Clothesline honored with the industry’s top award

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Clothesline Cleaners

Clothesline Cleaners of Boise earns prestigious industry award for eighth year in a row
Premium cleaner is the only one in Idaho to make the cut

June 6, 2012

For more information,
Gary McCracken, Clothesline Cleaners, 861-8588
Martin Johncox, Alexander and Associates public relations, 658-9100

Clothesline Cleaners of Boise has earned the 2012 Seal of Approval for Quality Garment Cleaning and Customer Service from the Clothing Care Council.

Clothesline, a premium clothing care business with locations in Boise and Meridian, has earned every year since 2005. To date, approximately 140 companies around the world have attained the award, which requires passing separate stain removal and cleaning performance tests, among other criteria. Clothesline is the only drycleaner in Idaho to have ever earned the award.

“We have worked very hard to reach this level, constantly investing in training for our employees and new equipment at our facilities,” said owner Gary McCracken. “Nevertheless, it is humbling to receive this recognition from a top industry group.”

This prestigious international award program is administered by the Clothing Care Council, a Washington, D.C.-based group that represents the interests of the cleaning industry, clothing manufacturers, and consumer advisers in identifying those cleaning plants that provide the highest level of clothing care. The group began accepting applications for the Award of Excellence for Quality Garment Cleaning & Customer Service in 2005.

Check out the great story in Meridian Living Magazine

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Clothesline Cleaners

Thanks to Meridian Living Magazine for doing a great story on Clothesline! We scanned the story and it is below. This magazine does a great job highlighting local businesses so please support them.

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Clothesline customers donate 750 items of clothing for homeless

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Clothesline Cleaners

Thanks to KTVB for a great story on our partnership with Boise Rescue Mission Ministries. Generous customers of Clothesline Cleaners and Tom James Company donated about 750 items of men’s professional clothing and accessories for the Mission’s jobs program. Thanks also to Alexander and Associates for helping us get the word out.

Clothesline Cleaners teams up with OfficeTeam to collect interview appropriate attire for the company’s annual suit drive

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Protecting your Clothing Investment

Donations of suits, purses and jewelry in good repair will be accepted through Aug. 19

For more information:
Gary McCracken, Clothesline Cleaners, 861-8588
Martin Johncox, Alexander and Associates Public Relations, 658-9100

Do you have a good business suit that you aren’t wearing anymore? If so, donate it to Clothesline Cleaners and OfficeTeam, and it will have a new life with a disadvantaged job seeker.

Between now and August 19, Clothesline is teaming up with OfficeTeam to collect new or nearly new business-appropriate suits, shoes and accessories, including handbags and jewelry, for OfficeTeam’s annual suit drive. Donations will benefit Dress for Success Boise Valley, a not-for-profit organization that provides professional attire and career development tools to disadvantaged women.

“Helping professionals look their best is a core part of our business. We know many of our customers have clothing they could donate to help others and we are asking them to donate,” said Gary McCracken, owner of Clothesline. “Also, people occasionally abandon perfectly good items of clothing with us and we are pleased to team with OfficeTeam for their annual suit drive, to help get clothing directly into the hands of job seekers who need them.”

Office Team (www.officeteam.com), a division of Robert Half International, is the world’s leading staffing service specializing in the placement of skilled office and administrative support professionals on a temporary and temporary-to-full-time basis. The company has more than 315 locations worldwide, including an office in Boise.

“OfficeTeam is committed to helping the communities we serve,” said Carissa Ramey, OfficeTeam staffing manager in Boise. “The suit drive aligns well with our company’s mission of providing job-seekers the informational tools and resources necessary to move forward in their career. We’re pleased to be able to work with local companies like Clothesline to collect donations to benefit organizations such as Dress for Success.”

Suits may be left at the Clothesline locations at Orchard Street and Franklin Road in Boise, or at Meridian and Overland roads, until close of business Friday, Aug. 19. After Clothesline collects and cleans the suits, it will hand them over to OfficeTeam, who will then provide all clothing donations to Dress for Success Boise Valley. Since 2002, more than 170,000 items of interview appropriate attire has been donated by clients, job candidates and employers of Robert Half International to benefit Dress for Success and organizations with similar missions.

For more information on the drive, please visit the Robert Half International website at www.rhi.com/philanthropy or contact our office directly.

For more information on Clothesline Cleaners, go to www.clotheslinecleaners.com, www.facebook.com/clotheslineidaho, www.twitter.com/clothingcare and www.youtube.com/clotheslinecleaners.

Employees make the difference

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Protecting your Clothing Investment

After being in business owning clothesline for 32 years, I can tell you, the cliché about employees making the business really is true. Two of our employees, Debbie Byrd and Lyuba Nikityuk, bring more than 60 years of experience to our sewing and alterations services at our Meridian store. Debbie has been a seamstress and sewing instructor locally for more than 40 years and still actively teaches classes to young people interested in the sartorial arts. Lyuba has finished two different Ukrainian sewing schools, teaching seamstresses and construction, modeling and pattern making. She worked five years at the House of Models with a team of ten under her constructing patterns for custom-made clothing.

Due to their high levels of training, experience and education, these women are able to make any kind of repair or alteration that is physically possible, and to do it quickly. Repairs like zippers, buttons and mending are on the simpler end of things, while more complex jobs involve resizing suits and dresses. We are indeed fortunate to have Debbie and Lyuba working on our team!

Boise Metro Chamber trade show is a great place to be

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Protecting your Clothing Investment

Clothesline Cleaners has been at the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Business-To-Business Trade Show for several years and we’ve even earned the Best Booth Award. Owner Gary McCracken took some time to explain Clothesline Cleaners’ services for professionals, which include pick up and delivery, fast turnaround, tailoring/repair and 24-hour automated garment pick up and drop off.

Look for us at First Friday in Eagle June 3!

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Protecting your Clothing Investment

We’re pleased to partner with Bridal By Marie, a new wedding shop in Eagle, at this week’s First Friday event in Eagle.

First Friday is a great tradition for an upscale town like Eagle, with downtown artists and businesses rolling out special events and products to attract business. Bridal By Marie offers boutique wedding services and Clothesline Cleaners is pleased that Marie’s has invited us in. If you’re a bride, groom, parent, relative, wedding planner or just like to see beautiful wedding stuff, you’ll want to attend. We’ll have information about our wedding services and a nice complimentary gift for all who pass through.

As many of you know, we have a big specialty in weddings. Clothesline Cleaners does complete alterations, cleaning, restoration, repairs and long-term preservation of gowns (and don’t forget the groom’s clothing!) Our exclusive Gown Guard keeps the dress clean and in good repair throughout wedding practices and parties.

If you get a chance, please come by First Friday in Eagle, say hi and accept our gift. It’s a fun event and we hope to see you there!

As summer approaches, look out for sweat stains

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Protecting your Clothing Investment

The Wall Street Journal has an excellent story on perspiration stains. No, not a very pleasant topic, but consider what it will do to your professional appearance to show up at a meeting, interview or evaluation with them. As a professional dry cleaner, we are able to deal with perspiration stains, which are actually from the deodorant, and there are a number of products people can use as well. Definitely worth a read.

Looking back on 31 years in the industry

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Protecting your Clothing Investment

Thirty-one years ago today I started working in the dry cleaning industry at Chief Latah Cleaners. The first day I showed up on the job, two of the women working in the place were on break, smoking cigarettes at a table in the middle of the cleaning room – freshly cleaned garments hanging up all around them.

Things have changed a lot, needless to say. My dad owned the place and I was supposed to work for just two years, then go to college. I liked running my own business so much that after two years, I bought my father out and have stayed here ever since.

If I had to do it over again, I would change a few things. I would have been certified with the Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute sooner. We first qualified in 2003, then in 2008 (you must recertify every five years). So far, only two dry cleaners in Idaho have attained this recognition. It requires passing very stringent tests on all aspects of your business.

One thing I think we did right was establishing ourselves as the premium clothing care service. We aren’t a discounter. Clothesline is for customers who demand the latest in technology, cleaning methods, environmental consciousness, convenience and service, and who are willing to pay a bit more for a superior service. Even in the current economy, there remain enough people interested in top-of-the-line clothing care service to keep us in business.

The business has changed quite a bit. In the early days, we dry cleaned at least half the stuff that came through the door. Thanks to improved wet washing technology, we now use water to clean most of our items, including many leathers and wools. In the old days, sorting clothing for pickup was a huge task and misplacing an item was a constant problem. We now put tiny barcodes in inconspicuous places on clothing and a computerized system tracks the exact location of every item; we can compile and print a complete care history for any garment brought to us. In keeping with the trend for automated services, we offer automated, 24-hour pickup and dropoff. We are proud to have adopted the leading practices of our industry as soon as we could.

I’ve raised my family and I work alongside my wife and two daughters. It’s been a great 31 years and I look forward to many more to come.