Tips for success

  • Disputes are not common but can cause problems. Before you accept garments that are heavily stained you should check with the customer that they're aware that you don't guarantee a 100% perfect result. 
  • A dry-cleaning machine is just like any machine: there are Rolls Royces and there are cheap imports - establish the price of a replacement. An expensive top of the range machine will set you back many tens of thousands. With typical repair costs of a few hundred pounds a year.
  • It is a good idea to know how much solvent the business is currently using. Recording weekly perc consumption by individual machines and consolidating this data into monthly and annual figures and linking them with data on the amount of work processed can give early indications of machine faults, which can then be repaired before they become costly failures.
  • The Envirowise Environmental Performance Guide (EG39) Perchloroethylene Consumption in the Dry-cleaning Industry gives useful benchmark data on dry-cleaners' perc use, and tips on how to improve performance. The publication has been archived, but you can request a copy from the Advice Line on 0800 585794.

  • If the machines you are buying aren't modern closed-loop machines then retrofitting solvent recovery systems can significantly reduce solvent consumption and reduce emissions.