DLI School Graduates Complete 386th Hands-On Drycleaning Courses
Fifteen students graduated the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute’s School of Drycleaning Technology’s Introduction to Drycleaning Course, October 7–11 and 17 graduated its Advanced Drycleaning Course, October 14–25. DLI’s Introduction course lasts five days and the Advanced Course runs for 10 days. Founded in 1927, DLI’s School of Drycleaning Technology has helped shape the careers of thousands of drycleaners worldwide.
In these courses, students learned about:
- Sorting loads for drycleaning
- The science of drycleaning
- Fibers and their characteristics
- Fabric construction
- Cleaning silk, stain, and other fabrics
- Soil and cleaning theory
- Operating a drycleaning machine
- Stain removal chemistry and procedures
- Removing coffee, ink, grease, and other stains from clothing
- Pressing pants, coats, blouses, ties, pleated garments, and skirts
- Using tensioning equipment to improve finishing quality
- Using bleaches without damaging fabric color
- Distillation procedures
- Understanding the differences between solvent types
- Wetcleaning wool, silk, and more
- Designing a drycleaning plant with the most effective workflow
Latisha Robinson, Plant Manager with Dependable Cleaners in Denver CO, attended the Advanced Drycleaning Course. She said, “My boss attended [DLI’s School] earlier this year. When she came back she told me this information would help me help my girls and help us serve our customers.” She said DLI’s courses helped her learn best practices and more efficient ways to help customers. “I was kind of thrown in, like one of the managers said this is how you do this, this how you do that and the rest, you just wing it or figure it out from experience.” DLI’s structured courses mix classroom learning with hands-on learning experience to help cement best practice procedures.
Matt Nemec with St. Croix Cleaners in Stillwater, MN, took both courses to better understand the drycleaning business and position himself to someday take charge of his family cleaning business. “Stain removal is very exciting. We’re learning so much here, it’s unreal,” Nemec said. “I got some great ideas to take back. Brian Johnson’s got a bunch of great ideas and insights on business. He’s helping out so many people, it’s awesome. I would say my favorite part of the courses is honestly, just stain removal, seeing the stains disappear. It’s a really good process and he does a great job with that.”
Adriana Lopez with 3rd Generation Cleaners in Chico, CA, attended both the October Introduction to Drycleaning and Advanced Drycleaning Courses. “The courses are great because they are interactive, you know, hands on and everything.” Lopez said she was excited to apply the new skills she learned. “I heard the courses were great and having the ability to enhance my knowledge is so wonderful,” she said.
DLI will offer a full slate of in-person and virtual courses in 2025. Learn more about the courses at DLIonline.org/Education.
DLI’s School of Drycleaning Technology Graduates 15 Students
in 386th Introduction to Drycleaning Course, October 7–11, 2024
Front Row (left to right): Jhana Richardson, Crown Cleaners, West Des Moines, IA; Sofia Garcia, Keller Cleaners, Monterrey, Mexico; Hui “Becky” Cao, Wesselmann Cleaners, Buffalo, NY; Yesenia Ruiz, Floras & Johnson Cleaners, Douglas, AZ; Doris Mangrobang, Halekulani Hotel, Honolulu, HI.
Middle Row (l-r): Brian Johnson, DLI Director of Education & Analysis; Jacobo Brenes Cerrato, Nettoyeur Victoria Village, Westmount, Quebec, Canada; Carlos Rosemond, Huntington Cleaners, Huntington Woods, MI; Michael Lausen, Lapels of Houma, Houma, LA; Adriana Lopez, 3rd Generation Cleaners, Chico, CA.
Back Row (l-r): Matt Nemec, St. Croix Cleaners, Stillwater, MN; Hiten Nihalani, Rockville, MD; Geovanni Dountsop Tchinda, Reliable Transporters, LLC, Silver Spring, MD; Washington Youson, 7 to 7 Cleaners, Harper Woods, MI; Victor Targett, Targetts, Inc., Keene, NH; Dylan Chin, Helena’s Cleaners, Normandy Park, WA.
Jacobo Brenes Cerrato, Hui “Becky” Cao, Michael Lausen, Adriana Lopez, Juana Richardson, and Victor Targett attended the course free of charge as DLI Premier Members.
Dylan Chin attended the course on a scholarship from Kreussler.
DLI’s School of Drycleaning Technology Graduates 17 Students
in 386th Advanced Drycleaning Course, October 14–25, 2024
Front Row (left to right): Latisha Robinson, Dependable Cleaners, Denver, CO; Sofia Garcia, Keller Cleaners, Col del Valle, Monterrey, Mexico; Hui “Becky” Cao, Wesselmann Cleaners, Buffalo, NY; Doris Mangrobang, Halekulani Hotel, Honolulu, HI; Angeles Amayrany Castillo, Telluride Eco Cleaners, Telluride, CO; Chelsie Zamora, Lavaseco Universal, Ltd., San Antonio, TX.
Middle Row (l-r): Geovanni Dountsop Tchinda, Reliable Transporters, LLC, Silver Spring, MD; Jacobo Brenes Cerrato, Nettoyeur Victoria Village, Westmount, Quebec, Canada; Matt Nemec, St. Croix Cleaners, Stillwater, MN; Dylan Chin, Helena’s Cleaners, Normandy Park, WA; Adriana Lopez, 3rd Generation Cleaners, Chico, CA; Brian Johnson, DLI Director of Education & Analysis.
Back Row (l-r): Hiten Nihalani, Rockville, MD; Isaac Hamilton, Broadway Dry Cleaners, Perth, Western Australia; Beau Williams, Puritan Cleaners, Richmond, VA; Mark Harris, Oceanside Cleaners, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; Donna Wagner, Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners, Glyndon, MD.
Not Pictured: Victor Targett, Targetts, Inc., Keene, NH.
Victor Targett, Jacobo Brenes Cerrato, Hui “Becky” Cao, Adriana Lopez, and Beau Williams attended the course free of charge as DLI Premier Members.
Donna Wagner and Dylan Chin attended the course with a scholarship from Kreisler.
-30-