Helping Cleaners Succeed — For the 376th Time!

LAUREL, Md. — “DLI exists to help dry cleaners succeed!” So says its motto.

To that end, the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) School of Drycleaning Technology, last year, trained 30 students in the art and science of running a successful drycleaning business, it reports.

Students attended DLI’s 376th General Drycleaning Course, comprised of the one-week Introduction to Drycleaning and two-week Advanced Drycleaning Courses. In these courses, students learned about:

• Sorting loads for dry cleaning;

• The science of dry cleaning;

• Fibers and their characteristics;

• Fabric construction;

• Cleaning silk, stain, 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, blouses, ties, pleated garments, and skirts;

• Using tensioning equipment to improve finishing quality;

• Using bleaches without damaging fabric color;

• Distillation procedures;

• Understanding the differences between solvent types;

• Wet cleaning wool, silk, and more;

• Designing a drycleaning plant with the most effective workflow.

The next complete DLI courses offered in 2020 are on these dates:

• Introduction to Drycleaning: February 24-28;

• Advanced Drycleaning: March 2-13.

Founded in 1927, DLI’s School of Drycleaning Technology has, as it notes, “Helped shape the careers of thousands of dry cleaners worldwide.”

Advanced Drycleaning Class number 376 held July 22-August 2, 2019: Front row, from left: Genesis Grandberry, Lyons Cleaners, Memphis, Tenn.; Debbie Young-Baker, Al Phillips The Cleaner, Irvine, Calif.; Boipelo Lindiwe Mosaka, Sakies Dry Cleaners, Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa; Mojgan Anvari, Carousel Cleaners, N. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Debbie Nieto, Lyons Cleaners, Memphis, Tenn.; Elizabeth Knight, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC; Natalia Perez, Crystal Cleaners, Winston-Salem, N.C. Back row, from left: Nate Whitmer, Balfurd Cleaners, State College, Pa.; Wayne Riddle, Al Phillips The Cleaner, Irvine, Calif.; Silvio Carlos Santos Russo, ZAPS Cleaners, Lanham, Md.; Robert Marshall, Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners, Glyndon, Md.; John Pack, Davids Cleaners, Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C.; Danilo Hernandez, DLI, Laurel, Md. (Photos by: Drycleaning & Laundry Institute)

Introduction to Drycleaning Class number 376 held July 15-19, 2019:Front row, from left: Danilo Hernandez, DLI, Laurel, Md.; Lori Williams, A1 Dry Cleaners, Rockford, Ill.; Denesha O’Brien, New Oriental Laundry & Cleaners, Nassau, Bahamas; Boipelo Lindiwe Mosaka Sakies Dry Cleaners, Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa; Fatima Alvir, McLean Cleaners, McLean, Va.; Elizabeth Knight, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC; Cindy Ruiz, Durham Cleaners & Laundromat, Durham, N.C.; Julie Puente-Mata, Tiffany Couture Cleaners, Las Vegas, Nev. Middle row, from left: Randy Jennings, Gormans Cleaners, Inc., Houston, Texas; Debbie Young-Baker, Al Phillips The Cleaner, Irvine, Calif.; Wayne Riddle, Al Phillips The Cleaner, Irvine, Calif.; Josette Varela, Lyons Cleaners, Memphis, Tenn.; Natalia Perez, Crystal Cleaners, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Samuel Wetzel, American Cleaners, Ballwin, Mo.; Lisa Wetzel, American Cleaners, Ballwin, Mo. Back row, from left: Kelly Crapser, Wedding Gown Preservation, Co., Endicott, N.Y.; Diana Cataffo, 4th Avenue Cleaners, Brighton, Colo.; Verdell Rolle, New Oriental Laundry & Cleaners, Nassau, Bahamas; Chris Ainsworth, A1 Dry Cleaners, Rockford, Ill.; Arika Williams, Curtis Cleaners & Laundry, Lowell, Mich.; Michael Manz, Paradise Dry Cleaners, Dickinson, N.D.; Silvio Carlos Santos Russo, ZAPS Cleaners, Lanham, Md.; Valesia Turnipseed, Lyons Cleaners, Memphis, Tenn.Not pictured: Ruth Okunnuga, Wasche Point Laundry, Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.

Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].