Let’s face it, the laundry and dry cleaning business isn’t the sexiest in the world. Yet talk to the major players, and they get all hot and steamy about it.

“It’s a passion,” exclaims Luana Arena Micallef, managing director of Swieqi-based Arena Laundry and Dry Cleaning.

Emanuel Azzopardi, owner of Queen’s Dry Cleaners in Mosta, is also “passionate” about his work and doesn’t think of it as a business. Moreover, his idea of a holiday is visiting dry cleaners abroad.

Over at Swan Laundry and Dry Cleaning, CEO Joe Mifsud is more clinical: “The level of competition that there is, and the struggle with ever-increasing operational costs and budget targets means that there is no other way than focus.

“Focus can be equated to passion, but focus does not only mean passion. It means efficiency, performance, investment strategies and human resource strategies.”

Today Swan may be one of the largest laundry and dry cleaning companies in the country, but it is a relative newcomer. The title of oldest laundry goes to Arena.

In 1906 Concetta Arena began a laundering service in her Valletta home, and for two generations it operated from there. When her grandchildren took over – brothers William and Joseph – the company moved to larger premises: first in Sliema, then Qormi, followed by the Bulebel Industrial Estate in Żejtun. Twenty years ago, the company moved to its current location, and is now run by Concetta’s great- granddaughter, Luana.

Not far behind in the longevity stakes is Portughes Laundry and Dry Cleaning. Opened in 1915, John Attard Portughes initially laundered for the public, but two years later began providing laundry and dry cleaning services to the British military stationed here. Portughes tended to the British services until their departure in the 1970s.

Another company that provided the military with laundering was Snowhite. Set up in 1955 by George Schembri in a Qormi garage with second-hand machinery, he won a contract to launder for the navy.

Coinciding with the departure of the services, tourism began to take off and nearly all the laundry and dry-cleaning firms shifted their attention to this burgeoning sector. Today, with more than two million tourist arrivals a year, hotel laundering is big business and big loads: “We process an average of 20 tons daily, from Monday to Saturday,” says Swan’s Mifsud.

However, “you have to distinguish between laundry and dry cleaning”, notes Wesley Debono – general manager of Snowhite Laundry. “It’s like having two companies in one, they are totally different processes,” he adds.

Laundering refers to the traditional method of washing – with water and detergent. Sometimes a spot remover may be applied on a stain before washing. This process is virtually identical to the one used in home washing machines.

Drying and pressing shirts at Portughes.Drying and pressing shirts at Portughes.

Every stain is a challenge to me

Dry cleaning, on the other hand, uses chemicals or solvents instead of water to clean fabrics – and there’s nothing ‘dry’ about the process. Early solvents included ammonia, petrol, kerosene and turpentine – all flammable and smelly. In the 1930s non-flammable solvents were developed and perchloroethylene (known as perc) became the popular choice for dry cleaning.

Perc – a cheap, effective, clear liquid – continues to be the most widely used solvent but has been found to be dangerous to both health and the environment.

California is phasing out perc (perchloroethylene) by January 1, 2023. In Europe, Denmark has already implemented strict measures for all solvents used in dry cleaning. France, meanwhile, has passed a law banning the use of perc by dry cleaners close to occupied buildings; the ban comes into force in 2020. Elsewhere, including Malta, there is legislation controlling how perc is used and disposed of.

According to the European Chemicals Bureau, no EU country has banned perc outright, “as proper enforcement of existing regulations is seen as sufficient to ensure safe handling and protection of workers and the general public”.

“With today’s closed circuit machines exposure to perc is almost none,” explains Ian Portughes, managing director of the company that bears his name. When a machine is opened it sucks in air, preventing perc fumes from escaping. And when the washing cycles are over the perc is distilled in the machine. Any chemical residue left is stockpiled and stored for collection and eventual exportation by a hazardous waste disposal company.

Portughes, Queens and Arena focus primarily on dry cleaning. In some cases, that’s because the owner prefers that line of business – “I found laundering repetitive and boring,” smiles Portughes, whilst Queen’s’ Azzopardi declares that “every stain is a challenge to me”.

That is not to say they do not launder, they all do. Portughes, for example, washes about 500 items a day, but dry cleans more than 800 daily. Mrieħel-based Portughes also provides a service no other offers – top of the range car wash and valeting. It will take from three to four days to polish your motor and may cost up to €600. With the influx of expatriates, there is now more laundering than ever – especially for shirts.

However, there is no doubting who the market leaders are in the laundry stakes – Swan and Snowhite.

“Ninety per cent of our business is laundry; we wash hotel sheets, duvet covers, towels and restaurant linen,” Snowhite’s Debono explains. The company also handles the laundry of privately-owned ‘healthcare centres’ (homes for the elderly). It has two machines than can wash one ton of linen every two minutes, in batches of 50 kilos. Being owned by the Corinthia Group, meanwhile, means Swan not only launders the group’s hotels’ linen but is also contracted by others for its services.

New, environmentally friendly machinery has been ordered by Swan, and is expected to come into service by year’s end at its Bulebel plant.

While the sales of domestic washing machines are buoyant, nevertheless there continues to be a growing demand for laundry and dry cleaning. Portughes, for instance, has a database of more than 200,000 clients.

“The more you get into this business the more you realise how challenging, frustrating and difficult it is,” concludes Wesley Debono, “but at the same time, it’s interesting and rewarding”.

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