Dry Cleaning Pricing Tips

This article provides an insight regarding dry cleaning, its history as well as a brief overview on how to price dry cleaning services fairly.

Dry cleaning is the term applied to whatever cleaning process used for clothes and as well as textiles with the use of a chemical solvent, rather than the conventional water.

The type of solvents used is usually non-water-based which functions for soil and stain removal from clothes. The discovery for the use of these solvents as a means for cleaning soiled clothes is credited to Jean Baptiste-Jolly, a French dye-works owner.

The invention was an accident when he noticed that his once dirty table cloth had become cleaner when his maid unintentionally spilled kerosene onto it. From his dye-works company, he offered a new service – dry cleaning. It was after World War I when chlorinated solvents were used in dry cleaning. Compared to kerosene and other petroleum based solvents, they were less flammable and had better cleaning power. In the middle part of 1930s, “perc” was introduced as the ideal solvent as it has first-rate cleaning power, stable, and nonflammable. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission classified perc to be a carcinogen. In 1993, the California Air Resources Board devised a way, a measure to reduce the emissions of perc from dry cleaning processes and operations.

Because its use has become widely known, more and more seek businesses offering dry cleaning services. This is especially true to the rich and the famous whose clothes are designer garments. Also, designers entrust their “coutures” to trusted dry cleaners so that they’d be assured that they are taken care of.

However, those who have limited budget to spend but want to avail of the services of a dry cleaning business has price as the prime concern in choosing their dry cleaners. And so, it is wise that dry cleaners set their pricing justifiably and must be fair depending on their target customers and clients as well as the type of clothing they bring for dry cleaning.

How will set your pricing fairly? Easy. The first step is to visit other dry cleaning businesses and check on their pricing list for various items. You have the choice of either charging a notch lower than that of your competitor or use the same rate. Time is also a factor in pricing. You have to remember that the more time you spent with the clients, your services as well as their items mean higher value to the services you offer.

You can also make use of your intuition in setting the prices of the services you offer. If you were the customer and would want to avail your dry cleaning services, what rate is fair to you? What price is not too heavy for you? What price would be fair to the business? What is the worth of your services? Do not be afraid of charging. Otherwise, you may not get what your worth is.

Pricing your dry cleaning services is a tedious task to do. But, if you trust your intuition and couple it with market study, you might get what you’re really worth.

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