Dry cleaning business down since pandemic began

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - The owner of a local dry cleaning business says people haven’t been getting their clothes professionally cleaned as often as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Health leaders say the decrease is common for businesses operating right now, but said they’re still learning how long the virus stays on clothing.

Owner of Vick’s Cleaner’s, in Kinston, Tim Vick has felt the impact of the coronavirus.

Vick said, “Our business dropped off instantly. We saw 65 percent lows across the board.”

He said COVID-19 has cancelled many social gatherings that call for that professional touch.

“A lot of folks are not going to church. Weddings have been canceled or rescheduled. Funerals, those gatherings have been decreased,” Vick said.

However, how do cleaners fair at getting the coronavirus out of clothing as compared to a regular washing machine? Pitt County Health Director Dr. John Silvernail says at home detergent will do the trick.

Silvernail said, “I don’t know that dry cleaning is necessarily more effective at removing COVID-19 from your clothing. I think normal laundering is fine.”

For its part, the Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute International claims professional dry cleaning can help contain the spread of the virus because of the heat and chemistry of the professional cleaning process.

Vick said, “After the cleaning process here, we steam and press everything. So, the heat from the steaming and the pressing certainly will kill whatever bacteria or viruses are left in the clothes.”

“We’re able to get the high temperatures. 160 is that threshold where it will kill the virus,” Vick said.

There is limited information on how long COVID-19 lives on clothing.

Silvernail said, “We look at less than 10 minutes on a hard surface under the right conditions, but a little less clear on a softer, porous surface like clothing.”

So, it may be too early to know for sure. However, Vick hopes to spin a full rack soon.

Vick said, “We’re hovering around 50 percent down, at the moment. Yea, we’re just kind of taking it as we get it.”

If Vick’s Cleaners receives known contaminated clothing, the owner said they have a process to keep the clothing in a bag for 24 hours, handle the clothing with gloves, and wear a mask and an apron before cleaning.

The Center for Disease Control says to listen to the manufacturer’s instructions on your clothes. And if you’re handling clothes that are contaminated, wear gloves. Do not shake the clothes in an effort to minimize the possibility of dispersing the virus through the air.

Copyright 2020 WITN. All rights reserved.