National Clothesline

A one-week cleaning and stain removal course will be introduced next year as part of the International Fabricare Institute’s series of classes at its Laurel, MD, headquarters.

Two sessions of the course, which will provide instruction and practical application of stain removal procedures, will be offered; the first begins March 19 and the second on Sept. 17.

IFI will also offer four sessions of its drycleaning courses, the one-week Introduction to Dry Cleaning course and the two-week Advanced Dry Cleaning course.

Starting dates for the introductory course are January 22, April 23, July 23 and Oct. 22.

The advanced courses start on January 29, April 30, July 30 and October 29.

The new cleaning and stain removal course will cover fibers and fabrics; principles of drycleaning; load classification; solvents used in drycleaning; detergents and moisture; filtration and distillation; drying and vapor recovery; troubleshooting drycleaning machines; stain removal tools and equipment; stain removal agents and procedures and bleaches.

The course is worth 10 points toward the Award of Excellence. Registration costs are $450 for IFI members and $695 for all others.

The one-week introductory drycleaning course is geared to people who are new to the industry or have less than one year of experience. The course covers fibers and fabrics; principles of drycleaning; work flow; assembly and invoicing; drycleaning machines; cleaning and drying cycles; basic stain removal procedures and finishing steps for pants, coats and skirts.

Like the cleaning and stain removal course, this course, too, is worth 10 Award of Excellence points and registration fees are $450 for IFI members and $695 for all others.

The two-week advanced drycleaning course is designed to further the education and training with hands-on production experience and knowledge of stain removal and finishing techniques.

This course covers specialty fabrics and fiber identification; advanced stain removal procedures and bleaches; finishing blouses, dresses, ties, pleats, pile fabrics, silks and rayons; wetcleaning; solvents, detergents, moisture, filtration, and distillation; troubleshooting drycleaning systems; regulations and care labeling; plant layout and work flow; customer service; and business management.

The two-week course is worth 20 Award of Excellence points. Registration is $900 for IFI members and $1,400 for others.

The one-week and two-week courses can be taken together as a three-week General Dry Cleaning course. When taken together, the registration fee for both is less than when both are taken separately — $1,250 for IFI members and $1,995 for non members. When taken as a three-week course, the Award of Excellence value is 30 points.

The course fees cover lunch and all instructional materials. Students must arrange their own travel and lodging and cover expenses outside of class. Two hotels in the immediate area offer special rates to IFI students along with transportation to and from the hotel and IFI. For information, call the Holiday Inn in Laurel, (301) 776-5300 or the Comfort Suites Laurel, (301) 206-2600.

More than two dozen scholarships are available to help defray the cost of attending the courses. Some are provided by allied trades firms and others are offered through various state and regional trade associations.

For more information on the scholarships or on the courses themselves, or to register, call IFI, (800) 638-2627, ext, 1603. Information and registration is also available on IFI’s web site, www.ifi.org/industry/educational.html.