Almost all Dry Cleaners use Evaporative Coolers, or Swamp Coolers as some call them, in their plant or clothes cleaning area. Using refrigerated air conditioning would be far too expensive for them. Their steam boilers are putting out hundreds of thousands of BTU’s of heat into the work area. To remove this much heat using air conditioning would cost thousands of dollar per month. Because of this, the work area of Dry Cleaners should have an Exhaust Fan that is capable of making a complete air exchange about every 1 1/2 minutes. Let me give you an example to help you figure the correct size exhaust fan for your Cleaner.

Let’s say you are leasing a space in a shopping center that is 25 feet wide by 80 feet deep. The total square feet of this lease space is 2,000 sq. ft. Usually the front sales area is heated and air conditioned. Next, remove from the 2,000 sq. ft. your sales area of 25 feet wide by 15 feet deep which totals 375 sq. ft. This leaves you with 1,625sq. ft. The boiler room is 10 feet by 10 feet (100 sq. ft.) and the restroom is 6 feet by 6 feet ( 36 sq. ft.) which total another 136 sq. ft. usually not figured in to the cooled area.. This gives you a final total of 1,489 sq. ft. of floor space in the work area to exhaust and cool. To get the cubic feet of the work area you should measure from the floor to the roof deck. I say roof deck because I never recommend installing a ceiling in the work area. This will keep the heat lower in the room and makes the work area much hotter. Multiply the 1,489 sq. ft. by the 15 ft from the floor to the roof deck and you get a total of 22,335 cubic feet of area to exhaust. Divide 22,335 by 1 ½ (the amount of minutes per air change) and get the total number of cubic feet of air to remove every minute, or the CFM. Under these conditions, I would install an exhaust fan that is rated at about 15,000 CFM. The most common exhaust fans used in Dry Cleaners are Grainger fans. There are Grainger stores in most major cities in the United States, which makes it convenient for purchasing fans and parts. I have bought exhaust fans from Grainger for years. I have learned of a way that any customer of Grainger, even if you have never bought from them before, can get a 10% discount on their fans. If you e-mail me at Aaron@SwampCoolersOnline.com I will let you know how that you can get the discount at any Grainger store in the country. 

Next, you need to make up the exhausted air with an Evaporative Cooler. These work great in dry climate areas. But even in more humid areas they will give some cooling. You may only get a 10 degree temperature drop in a humid area, but on a 95 degree day, a light breeze of 85 degree air can feel good while working over a hot press. On a Dry Cleaner plant you will usually find them using a large commercial Evaporative Cooler. For the work area that I sized above you will need to install a 15,000 CFM Cooler. Keep in mind when you look at Coolers, they usually give the CFM ratings in free air. Since you will probably have a duct system cooling the work area, there is static pressure or restriction on the air flow from the Cooler. If you use a 15,000 to 16,000 CFM Evaporative Cooler, you will probably have a good match with the 15,000 CFM exhaust fan. The static pressure of the ductwork will generally drop the CFM rating by a couple thousand CFM. The reason this match is good is because you want a slight amount of negative pressure in the work area, or in other words a little more air exhausting from the room than is being supplied into the room. The most common Evaporative Cooler used in Dry Cleaning work areas is the Champion 14/21 SD or the Essick 14/21 SD. These are the most common because they are the most inexpensive models sold. If you are willing to spend a little more money, I recommend going to a Cooler that will last far longer. The Champion AS150 or the Champion AS15012 are better built and longer lasting Coolers. Should you want a better explanation of the reasons why they are better Coolers, you can type these Coolers into a search engine and find articles written about them.

I know there is a lot of technical information that would be boring to some people, but if you are wanting to cool a Dry Cleaning plant I recommend using this information. I have installed exhaust and cooling systems in Cleaners for decades in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area. These formulas and equipment have worked great. I hope these tips I have learned will help others in the future.

Technorati Tags: Cleaning, Coolers, Evaporative, Exhaust, Fans, Plants, Sizing

Some may not realize it, but there is more than one way available for your carpet cleaner to clean your carpets. Essentially, you have a "wet cleaning" method or a "dry cleaning" method. As a Charlotte carpet cleaning professional, many people often ask me the difference between the two. While the main difference is that obviously one involves more water than the other, there is a little more involved than that.

(It should be noted that before starting either method, the carpet should be vacuumed first. This make the cleaning process easier.)

Wet Carpet Cleaning
The first method we'll take a look at is the wet cleaning method. Wet cleaning methods, as the name suggest, use the most amount of water in the cleaning process. There are two main types of wet cleaning methods – shampooing and steam cleaning.

With the shampooing method, you literally shampoo the carpet. The carpet cleaning machine covers the fibers with a shampoo foam. This process stirs up the dirt and stains. When the dirt is stirred up, it becomes trapped inside the shampoo.  After the carpet has dried, it can vacuumed clean. The dirt and stains, which had previously been attached to the carpet fibers, are cleaned away with the dried shampoo solution.

Steam cleaning can also be classified as a wet cleaning method. With steam cleaning, your carpet cleaner spays a mixture of hot water and detergent on the carpet. This loosens the dirt. A specialized vacuum is then brought in to suck the water from the carpet.

Dry Carpet Cleaning
With the dry cleaning method, a moist powder is spread over the carpet and then massaged into the fibers with a special machine. The powder consists mostly of detergent, a dissolving solvent, and an absorbent. It also contains a slight amount of water, enough to make it moist. The special makeup of the powder allows it to act as powerful cleaning agent. After the powder is spread across the carpet, it is vacuumed clean.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Each
Dry cleaning is considered a "surface clean." In other words, it doesn't clean as deeply as a wet clean does.  The advantage of a dry clean is that it's faster. With a wet cleaning, you may need to wait anywhere from 12 to 24 hours for the solution to dry. And so that is also the potential downside to a wet clean – it does take a little longer. The advantage, as mentioned, is that it's more forceful and more thorough, and so the wait is often worth it.

My Carpet Cleaning Process
In my own business for carpet cleaning in Charlotte, I use the following process.

First I survey the area to be cleaned to understand the layout of the area and the type of dirt and stains I will be dealing with.

Next I vacuum the area to remove as much "easy" dirt as possible.

After vacuuming, I pre-condition the carpet with a specialized cleaning solution. This emulsifies the suspended dirt and biomaterials.

Next I agitate the areas that receive the most amount of foot traffic. This serves to loosen the compacted dirt.

After agitation, I rinse the cleaning solutions applied in Step 3. This leaves the carpet fibers residue free.

If there are stubborn stain spots, I then treat these areas with specialized stain removers. If necessary, these areas are left to "dwell" for a time so that the spot removers can really do their work. When the proper amount of time has passed, the removal solutions are rinsed from the carpet.

Once the carpet has been completely cleaned and all the stains have been removed, I normally apply Dupont's Teflon Advanced Fiber Protectant for carpets. Although this last step is optional, I recommend it.

Technorati Tags: Carpet, Charlotte, Cleaning, Gives, Lowdown

These two methods of cleaning are the most common but there are advantages and disadvantages of both. The dry cleaning method uses a sticky solvent and no water. As the name suggests, the method does not involve the use of water. At first the carpet is made free of loose dust and soil particles. This is achieved by vacuuming the upper layer. Then a stick detergent free solvent is directly applied to the carpet. The solvent is spread using round specialized brushes that spreads the solvent till the lower end of the carpet. The lower end is very tough to reach and this is where the solvent does not complete get removed after washing. The solvent is then removed with special moisture vacuuming machine.

In dry cleaning some of the solvent still remains in the carpet after it have been cleaned and this is where dust particles make their place. Sometimes it leaves a permanent stain throughout the carpet which is difficult to remove even after steam cleaning. Steam cleaning is just the opposite of dry cleaning. The only difference is that it makes use of water. The process is a bit different as the results of steam carpet cleaning are much better compared to dry carpet cleaning.

Steam cleaning your carpets right from the first time of cleaning is the best practice and though you might feel the immense time it takes to dry. Even if you dry clean your carpets due to lack of time sometimes, you must still steam clean them to restore your carpet's original beauty.

Technorati Tags: Cleaning, efficient, more, Steam

Many floors require the use of a dry cleaning mop used with a cleaner or spray for dusting.  If you get too much moisture on a hard wood floor you run the risk of damaging the surface.  To keep the floor in the best possible condition, there is a cleaning mop that is designed to give your floor a good clean and retain its condition.  If the dry mop is made from 100% cotton, it will provide that clean without scratching the surface of a finely polished hard wood floor.  It will even work on laminate floors.  It is very important that the correct mop be used.  The floor will begin to take on a dull finish if it becomes scratched in even the tiniest way.

When you are cleaning your floor you will want to pick up the dust and small particles of dirt that are on it.  A dry mop is the best cleaning instrument for this purpose.  Typically a dry mop is used for in between cleaning.  You should try to keep the dust and dirt particles to a minimum on your hard wood floors.  Once they are released into the air they can cause misery for someone with asthma or allergies.  If you choose to use a dusting cleaner you will further minimize the risk of dust particles being released in the air. 

You should always begin at one end of the floor and work your way in whenever you are cleaning a hardwood floor with your dry mop. Aim for a figure eight pattern and gradually work your way in.  This method is ideal for keeping the strain off your back while you are dry mopping.  Make sure that you don’t push the dust away from you or you will allow dust and dirt to be released in the air.  The motion you are using with the figure eight pattern keeps the mop on the floor and the dust particles down.  Using a dry mop on your floor is different than sweeping with a broom, even though they are both a dry instrument.

You should never use your dry mop in place of your wet mop.  You will minimize the effectiveness of your dry mop if you allow it to become wet.  A dry mop has no ability to be wrung out because it was designed to be used dry.  There are many types of floors that are never meant to be cleaned with a wet mop.  You should check the manufacturers instructions for the care of your floor before you wet mop it.  Especially if your floor is a specialty floor.  You should always strive to use the right equipment when you are cleaning.  Not only will you save your floor but also you will save yourself a lot of time and money.

You should not attempt to scrub the floor if you are using a dry mop.  If the dirt on the floor is especially difficult to get up, you should look for another method to clean it.  Make sure you check with your floor’s manufacturer for the right products to use.  You can actually damage your floor if you attempt to scrub with a dry mop.  If there are dirt particles in your dry mop they will scratch the surface of your floor.

Most mops are designed to reach under furniture when cleaning the floor.  The best mop lets you clean under objects without bending over and injuring your back.  There are cleaning mops that have removable heads that double as a duster.  This saves you money by eliminating the need for special dusters for your furniture.  This type of mop is a real money saver.  Not only do you save by not having to buy special dusters but also you don’t have to replace the mop every time your mop head gets too dirty. 

You always have the option of cleaning a dry mop before you replace the mop head.  Simply bring the mop outside and shake it out.  You will have to shake very hard because these mops were meant to hold the dust in.  Whenever you have used a dusting agent make sure it dries before you attempt to shake out the dust.  Don’t bang the mop against the wall or other hard surface to get the dirt out.  All you will succeed in doing is damage the mop head. 

Store your mop upside down or up on a wall.  This will keep the pressure off the mop head and help it last a longer time. 

Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

Technorati Tags: Cleaning, Floors, Furniture, Specialty

Dry Cleaning And Laundry Equipment Financing

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If trying to finance the purchase of a new or used vehicle, your sans pareil option would typify a finance troop rather than your local bank.There are some otherfactors for lenders to think when award cash on a container. Factors relish type of car or truck, where it is through bought from, and what type of insurance you have.Other factors that will be taken interestedness consideration include your annual and tabloid income, any cosigners that you might have for the loan, again any recommendations or referrals that you might have.Finance for Buying a Property

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Financing other items like collectibles of electrical equipment endowment be more difficult.Smaller and less serviceable items are oftentimes harder to repossess besides find buyers whereas than vehicles and real estate, so many finance companies are hesitant to equip important to people keep from bad credit in order to influence these items. Instead of financing, you might want to consider distant venues for crowing credit loans (such as auto interval loans and the pleasure in) to get you the money that you need in that your purchases.Now, it is possible to find companies that might lend on these items, but if you get rejected try begging for a recommendation through poles apart bad knowledge finance companies. Visit Here now http://all-type-loan.blogspot.com

Technorati Tags: Cleaning, Equipment, Financing, Laundry

Monica's Cleaners, Dry Cleaners in La Grange

Dry cleaners in La Grange are one of the best quality products for providing quality cleaning service with personal touch. It uses the best cleaning Technology one has ever used; guarantying garments to come back spotless clean without the use of water.

We provide customer the full satisfaction with the best cleaning technology available in the today's market. With unlimited color and texture options, Cleaners in La Grange have become a leading choice in the laundry and homeowners who want a modern and yet elegant appearance. You can have someone dry clean your expensive garments, but most people do not want expenses. Well! In that case, Cleaners in La Grange would be the best option.

Dry Cleaners in La Grange have the speciality of being equipped with the latest technology that can help any one, Yes!  , Anyone to deal with the delicate garments with great perfection. They can perform a great job from cleaning coats to jackets. In fact, these dry Cleaners let your garments leave spotless which in fact very few cleansers provide currently. There is no guarantee that, it does not only provide commercial laundry service but at the same time provides more personalized service.

It does not use any kind of special solvent, soap or neither do uses high-boiling petroleum product. It uses the pure cleansing fluid so as to improve the quality of cleansing. It has the special feature of drying the garments with warm air in a tumbler.

Before buying Dry Cleaners, you may be confused with the issues regarding it. For instance, you might think of what its features are; what attachments you might get with it and what price ranges you might be comfortable with. Well, La Grange Cleaners includes the specialties- such as low power consumption, Auto stop features, 300 Watt Motor with rotational control. In fact, it is full featured cleaner mate to meet all your cleaning needs. All these features are provided in reasonable price.

Cleaners in La Grange is the only the product that will not allow the customers for looking other options. It is equipped with all sorts of latest technology that anyone would seek for in any Cleaners in La Grange.

New American Company has spent about 2 million dollars on the research of this Dry cleaner. It is specially designed by the engineers and fabric experts so as to result in looking clothes worn.

Some of Dry Cleaners in La Grange features are:

La Grange is also famous for tailoring. If you are in need to get your suite tailored quickly and more professionally, well in that cast, tailoring in La Grange would be the best option. It deals with all the men's suit with reasonable prices and with great finishes. It updates, and provides latest fashion to its customers with great satisfaction. Employees here are in dealing with all kinds of fabrics and requirements of the customers. You can freely have the looks of the design available in our web site.

To find out more about our services & its specialties' please visit our website www.la-grange-cleaners.com or make an appointment. Please feel free to contact Dry Cleaners in La Grange.

We offer pick-up and delivery of these latest dry cleansers currently available in the today's market. We will work with you to develop the services and timing you need for best service and maintenance. Please do remember that La Grange Cleaners owner is very hands-on service-oriented.

Any short of comments and queries from the customers regarding La Grange cleansers are welcome..... Call 708-352-3230

Technorati Tags: Best, Choose, Cleaner, Cleaning, Grange

Time is a very precious commodity and drying cleaning at home can be a very useful tool for freeing up some of this time.  By using a professional service for this type of cleaning, there are many time constraints that come up.  Some services only pick up and deliver on certain days of the week.  And most often, on holidays, nothing is worked on at all.  For this reason, it is an extremely good idea to learn how to dry clean your own garments from home.

There are many useful products available today that can make dry cleaning at home very simple and affordable to do.  First, it is important to know and understand what dry cleaning is.  Dry cleaning is nothing more than applying some chemicals to the clothing and stained areas and then loading them into a dryer.  Using nothing more than heat and chemicals, stains are easily removed and the garment is left unchanged and in perfect condition.

Some dry cleaning at home products available today use a bag method.  This involves treating stained areas with the provided chemicals, then loading them into the dryer for a specified time, and then removing them.  There are a number of resources available that provide step by step instructions for dry cleaning even the most delicate of fabrics.

It is also important that one become educated in proper dry cleaning procedures.  Saving time on dry cleaning should not come at the expense of the quality and durability of one’s clothing.  Some types of clothing react better to various types of chemicals and temperatures.  Knowing which chemicals to use, along with the appropriate levels of heat and time required, is very important.  The chemicals, drying time, and heat levels vary depending on the fabric being cleaned.  However, this is not something that is particularly difficult to learn, which makes dry cleaning from home a reality for nearly anyone.  Some professional dry cleaners will discourage this type of practice, but that is understandable considering they will lose business if individuals learn how easy it is to do this work from home.

Doing research prior to attempting any type of at home dry cleaning is critical.  Browsing the Web can provide an abundance of information that will be useful in learning this skill.  It is advised to practice with garments that you can afford to damage, especially when dry cleaning for the first time.  After learning the skill, you will find that dry cleaning at home will save you time and money.

Technorati Tags: Cleaning, Home, Saving, Time

It is time to clean your carpet and you may be trying to decide how to do it. Should you clean it yourself and hire a professional steam cleaner?  What about the dry carpet cleaning? If carpet has been a year or longer since was last cleaned, you should hire a professional carpet cleaner in order to get best results. If accumulated large amount of dirt in your carpet. Even if you vacuum cleaning of your carpet regularly intervals, carpet still needs deep cleaning and easily removed damaged by dirt and oils.

Carpet dry cleaning is becoming a popular method for carpet cleaning today. Some water is used, but only a small amount of water. By a steam cleaner compared to the amount of water put into your carpet. Rather than depend on water, cleans your carpet by the dry cleaning method through a chemical reaction.

You do not have to tension about exposing your children or pets to harmful chemicals, because carpet cleaner perhaps use a carbonated substance rather than detergents or chemicals. The carbonated substance works as well as similar to the way club soda works to remove stains.

Carpet dry cleaning is good method for removing stains. Carpet dry cleaning is the excellent choice if anyone in your family has chemical allergies. Definitely should be ask to the carpet cleaner which type of chemical is used with their carpet dry cleaning method.  Make sure it should be natural and not harmful.  

Keep in mind one thing that there are a few different types of carpet dry cleaning methods? First method is to cover your carpet with detergent foam and vacuum cleaning method. This is perhaps the more effective for removing deep down dirt and stains.  Another method includes the use of a solid substance that looks like sawdust. This method is use then vacuumed back out. Third and best method uses carbonation. Use of small amount of water in this method and you can verify it that it will not harmful for your carpet if you have a carpet which is made of natural fibers like silk.

A big benefit to the carpet dry cleaning method is it dries much quicker than any other carpet cleaner. Your carpet can be quickly dry in as little as two hours. Dry cleaning removes the tension of mold growing in your carpet. If anyone has mold allergies or health problems in your family, it is important benefit for you. Considering you only need deep cleaning your carpet once a year, the price is worth in order to keep your carpet new looking and free from bad odors.

Technorati Tags: Carpet, Cleaning, Importance, Method

DATELINE: HANOVER, MA AND SEATTLE, WA… Lapels Dry Cleaning, an innovative, environmentally friendly dry cleaning company headquartered in Hanover, Massachusetts, is pleased to announce the latest addition to its growing nationwide family of retail stores. On May 9, the first Lapels Dry Cleaning store in Seattle opened for business at 8345 15th Avenue N.W. This new Lapels Dry Cleaning store will be open 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday; 8 am to 5 pm on Saturday; and 12 pm to 3 pm on Sunday.

The Grand Opening Celebration, scheduled for May 30, will include a giveaway drawing featuring a free dinner for four at a neighborhood restaurant, as well as a second prize drawing for an iPod nano. Area residents will also receive postcards good for 50% off the cost of their first dry cleaning order.

Local entrepreneurs Carl and Nora Robinson, the previous owners of Caffe Zingaro, will own and operate Seattle’s first Lapels Dry Cleaning store. “There are very few environmentally friendly dry cleaning operations in Seattle and Lapels Dry Cleaning fills an important need by providing an environmentally progressive alternative,” notes Carl Robinson. “We’re excited to be able to offer area residents the option of the most technically advanced, environmentally friendly dry cleaning service available at our new our Lapels Dry Cleaning Store, introducing on premise cleaning utilizing FIRBIMATIC’S Eco Green Saver machine.”

The Lapels Seattle store will offer environmentally safe ONE – HOUR dry cleaning on the premise on most garments, as well as VIP service utilizing a personalized laundry bag with the option of 24-hour drop off. Same day service will also be available with pick-up after 5 pm.

“We want to congratulate Carl and Nora on the Grand Opening of their new Lapels Dry Cleaning store, and we look forward to an ongoing relationship as we continue to provide guidance and support at the corporate level to help ensure the success of their new dry cleaning store,” remarked Lapels Dry Cleaning CEO Lawrence Friedman. “We’re also proud that their Seattle Lapels Dry Cleaning store will offer the most ecologically sophisticated dry cleaning process available, continuing to advance Lapels Dry Cleaning’s corporate goal of providing environmentally friendly service.”

FIRBIMATIC Saver – better for you, our employees, the earth AND better for your clothes
Utilizing odorless, ecological solvents the FIRBIMATIC Saver series is delicate on garments, minimizing the risk of shrinking, fading, and discoloring. It is designed to help cleaners lower their utility usage, and it also eliminates the production of hazardous waste since it doe not employ a still, unlike conventional dry cleaning systems.

The FIRBIMATIC Saver uses a high-tech filtration combination of nylon spinning disc filters and a special decanter with filtering powder to purify the solvent by accurately removing moisture, odors and fatty acids. Relevant savings in labor, electricity and maintenance costs can be obtained because the saver filtration combination doesn’t use conventional distillation and therefore doesn’t require an external steam supply for drying or supplementary heating coils.  It can also be equipped with an innovative air-cooled refrigeration system that requires no water connection at all, which means that during installation of the machine, only electric and air connections are required.

Lapels Dry Cleaning Community Commitment
Being a good neighbor isn’t just a slogan at Lapels Dry Cleaning, where community involvement is a tradition. Lapels Dry Cleaning proudly partners with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation of Boston, Big Sisters of Rhode Island, and the American Red Cross.

A Rising Star
Lapels Dry Cleaning is ranked as one of the Top 10 fastest growing franchises in New England by the New England Franchise Association. In addition, the Lapels Dry Cleaning Franchise Program has made the ranking for the Top 30 Franchise Organizations based in New England.

Lapels Dry Cleaning has also been ranked in Entrepreneur’s 26th Annual “Franchise 500” as well as Entrepreneur’s “Top 50 New Franchises,” identifying Lapels Dry Cleaning as one of today’s top franchise opportunities. Entrepreneur's “Franchise 500” is the best and most comprehensive rating of franchises in the world and is based on objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation.

Store Locations
Lapels Dry Cleaning has stores in Massachusetts (Abington, Bedford, Beverly, Boston-Charles River Park, Brighton, Concord, Dedham, Easton, Framingham, Halifax, Hanover, Marshfield, Newtonville, Norton, Randolph, Salem, Sudbury, Walpole, Westford, and Westwood); Rhode Island (Lincoln); Arizona (Peoria); California (Pomona and Poway); Florida (Orlando); New Hampshire (Hooksett); South Carolina (Carolina Forest and Myrtle Beach); Texas (Arlington, Garland, Granbury, Murphy, and Plano); Washington (Kirkland); and Washington, DC. Coming soon to Duluth, GA; Destin, FL; Boise, ID; Wilmington, MA; Edmond, OK and Bloomsburg, PA.

Lapels Dry Cleaning – Environmentally Friendly Cleaners
A full slate of services are offered at each Lapels Dry Cleaning store, including: same-day dry cleaning; shirt service; tailoring; shoe repair; wedding gown preservation; suede and leather processing; box storage and fur storage.

Lapels Dry Cleaning corporate offices are located at 962 Washington Street, Hanover, MA 02339.  To learn more about franchise opportunities with Lapels Dry Cleaning, call toll free (866) 695-2735 or email admin@lapelsdrycleaning.com. Additional information and up-to-date company news can also be found on the company’s Web site, www.lapelsdrycleaning.com.

Technorati Tags: Cleaning, environmentally, friendly, Lapels, opens, Seattle, Store

DATELINE: HANOVER, MA…Bag upon bag of donated clothing has been collected and counted and now it’s official… Lapels Dry Cleaning Dry Cleaning stores collected over TWO TONS of clothing during the annual Lapels Clothing Drive to benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation and Big Sisters of Rhode Island.  

For two weeks in May, patrons of all of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Lapels Dry Cleaning stores heeded the effort to clean out their closets, including the Lapels Dry Cleaning stores in: Abington, Bedford, Beverly, Boston-Charles River Park, Brighton, Concord, Dedham, Easton, Framingham, Halifax, Hanover, Marshfield, Newtonville, Norton, Randolph, Salem, Sudbury, Walpole, Westford, and Westwood, and Lincoln, RI. Overall, Lapels Dry Cleaning stores in Massachusetts and Rhode Island collected over 200 bags, totaling approximately 4,000 pounds of clothing.

Lapels Dry Cleaning franchisee Fred Siegel, who owns and operates the Hanover, MA Lapels Dry Cleaning store, was enthusiastic about participating in the clothing drive that is now in its fifth year. Notes Siegel, “Our bi-annual Lapels Dry Cleaning clothing drive offers our customers a win-win situation — they can conveniently drop off their unwanted clothing items and give a boost to a worthy organization, the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation.”

Ken Higgins of the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation of Boston, remarked on the success of the Lapels Dry Cleaning clothing drive, “In five short years, the Lapels Dry Cleaning clothing drive has grown from a fledging effort to become a solid source of support. We offer our congratulations and thank you to Lapels Dry Cleaning and salute their ongoing efforts on behalf of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation.”

The Lincoln Rhode Island Lapels Dry Cleaning store also collected clothing donations that benefitted the Big Sisters of Rhode Island. Spokesperson for the Big Sisters of Rhode Island in Cranston, Kaurie McDermott, also thanked Lapels Dry Cleaning, saying, “On behalf of the Big Sisters of Rhode Island I would like to thank Lapels Dry Cleaning for continuing to sponsor this drive, which provides their customers with the opportunity to “go green” and help the environment, while also helping young at-risk girls. The continued support of Lapels Dry Cleaning is greatly appreciated, particularly in these uncertain economic times.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters picks up the gently used clothing collected by Lapels Dry Cleaning stores and distributes it to consignment shops. The net profits from the sales of these items are distributed back to Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies, supporting their mission to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships. The Big Sisters of Rhode Island picks up the gently used clothing collected by the Lincoln, RI Lapels Dry Cleaning store and those items are sold directly to our partner, Savers.  The proceeds from these items support our mentoring programs for girls at-risk, between the ages of 4 and 18.

As a former big brother, Lapels Dry Cleaning CEO Lawrence Friedman knows firsthand the impact the Big Brother Big Sister program can have, “It’s an absolutely amazing experience to watch the progress of children involved in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. We would like to thank all of the Lapels Dry Cleaning customers and franchisees who so generously support our clothing drives – they really do make a difference.”

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters serves over 200,000 children, ages 6 through 18, in 5,000 communities across all 50 states, establishing successful mentoring relationships for all children who need and want them, contributing to better schools, brighter futures, and stronger communities for all. Big Brothers Big Sisters one-to-one mentoring makes a huge difference for the youth it serves by helping at-risk youth overcome the many challenges they face.

Lapels Dry Cleaning Community Commitment
Being a good neighbor isn’t just a slogan at Lapels Dry Cleaning, where community involvement is a tradition. Lapels Dry Cleaning proudly partners with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation of Boston, Big Sisters of Rhode Island, and the American Red Cross.

A Rising Star
The New England Franchise Association ranks Lapels Dry Cleaning as one of the Top 10 fastest growing franchises in New England. In addition, the Lapels Dry Cleaning Franchise Program has made the ranking for the Top 30 Franchise Organizations based in New England.

Lapels Dry Cleaning has also been ranked in Entrepreneur’s 26th Annual “Franchise 500” as well as Entrepreneur’s “Top 50 New Franchises,” identifying Lapels Dry Cleaning as one of today’s top franchise opportunities. Entrepreneur's “Franchise 500” is the best and most comprehensive rating of franchises in the world and is based on objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation.

Store Locations
Lapels Dry Cleaning has stores in Massachusetts (Abington, Bedford, Beverly, Boston, Brighton, Concord, Dedham, Easton, Framingham, Halifax, Hanover, Marshfield, Newtonville, Norton, Randolph, Salem, Sudbury, Walpole, Westford, and Westwood); Rhode Island (Lincoln); California (Pomona and Poway); Florida (Orlando); Georgia (Duluth); Idaho (Boise); New Hampshire (Hooksett); South Carolina (Carolina Forest and Myrtle Beach); Texas (Arlington, Garland, Granbury, Murphy, and Plano); Washington (Kirkland and Seattle).  Coming soon to Destin, FL; Wilmington, MA; Edmond, OK and Bloomsburg, PA.

Lapels Dry Cleaning – Environmentally Friendly Cleaners
A full slate of services are offered at each Lapels Dry Cleaning store, including: same-day dry cleaning; shirt service; tailoring; shoe repair; wedding gown preservation; suede and leather processing; box storage and fur storage.

Lapels Dry Cleaning corporate offices are located at 962 Washington Street, Hanover, MA 02339.  To learn more about franchise opportunities with Lapels Dry Cleaning, call toll free (866) 695-2735 or email admin@lapelsdrycleaning.com. Additional information and up-to-date company news can also be found on the company’s Web site, www.lapelsdrycleaning.com.

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