Oregon Dry Cleaners Association

Business/Store Name: 45th Avenue Cleaners SW Portland
Owners name: Brian Olson

 

What made you decide to go into dry cleaning?
It happened by accident. I needed a job and some relatives of mine were disenchanted with the cleaner they opened. This was in 1975 in eastern Colorado. I found I enjoyed the “hands on” aspect and I discovered talents I didn’t know I had.

When did you open your first Dry Cleaners?
I ultimately bought this shop two years later. I renamed it Cameo Cleaners, added a self service car wash and “cleaned up”!

Do you still have that location?
Colorado was not to my liking and I sold Cameo and moved back to my home town of Portland in 1980.

Did you build the Plant or buy an existing store? Eleven years later, 1991, after working at cleaners in Portland, I bought 45th Avenue. It was in “distress”, but I knew the area (and the competition), and I was sure I could turn it around
Did you have Dry Cleaning Experience when you Started?Did you attend a Dry Cleaning School or Class? By the time I bought 45th Avenue, I had 16 solid years of practical experience. I also took the IFI spotting course in the early 80’s. I have since attended numerous classes and seminars to improve my skills.

How big is your Dry Cleaners?
My shop is small. It’s just under 1000 sq feet. I had to learn early how to put 10lbs of sugar in a 5lb. bag. Especially when I started doing my own shirts.

What type of Solvent are you using?
I use perc, although I have worked with Valclene and Stoddard. Perc is still the best as far as I am concerned. But just so you don’t get the wrong idea, I am watching the alternatives coming on to the scene closely. Sooner or later I think a really good alternative will be available. I just don’t think it’s here yet.

Do you do Wet Cleaning? Type of Equipment?
I do a lot of wet cleaning. Some of it self taught, most of it I learned from Ann Hargrove. (The First Lady of wet cleaning.) I was doing a lot of it before it was even talked about or products to make it easier and practical were available. I think most of the “old timers” were. (No, I don’t think of myself as an old timer!)

What’s the Best Piece of Equipment you Purchased?
That’s easy to answer, my Fimas Shirt Unit. I put out a premium product and I needed shirts to match that quality. You just cant get that from a wholesaler on a consistent basis. Fimas made a unit that fit in my space and even better, fit my budget. I bought the first one in the country. I think that was five years ago and I started putting out a first class shirt on day one and I charge accordingly. What is really funny about this, is when I put the unit in and talked about it on the fabricare forum, many manufactures reps said it was impossible for it to work, let alone work well. Now, all the manufacturers are making and selling them.

What’s your Dream Piece of Equipment?
That’s easy, the Ultimate Tensioning Unit. Wouldn’t it be great to have a pressing station that could keep up with the drycleaning machine? We have a ways to go, but it will happen.

Give us a brief rundown on your other finishing equipment:
Cissel Pant Topper and Suzie. Ajax Legger/Utility. I also have a Cissel silk board for when we get to busy to handle it all on one pressing station.

Do you have a website? If you do what do you feel it’s done for you?

My membership in ODCA provides a mini web page at no additional cost. I am amazed at how much traffic it produces. (see link below)

What Associations do you belong to? IFI and ODCA are my lifeblood! I have also belonged to the NCA, Professional Wet Cleaners Network and the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance, as well as the Fabricare forum. All have been useful and beneficial, but I started to overload on information and I just didn’t have the time.

Do you have an interesting or just something fun you’d like to share about working in the industry? I am Portland’s first and still the only IFI Certified Environmental Drycleaner. I tested at the first offering in 1994 and have retested every three years since. I continue to be amazed at the tens of thousands of dollars being spent on converting to new solvents just to put a sign up to claim to be “green”. The CED program covers more than just the solvent used, it’s an overall way of doing business. I credit it with enabling me to receive numerous awards including the National Waste Prevention Coalitions “Model Cleaner Award” and EPA’s Evergreen award. I am particularly proud of the NWPC award. It was the first time an environmental group chose to honor our industry for what we are trying to accomplish rather than continue to attack us for past practices. I look forward to a long and profitable future in spite of, or should I say because of the challenges we face today.

It is important that perc be managed and disposed of using the best management practices available. This will help you protect your employees, customers and the environment from any unwanted impacts of perc. As most in the dry cleaning industry know, cleaning up perc can be very expensive - especially if it gets into the groundwater or our drinking water supply. Perc is suspected of causing cancer and may cause liver damage in humans. There are many opportunities to maximize the use of perc in your dry cleaning operations and to reduce its escape into the environment, including:

• Improved operating and maintenance procedures;
• Spot cleaning and wet cleaning;
• More efficient equipment, and
• Substituting cleaning products and methods.

The following offers some tips for managing perc safely. Make sure to check with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for information on regulations that apply to dry cleaners (contact information is at the end of this summary):

1 Equipment Operation and Maintenance

• Consult Manufacturer’s Operating Manual…
Equipment runs most efficiently when it is operated and maintained according to
manufacturer specifications.
• Regularly Clean…
Condensing coils, strainers, lint and button traps. On auxiliary equipment, regularly clean/change filters, clean perc/water separator tank, and steam condensation coils if necessary.
• Maintain Proper Outlet Temperature…
Check the outlet temperature weekly. Make sure it doesn’t go above 45 degrees Farenheit
at the end of the cool-down cycle. This helps recover perc as a liquid for continued use, and to
minimize perc evaporation.

2 Spill and Leak Prevention

• Check Weekly for Leaks…
Around door seatings and gaskets, hose connections, pipe fittings, exhaust dampers,
ductwork, lint trap lids, vents and water separators. Repair any leaks within 24 hours.
• Handle Cleaning Materials Carefully…
to prevent spills.
• Track Solvent Mileage…
Know how much solvent your machine normally uses. A drop in solvent mileage may indicate
a leak. Solvent mileage is calculated as pounds of clothes cleaned per gallon of solvent.
• Provide Secondary Containment…
In areas where solvent and perc-containing wastes are stored.
• Cover Containers…
To prevent evaporation and spilling.

3 Management and Disposal of Perc Waste

• Contain and Label Perc Waste…
As “Hazardous Waste”, marking the date the waste first was added to the container.
Contain in tightly covered, leak-proof containers that are placed into secondary containment.
• Perc-Contaminated Wastewater…
May be treated in an approved on-site unit or drummed for disposal at a permitted hazardous waste facility.
• Dispose of Hazardous Wastes at Permitted Hazardous Waste Facility.

4 Housekeeping

• Keep Machine Doors Closed…
Except when adding or removing clothes.
• Drain Spent Filter Cartridges…
In their housing or in a sealed container rather than setting them on the ground.

5 Recordkeeping

• Use the Dry Cleaner Compliance Calendar…
To log your perc purchases, hazardous waste storage and shipment, leak detection inspection and temperature monitoring activities in one place.

Want More Information?

For more ideas on how to manage perc or other solvents, pollution prevention, or information about regulations, feel free to contact the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Business Assistance Program: 1-800-452-4011, or 503-229-6147. Assistance is free and is confidential!

Don't forget the Rogue River Hellgate jetboat excursion on Sunday August 22 leaving the dock at 9:30am for an exciting 4 hour trip up the river for Champagne Brunch before returning to Grants Pass. You will get to experience the natural beauty of the Rogue River, feel the rushing rapids, the wind in your face, eat a wonderful meal AND network with other drycleaners from throughout the state. Mark the date in your calendars and plan to attend!!

We have a block of 10 rooms set aside at the Riverside Inn (which is where we board), for Saturday August 21, 2004. You can call and make a reservation 1800.334.4567. The rate for a double is $92.00.

I will need to know the final count of those people who will be going no later than August 18. You can call 541.826.5484 or e- mail

The Price: $40.00 per adult $25.00 per child

email: webmaster@oregondrycleaners.org

phone: 5419991493

web: http://www.oregondrycleaners.org