RAVE FabriCARE'S True Quality Cleaning Blog

Ordinary dry cleaners agonize about setting prices. They wouldn’t have to if they focused on delivering true quality cleaning.

Ordinary cleaners have a unique approach to setting prices. They start by analyzing the prices charged by other cleaners in a 5 to 10 mile radius prices. Then they ignore those comparative prices and set the final price by sucking it out of thin air, modifying it to end in a 1, 3, 7 or 9 and confirming it by gut instinct.

Their prices are, in effect, the highest prices they think they can charge relative to the competition and relative to the “quality” of the product they deliver.

Then they spend months agonizing whether their prices are set at the appropriate level.

In this post, I hypothesize that the primary reason customers patronize ordinary dry cleaners is because of price, not quality of product. I also argue that customers who focus solely on price are customers that are not worth pursuing under any circumstances.

On the other hand, if ordinary dry cleaners dramatically improved the quality of the product they offered, their clients would drool over the quality of their work and they wouldn’t have to spend years agonizing whether their prices are set at the appropriate level.

Ordinary dry cleaning means average care for average consumers by average people

Almost every new entrant into the dry cleaning industry talks about delivering “quality” to their customers.

These new entrants believe that the “right” location, the “right” equipment, the “right” eco-friendly dry cleaning solvent, the “right” computer system, the “right” app and the “right” amount of effort will miraculously produce “quality” and, as a consequence, financial success.

They soon realize, however, that the overwhelming majority of their customers just want their garments “cleaned and pressed” for the lowest possible price and in the fastest time — two major impediments to delivering true quality cleaning.

In this post, I discuss why building a sustainable business that delivers true quality cleaning is so difficult to achieve and why these new entrants into the dry cleaning industry quickly shift their goal from “quality of product” to “growth in piece count” as a way to generate the cash necessary to keep the doors open.

Why would you allow your dry cleaner to destroy your buttons and other hardware?

You’ve invested in your fine garments.

Amongst other things, you believe that your buttons, logos, zipper pulls, buckles and the like are integral to the look of your garments.

In this blog post, I examine the need for your dry cleaner to protect your buttons and other hardware — even if that means removing your buttons and other hardware prior to cleaning and replacing your buttons and other hardware after cleaning.

Yes, I do understand that your dry cleaner told you that they “protect” your buttons and other hardware.

But do they?

If that were the case, why are some of the buttons and other hardware (logos, zipper pulls, buckles, etc.) on your fine garments scratched, chipped, cracked or otherwise damaged?

And, if that’s the case, why do you permit your dry cleaner to get away with damaging the buttons and other hardware on your fine garments?

What’s the safest (and best) way to clean my fine silk and wool ties?

An advise column that appeared in a recent issue of Esquire Magazine theorized that the “best” way to clean your fine ties was to:

(a) blot — not rub — the stain(s) with a napkin or paper towel,
(b) pre-treat the stains with specific product(s) and
(c) hand wash the tie with other specific product(s).

I agree with (a). I vehemently disagree with (b) and (c).

What’s the basis for my disagreement? I see the results of DIY tie cleaning disasters from all around the USA and Canada on an almost daily basis. Extrapolate that over a period of almost 30 years and that represents thousands of potentially ruined ties.

In this post, I argue that, when it comes to cleaning your fine ties, the first rule is to ignore substantially all internet-based advise.

Most of that advise is not based on experience — the actual cleaning and restoration of thousands of ties. Rather, the advise appears to be contrived: grab a few ties, stain the ties with various substances, apply specific “stain removal” products to be promoted (the true objective of the article) and write a “how to” article on the outstanding results achieved.

The second rule is to consult a true quality cleaner who specializes in the cleaning and restoration of fine ties.