Thread Number: 56288
Coin Operated Dry Cleaning |
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Post# 786192   9/29/2014 at 07:19 (3,468 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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This morning's post on Product Stat has some amazing pictures of coin-op dry cleaning machines that I've never seen before.
Would have loved to experience this as a kid, but I don't ever remember noticing those machines in laundromats. |
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Post# 786196 , Reply# 1   9/29/2014 at 07:47 (3,468 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Fun Article Robert, Thanks for posting this.
The fun thing about these machines is they used many parts from their Combos to build these machines. Until just a few years ago there was still a Whirlpool Poly-Clean laundry in Bethesda Md. that was still using 6 of these WP dry-cleaning machines, so I would guess they lasted longer than WPs 15,000 estimate. My Brother Jeff repaired the refrigeration systems that these WP units used to re-condense the dry-cleaning fluid as the clothing dried. While these dry-cleaning machines worked well, it was too bad that we did not realize the hazards of the dry-cleaning fluid that was used both on the operators of the stores and on the environment, I really loved the picture of the Westinghouse DCs with the ash tray next to the machines, LOL, it was clearly another time in history. |
Post# 786262 , Reply# 4   9/29/2014 at 14:51 (3,468 days old) by PeterH770 (Marietta, GA)   |   | |
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Very cool... There was a drycleaners near where I grew up that had a self-serve coin-op 'division' in the back of the store... It had the WP cleaners... No one was ever in there...
Funny that the pic at the top of the article, the one Norge TL washer that you can see clearly has an out of order sign hanging on the coin slide! |
Post# 786267 , Reply# 5   9/29/2014 at 15:09 (3,468 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 786275 , Reply# 6   9/29/2014 at 15:50 (3,468 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 786309 , Reply# 9   9/29/2014 at 18:52 (3,468 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 786676 , Reply# 14   10/1/2014 at 08:46 (3,466 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)   |   | |
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Cannot say that I have ever seen or heard of a Frigidaire Rapidry Cleaner. However, thanks for posting about the coin-op dry cleaners. Yes, I have seen the Westinghouse one back when I was say, 3-7 years old in Basile Louisiana. Wash-a-teria that my grandmother used to take her large bedspreads to. I remember taking a peek inside and remember a foul odor or something of such.
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Post# 786957 , Reply# 15   10/3/2014 at 00:23 (3,465 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)   |   | |
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I saw the sign for it and I begged my dad to take me to it. So he collected some of his slacks and took me there. This was maybe around 1968-9. The attendant loaded the machine and I remember he had to have 10 quarters for it. The machines looked to be either the Standard or the Philco units. She did say it might take 2 hours so we didn't hang around but must have come back. Then next year the place disappeared and was replaced with a Dunkin Donuts that is still there today.
Did they make the goal that was stated by 1964? If so, that might have been the last year such was possible because the times, they were a'changin.' Several reasons I think coin-op dry cleaning went away over several years: 1965: The hippie movement starts and college students wear jeans, which don't get drycleaned. 1966: Polyester comes out and many women's dresses can be washed now. 1970: Congress and President Nixon form the Environmental Protection Agency which will soon put an end to leaking dry cleaning chemicals. 1973: First oil embargo, price of perchlorethylene, derived from petroleum, must go up. 1975: The Leisure Suit! comes on the market, all polyester and can be washed in the Kenmore. 1979: Second oil crisis, price must go up. By this time, one would have to have a coffee can full of quarters to use such a machine. By this time, most of these facilities are gone. Perc can be truly bad. Near me, a dry cleaner went under and the owners poured perc into the floor drains and all over the building. Soon, the people in the neighborhood behind it were breathing in perc fumes. PA department of environmental protection had to get involved, it is now a Superfund site, and people now have special exhaust fans just to take the fumes away. Soon Perc may be banned and the dry cleaner I know of will retire when that happens. Drycleaning machines that use carbon dioxide as a solvent need very high pressure and cost upwards of a million dollars and most people in the business just can't afford it. |
Post# 787030 , Reply# 17   10/3/2014 at 09:11 (3,464 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )   |   | |
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1962 - they'll clean it with their Frigidaire Rapid dry Cleaner!
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Post# 787237 , Reply# 20   10/4/2014 at 17:44 (3,463 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 787239 , Reply# 21   10/4/2014 at 17:46 (3,463 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 787255 , Reply# 22   10/4/2014 at 19:01 (3,463 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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I have never seen one of these installations in person, but have seen some other pictures and some service information for them. Since FD was one of the few appliance makers that did not ever build a combo they did not have anything to start off with other than their regular washers and dryers.
These FD dry cleaning centers used the unimatic washer mechanism in the washer-extractor unit and it should not have been a problem to complete the washing-extracting process in under 20 minutes. When cleaning with perc type chemicals the cleaning is fast and generally there was no reason to do a rinse cycle as there was no detergent to rinse from fabrics so it could be spun out and into the drying unit. These FD DCCs used a strong exhaust fan above the washer to try to contain the fums from the solvent as the clothing was moved to the drying machine. It was probably a dangerous thing for the operator to use when you consider being that close to the solvent solvent dampened clothing. |
Post# 787308 , Reply# 23   10/4/2014 at 22:41 (3,463 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )   |   | |
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Robert, you just solved my question, which I dismissed in ever finding an answer, in visuals. I didn't search for long, but nothing came up for me.
John, that's interesting; I can't imagine working in a dry-cleaning facility. I remember the days when we'd pick up dry cleaned items and despite the doors, windows and whatever else could be opened, with the fans, the chemical smell was a nasty assault on breathing, coming in the front door to pick up our/my clothing. |
Post# 787373 , Reply# 24   10/5/2014 at 08:36 (3,462 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)   |   | |
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Funny that both the coin washers and the dry cleaner had 18 minute cycles. I remember that lock on the lid of the washer. |
Post# 787499 , Reply# 25   10/5/2014 at 18:05 (3,462 days old) by cornutt (Huntsville, AL USA)   |   | |
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Sure wish the photo was hi-res enough to read what is written on the console... |
Post# 787573 , Reply# 26   10/6/2014 at 00:26 (3,462 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)   |   | |
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I wonder how much the units in that article cost. Perhaps the expense is why more Laundromats did not have them. I also found the ultimate dry cleaning machine, that uses "alternative solvents", wet cleans and even does laundry and drying. They don't give a price but it must cost as much as a house!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO neptunebob's LINK |
Post# 916691 , Reply# 30   1/21/2017 at 03:07 (2,623 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA)   |   | |
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When I was a college student in my first apartment back in 1997 I lived a short walk from an older laundromat that had a variety of machines but mostly Speed Queens. I always chose the larger Speed Queen FL washers because they were the oldest ones in there. On the wall next to the counter where you picked up your serviced laundry was a row of three or four built in coin-operated Speed Queen FL dry cleaners. I don't recall them ever being used and I think they were out of service but they were definitely something of the 60's or 70's decades. Always was fascinated by them and wanted to try them but never could.
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