National Clothesline

The Southwest Drycleaners Association will be offering cleaners several educational opportunities in the coming months, and they have already released early plans for their 2006 annual convention, as well.

First up will be a stain removal seminar slated for Saturday, Aug. 6 at Yale Cleaners in Broken Arrow, OK. It will be taught by IFI Instructor Lorraine Muir.

Attendees will watch demonstrations and learn stain removal techniques designed to reduce the potential for fabric damage and ultimately increase customer satisfaction. Several topics will be covered, including fiber characteristics, stain removal agents and procedures, rings and watermarks, and bleaches.

The session will run all day from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Cleaners are encouraged to bring their problem garments with them.

The cost is $99 for IFI/SDA members; $89 for additional members; and $129 for non-members.

To register, call (800) 638-2627, ext. 1603.

Also on the association’s calendar of events are two customer service seminars. One will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Baton Rouge, LA; the other is set to take place in Little Rock, AR on Saturday, October 8.

Then, in November, SDA will host a couple of educational sessions at its school located on the International Textile Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Jane Zellers will serve as the instructor of each.

The first will run from Nov. 14-16, meeting from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The course will cover proper stain removal techniques with an emphasis on how dyes, pigments, prints, and finishes are all integral to the cleaning process.

Students will also learn to recognize terms such as wetside, dryside, alkaline, and acid.

Class time will be divided between lecture, class discussion, demonstrations, and hands-on experience.

The cost is $315 for SDA members, $385 for other IFI members, and $450 for non-members.

Those who complete the class may want to pursue further studies by attending the ensuing advanced stain removal class. It is scheduled to take place from Nov. 16-18, meeting from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday and 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

In the class, Zellers will examine more advanced stain removal techniques, offering an in-depth look at fiber content, weaves, garment construction and how to test fiber content by burn testing, among other things.

The cost is $305 for SDA members, $370 for other IFI members and $435 for non-members.

A little further into the future, SDA will host its Cleaners Showcase 2006 event from March 31 to April 2. It will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center at 1201 Houston St.

The headquarters hotel for the convention will be the Radisson Plaza Hotel, located in downtown Fort Worth, adjacent to the convention center and one block south of Sundance Square Entertainment District.

Exhibitors interested in participating should contact the SDA office by phone: (210) 826-4684; fax: (210) 826-6423; or send mail to: 1800 NE Loop 410, Suite 308, San Antonio, TX 78217.

More information on all of SDA’s upcoming events is available at the association’s web site at www.sda-dryclean.com.