understanding the differences between solvents.
Costs of the classes vary; the course fee covers lunch, classroom instruction, notebook and other materials. Students are responsible for transportation, lodging expenses and other meals.
DLI members receive a discounted rate. Cleaners sending two or more people from their company also receive a discounted rate. Scholarships are available.
To learn more, visit the DLI website, call 800-638-2627 or e-mail [email protected].
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].