Beginning on April 1, the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI) will be accepting nominations for its 2026 Hall of Fame Award — the association’s highest honor that recognizes individuals whose leadership and service have strengthened the drycleaning and laundry industry.
Mary Scalco, CEO of the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI), recently accepted an invitation to serve as the new chairperson for the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) Research Committee RA43 (Professional Textile Care Test Methods, formerly Drycleaning Test Methods).
John Houston Riddle, Sr., owner and president of Riddle & Associates, the Atlanta-based trade show management company that oversaw the Clean Show from 1992 until 2019, passed away in mid-February at the age of 85.
If we can get inside our customers’ heads, if we can understand what makes them happy and what makes them angry or annoys them, then we should be able to follow a path that leads us to a better shirt.
Many of my service calls involve leaking buck valves — a common issue that not only makes it difficult to achieve a high-quality finished garment, but also reduces the lifespan of your press pad and frustrates garment finishers.
Becoming wealthy may not be your primary goal, but if it is, there is a reasonably predictable way to get rich in America.
After 25 years of route building and ride alongs, I have seen it all — from the backgrounds of the drivers to the hurdles presented to them for route growth.
The advancement of wetcleaning technology has been significant. I have been teaching wetcleaning for 40 years and have seen cleaners increase their wetcleaning percentage from 5% up to 65%.
During his days playing professional baseball, John Houston Riddle, Sr. earned a reputation as a formidable slugger. He played in the minor leagues from 1962 to 1966
The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) will be virtually educating drycleaners on virtually everything to do with textile care this month. Coming up soon is a two-day virtual course on “Understanding Fibers and Fabrics” set to take place on April 14 and 16.
In May, the Route Pros will be hosting its 2026 Spark and Start Leadership Conference at Dublin Cleaners in Columbus, OH.
The Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) has announced “Summit of Possibilities” as the official theme for its 2026 Management & Educational Conference, which is set to take place from Aug. 2–5 at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.
PROS Parts announced that Operations Manager Bruce Hope officially retires at the end of April after more than 35 years in the industry.
Martinizing Cleaners recently announced the opening of its newest location in the Minneapolis metropolitan area.
McPherson Cleaners, a cornerstone of Alamance County since its founding in 1953, has expanded into Greensboro with the opening of its third location.
Following his 42 years as president of Puritan Cleaners, Gary Glover announced his retirement. He took over leadership of Puritan Cleaners from his father, Ed Glover, in 1984.
While much of franchising spent 2025 navigating rising costs, labor volatility and crowded categories, Tide Services, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), took a different approach: building a scalable growth platform around one of the most essential, and often overlooked household services.
In late January, the New England Sanitone Licensees held their annual meeting in Boston, MA.
Value Drycleaners of America, LLC (VDA) announced recently that it has named Mike Weisel as president/CEO, overseeing its operations, as well as those of ZIPS Franchising LLC, franchisor of the ZIPS Cleaners brand, and Gemini Cleaners LLC, franchisor of the Mulberry’s Garment Care brand. His title applies to all three entities.
America’s Best Cleaners (ABC) was recently selected as the exclusive textile and garment care partner for The Home Trust International, a prestigious invitation-only network for luxury home services.
Continental Girbau West (CG West), a leading distributor of Continental Laundry Solutions (Continental), has officially changed its name to Continental West and announced its move to a new facility in Cerritos, CA.
After more than two decades of dedicated service, Tom Medlin, who has served as sales manager for Realstar USA since 2001, retired on Dec. 31, 2025.
Al Phillips Cleaners of Nevada announced the appointment of laundry route expert Ricardo “Ricky” Salazar as vice president of client services. He will lead a major expansion in B2B dry cleaning and laundry services and route-based pickup/delivery throughout southern Nevada, including oversight of national accounts with West Coast or Las Vegas operations.
Tide Services has expanded its footprint in the Midwest. Consolidated Cleaners, one of Tide’s largest franchise groups, has acquired seven Widmer’s Cleaners locations across the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
ARYA Cleaners has achieved official national certification as an affiliate of America’s Best Cleaners. Founded by the Rahimzadeh family, ARYA Cleaners has a rich history focused on quality and dedication to customer service.
ZIPS Cleaners graduated its fourth Certified Trainer class last month, adding another six team members to the list of individuals who have successfully matriculated through the one-day program held at the company’s Savage, MD, headquarters.
Recently, Tide Services expanded its footprint on Florida’s Space Coast with the acquisition and conversion of eight Crest Cleaners & Laundry locations.
In October, 18 students graduated the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute’s (DLI) School of Drycleaning Technology’s Introduction to Drycleaning course, and 15 graduated from its Advanced course.
Continental Laundry Solutions recently promoted Kim Foxcroft to director of marketing, recognizing her outstanding leadership and long-standing contributions to the company’s success.
Margaret's the Couture Cleaner has earned the Best of La Jolla award for Dry Cleaning for the 14th year in a row, as voted by readers of The La Jolla Village News
Martinizing Cleaners has announced its expansion into the greater Green Bay area. After purchasing Lindeman’s Cleaning, a 70-year-old local company, through its Clean Exit program, Martinizing Cleaners re-branded and updated the stores and partnered with new franchisees Cory and Trisha Spice.
America’s Best Cleaners (ABC) held its Fall 2025 Accelerator Live meeting from Oct. 8–10 in Minneapolis, MN, hosted by All Seasons Garment Care & Evermore Wedding Gown Care.
Industry expert Marcia Miller Todd's Over The Counter book has been updated, revised and expanded to give the same sage advice to a fresh generation.
Oakwood Cleaners has been voted “Best Dry Cleaner — Nashville 2025” in the Nashville Scene Readers’ Poll, making it four years in a row
Fabritec International, a third-generation, family-owned leader in professional textile care solutions, announced leadership promotions and team expansions at The Clean Show in Orlando, FL in August.
Plans have been made for EXPO Detergo International 2026, the leading event in Europe dedicated to machines, technologies, products and services for textile cleaning.
Nearly 15,000 cleaners and their suppliers throughout the United States and around the world read Clothesline
