Q2 2022

Renewing Members Save Money with DLI Membership Pays Program

Renew to Receive Your Gift Certificate Package

DLI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS CREATED THE PROGRAM TO HELP MEMBERS IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE: BY RETURNING MONEY TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE. Renewing your DLI membership in 2022 comes with an extra benefit in the form of gift certificates worth $450 or more.

Gift certificates shared by participating Allied Trades companies are valid for one year after the date of beginning membership with DLI.

Q2 2022

Learn. Share. Connect. Grow.

Weekly Peer-to-Peer Membership Meetings Bring Members Together

WANT TO HAVE YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND ON THE INDUSTRY? Want to know what other DLI Members are doing about this or that problem? Every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, DLI hosts an hour-long video conference to help members connect and share ideas. Here are some of the ideas members discussed at recent meetings. All members are invited by email to attend. Check your inbox on Tuesday mornings for the invitation.

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Q2 2022

Members Share Experiences with Wash-Dry-Fold

Carolina Monterrubio Barrera, left, is co-founder of Wash-O in New York City. Her daughter, co-founder Carolina Y. Monterrubio is at right and also appears in a class photo in this issue. (Photo by Brett Deutsch, www.headshotsnyc.com).

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ACCELERATED MANY CHANGES IN THE INDUSTRY AND THE WORLD IN GENERAL. SOME CONVENIENCES THAT WERE NICE ADD-ONS QUICKLY BECAME ESSENTIAL. Drycleaners across America and around the globe pivoted into the new reality of a pandemic world. Offering Wash Dry Fold (WDF) is one method garment care professionals use to increase piece counts and make services more convenient for customers. DLI asked a group of member cleaners about their experiences with WDF; some of their helpful and welcome answers to our questions follow.

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Q2 2022

DLI Board of Directors Steer Institute into the Future

DLI’s Board of Directors posed for a group photo at the entrance to The Institute’s offices and School of Drycleaning Technology, April 1, 2022, 50 years to the day after the formation of IFI when AIL and NID merged in 1972. 
FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Ray Kroner, Rhonda Eysel, Kathy Benzinger (Treasurer), Jeff Schwegmann II, CGCP® (President-Elect), Bobby Patel (President), Kyle Nesbit (Treasurer-Elect), Hilary Taylor, Don Holececk, Ed Longanecker.
BACK ROW (L-R): Toran Brown, Norman Way, Allan Cripe, Mark Pollack CPD®, Tom Ustanik, John Mertes, Sassan Rahimzadeh. NOT PICTURED: Joe Blaha, Dru Carlisle, Jess Culpepper (Chair), Larry Fish.

DLI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS MET IN-PERSON AT DLI’S SCHOOL OF DRYCLEANING TECHNOLOGY IN LAUREL, MARYLAND, APRIL 1, 2022, 50 YEARS TO THE DAY OF THE INSTITUTE’S FOUNDING ON APRIL 1, 1972, WHEN TWO INDUSTRY GIANTS MERGED. The National Institute of Drycleaning (NID, founded 1907) and the American Institute of Launderers (AIL, founded 1883) merged to form the International Fabricare Institute (IFI) on April 1, 1972. IFI rebranded to DLI in 2007 marking NID’s 100th anniversary.

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Q2 2022

Clean Shifts Back to Odd Year, Announces 2025 Location

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE BEST IN EQUIPMENT, SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, THE CLEAN SHOW IS THE PLACE TO BE.

The largest event in the U.S. for the laundering, drycleaning, textile care services, supplies, and equipment industry will adjust the dates and locations for two upcoming editions. After The Clean Show 2022, being held in Atlanta July 30 – August 2, 2022, Clean will shift back to the odd years in 2025.

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Q2 2022

Mary Scalco: The Comeback is Always Greater than the Setback

Mary Scalco, DLI CEO

HOORAY!!! I am sure you are celebrating along with me that we can finally get back to the business of doing business. It’s been a difficult two years but we have come out of some really tough economic times. Kudos to you!

We all learned a lot and like you, many of the practices we put in place wound up being best for our businesses.

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Q2 2022

Proper Solvent Distillation Improves Cleaning Power

By Bruce Grossman, EZ Timers Manufacturing

DISTILLATION IS A PROCESS USED TO PURIFY A LIQUID, IN OUR CASE SOLVENT. IN THE NEXT SEVERAL ARTICLES I’LL BE DESCRIBING HOW DISTILLATION WORKS, THE MACHINERY COMPONENTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, AND POSSIBLE PROBLEMS YOU MIGHT ENCOUNTER.

Solvent dissolves some of the impurities it removes from garments like grease, oil, wax, and detergent. These impurities are called solutes. Solvent also suspends solid impurities like lint, dust, and soil. Such impurities are called particulates. Proper distillation in most cases returns the distilled solvent to its original pristine condition.

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Q2 2022

Above-Average Shirts Need Above Average Care

Not all shirts are created equally. Here are some examples of Robert Graham shirts from the author’s collection.

By Don Desrosiers, Tailwind Systems

OKAY, I ADMIT IT: I OWN A LOT OF ROBERT GRAHAM SHIRTS. Back in my plant days, there were no $300-$500 shirts and my father would think I am nuts to pay that kind of money for a shirt. Maybe you do, too. But the fact is, they are out there and your customers have them. You can frown upon them or you can seize the money- making opportunity they represent. I very strongly encourage the latter.

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