Grant helps in wetcleaning conversion
With a grant from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute, Silver Hanger Cleaners in
Bellingham, MA, replaced its perc equipment with a wetcleaning system.
The $17,000 matching grant, awarded last March, requires Silver Hanger Cleaners
to collect utility use, cost and customer satisfaction data as well as conduct
demonstrations for other Massachusetts drycleaners this spring.
TURI was established by the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act of 1989 to
provide research, training, technical support, laboratory services, and grant
programs to reduce the use of toxic chemicals at the source while enhancing the
economic competitiveness of businesses.
According to TURI’s “Five Chemicals Study” commissioned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2006, long-term exposure
to perc may cause liver, kidney or central nervous system damage.
TURI said that 537 Massachusetts drycleaning facilities reported that they used
more than 780,000 pounds of perc in 2006, resulting in the generation of
475,000 pounds of hazardous waste per year.
TURI noted that Silver Hanger Cleaners is the first dedicated professional
wetcleaner in Massachusetts.
“I was anxious to get rid of the perc machine because of the health and waste
issues but I wanted to replace it with something that I wouldn’t find out later caused other problems,” said Mark Isabelle, owner of Silver Hanger Cleaners, who re-opened his store
located at 7 Mechanic St. after the conversion.
“Wetcleaning was the logical solution for me and I couldn’t be happier with the results. It works much better than I imagined, my workers
are grateful, and my customers are happy,” he added.
Silver Hanger Cleaners provides garment cleaning, alterations, shoe repair,
wedding dress service, a VIP drop box, and free pick-up and delivery. The
company has a drop-off location in Mendon in addition to the main store on
Mechanic Street.
“Mark is a leader in every sense of the word and should certainly be saluted for
making his neighborhood a safer place to live and work,” says TURI Community Program Manager Joy Onasch. “We’re hopeful that as he demonstrates his ‘truly green’ facility to other drycleaners, the financial and performance benefits will
encourage them to convert.”
TURI has information about wetcleaning, including a short video demonstration,
on the web located at www.turi.org/community/wet_cleaning.
NCA updates educational schedule
The National Cleaners Association recently revised its 2009 educational
schedule, including several additions in the coming months.
A one-day, eight-hour seminar on “Business Practices” by Larry Maietta has been moved from its original date, March 15, to Saturday,
April 26.
NCA also added a webinar on “Customer Service” on April 1, as well as two outings of its “Technical Training at the Counter” class. One will be held at Cricket Cleaners on May 31 in Lake Worth, FL; the
other will be in New York on July 19.
The same course will also be held in Syracuse on April 19 and in Lansing, MI, on
May 2.
Another schedule addition includes a one-day extreme strain removal class in
Korean on June 14. All of these one-day courses will meet from 8:30 a.m. until
5 p.m. and cost members $250 and non-members $275.
NCA also added two route seminars to its schedule. One will take place in Los
Angeles on May 1 and the other will be at the Meadowlands Convention and Expo
Center in Secaucus, NJ, on Oct. 16. Those classes will cost $495 for members
and $595 for non-members.
Lastly, the association has planned a new “Basic Pressing and Finishing” course in Korean from Sept. 11-13. The cost for the three-day class is $455 for
members and $595 for non-members. The association will also host an English
version of the course from March 13-15.
The rest of NCA’s schedule will resume as originally planned. Upcoming courses include a
ten-week offering of the association’s “Principles and Practices of Drycleaning” that will meet from 7 to 11 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays starting on March
23. The total cost is $970 per person.
NCA will also offer a ten-week comprehensive drycleaning class in Korean
starting on March 24. It will meet from 7 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Tuition is $970 for members and $1,170 for non-members.
