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Many of our clothes today; from business suits to winter jackets require dry cleaning, which is a cleaning process that uses a variety of chemicals rather then water.
If you enjoy working with machinery and have space in your garage, basement or work shed for a dry cleaning machine and a press, you might consider starting your own dry cleaning business.
How to Get into the Dry Cleaning Business
Your first step in starting your own dry cleaning business is to set up your dry cleaning work area, with equipment and tools including a reliable dry cleaning machine and press.
You will want to organize your space and create a system where customer's clothing and linens are tagged and sorted, and then cleaned and hung up (usually in alphabetical order according to the last name.)
Have a reception area in your home for customers to drop of their items, and pay for their dry cleaning. Also set up an office area that will allow you to keep your operation running smoothly. You will need to keep records of your equipment maintenance and an inventory of supplies. An office area will allow you to keep track of book keeping, pricing and revenue.
Skills Needed:
You will need to be skilled in operating a dry cleaning machine and press in order to run a successful dry cleaning business. Delicate clothing and finicky fabrics require special care, and the chemical balance added to the dry cleaning machine differs depending on the color and material of the clothing being cleaned.
There is also skill involved in pressing clothing. You will want to make sure you are skilled with a press before you tackle pressing an expensive wedding gown or a customer's antique table linen.
Mechanical skills will also serve you well as you will need to keep your dry cleaning equipment in good working order.
Organizational skills are also very important in running a dry cleaning business. Unless you have an organized filing system, it can be easy to misplace a customer's belongings. Make sure the customer's belongings are pressed and hung in a systemized order, so that when they come through your door you can hand it to them with a smile, instead of going on a mad search for a lost item.
Customer relations skills will help you to be personable with your customers, and skill in business management will allow you to keep your business operation organized and efficient.
Experience Needed:
You need to have experience running dry cleaning machinery and working with clothing and different fabrics before you start your dry cleaning business. If you lack experience, then you might consider working in a dry cleaning shop for a period of time prior to starting your own dry cleaning business.
You may also consider taking a business management course, or investing in business management software, if you lack experience running your own business.
Startup Requirements:
Your initial investment in starting a dry cleaning business will be in setting up your dry cleaning area with equipment. Once your dry cleaning machine is operational it can be filled with customer's clothing and start paying for itself.
You will also want to invest in a strong advertising campaign, so that you can spread the word about the new dry cleaning business in town. You will soon be cleaning up the profits with your own dry cleaning business.
Resources:
National Institute for Occupational Cleaning and Health
Dry Cleaning Industry B2B Directory
Important Point To Keep In Mind
See Also: How to Start A Business : Business Idea of The Day
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