National Clothesline

The year may be winding down in the next few weeks, but the National Cleaners Association plans to keep cleaners busy with several educational opportunities throughout the rest of 2006 and beyond.

At the association’s New York School of Drycleaning, located at 254 W. 29th St. in New York City, there will be a comprehensive ten week course on the topic of “Principles and Practices of Drycleaning.”

Overall, students will accumulate 80 hours of class time, meeting from 7 to 11 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday starting on Nov. 13 of this year, and concluding on Jan. 22, 2007.

Those who want to become a “master cleaner” will be able to learn everything they need to know in the course, from the chemistry of stain removal to garment construction, fiber identification and machinery operation and maintenance.

In addition to classroom sessions, sample fabric swatches will be treated with a wide variety of stains so that students can have the opportunity to practice and develop their stain removal techniques.

The cost to attend the course is $970 per student.

Also coming up on the association’s agenda are a couple of sessions of its New York Department of Environmental Conservation certification course.

The two-day, 16-hour class meets on consecutive Sundays, including a Korean language program planned for Nov. 19 and 26, as well as a course taught in English that will meet on Dec. 10 and 17.

The cost is $509 each for members and $975 each for non-members.

In addition to hosting classes at its New York School of Drycleaning, NCA will also offer convenient “webinars” that bring educational programs right to the phones and computers of drycleaners regardless of where they are located throughout the country.

All webinars began at 3 p.m. PST, or 6 p.m. EST, on their respective days and registration takes place on a first come, first served basis as participation is limited.

The cost for a webinar is $69, which includes both telephone and Web-based participation. That price includes an audio tape of the seminar for those who sign up and power point files for Web-based participants.

Cleaners who wish to purchase the webinar on CD must also pay $69, plus an additional $7 for shipping and handling.

The next webinar is planned for Wednesday, Nov. 15. Alan Spielvogel will discuss “Preventive Maintenance.”

NCA will enlist Spielvogel once again on Wednesday, Dec. 20 to take a look at “Drapery Dos and Don’ts.”

NCA has no plans to slow down on the educational front in 2007. Already, the association has tentatively planned its four-day “Brainstorming with the Best conference in the Bahamas.

The program will run from Friday through Sunday, Jan. 11-14, 2007.

NCA has also already scheduled its TexCare ’07 convention later in the year.

The event will be held at a familiar location: the Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus, NJ, on the weekend of Oct. 21 and 22.

For more information on any of NCA’s programs, visit their web site located at www.nca-i.com or call (212) 967-3002.