All month long we’ll be taking you BEHIND all the tech you saw and experienced last year. Who are the people who bring you that tech? What motivates them? Where was that machine of yours born? Stick with us and find out.
Behind the Tech at GreenEarth Cleaning
SERIES: Behind the Tech
GreenEarth’s technology did not start with a machine – it started with people. Technicians standing in dry cleaning plants, listening to operators explain what actually makes a dry cleaning business run and flourish were vital to equipment design and product development.
READ IT HERE…
New Power Sheets Laundry Detergent from Arm & Hammer
Arm & Hammer has designed laundry detergent Power Sheets to eliminate plastic bottle waste. The liquidless sheets come in a lightweight, recyclable boxes and help users avoid lugging, pouring from heavy bottles, and drips. In 2-sheet boxes, the sheets are recommended for laundromat and OPL situations.
READ MORE IN PRODUCT NEWS…
Over the Counter Excerpt for January
The new Over the Counter book is available in both paperback and eBook from Amazon. This updated version of the classic book written by Marcia Miller Todd, has been edited and revised to reflect the needs and challenges of todays counter professional. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 4, Handling Incoming Garments — Garment Inspection and Identification.
Books often mention guardians who stand at the entrace of territories. St. Peter, for instance, at the gates of Heaven; the customs examiner at the border of a new country. And there’s you, standing between the confusion of all the clothes coming in over the counter and the order of those marked garments that are ready for cleaning.
You must be just as sharp-eyed as the customs inspector and just as accurate as a computer. This is the technical side of your job at a counter. Certainly none of your customers would ever intentionally bring non-cleanable garments to you, nor would they leave any valuable or harmful items in their garment pockets on purpose. But that doesn’t make your job any easier, since both things happen. Every garment can conceal issues you must solve before they are processed.
It’s part of your job to watch what comes in over the counter to guard the best interests of your customers, and your dry cleaning plant. However, that is not nearly as easy as it may sound.
The chapter continues with tips on garment inspection, invoicing all pieces in an order, and questions for discussion.
Over the Counter, already available in English, will be available in Spanish in March 2026, and French, German and Japanese soon thereafter. You can get your copy from Amazon today.
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JANUARY ARTICLES: Behind the Tech
All month long we’ll be taking you BEHIND all the tech you saw and experienced last year. Who are the people who bring you that tech? What motivates them? Where was that machine of yours born? Stick with us and find out.
Behind the Tech at Jensen
Today’s machines have computer screens, QR codes, buttons and lights, access panels for maintenance, and conveyor belts to move the load from Point A to Point B. Every machine also has a team of people behind it that brought it to life. Here are two of them.
DECEMBER ARTICLES: Industry Person of the Year/Buyer’s Guide
2025 Canadian Industry
Person of the Year
MARCIA TODD
The selection of Marcia Todd as our Canadian Industry Person of the Year for 2025 was greeted with great enthusiasm by the people who were let in on it and asked for comments about her. She has been well known across Canada and in the U.S. for her journalistic work, and especially as publisher and editor of Fabricare Canada for over 30 years. Now at age 101, she has much to look back on with pride.
The 2026 Buyer’s Guide is here!
The companies that have what you need — supplies, services, advice — and are excited to do business in Canada and beyond. Check out the list and bookmark it for future use.
Happy Holidays to Your Employees
By Becca Anderson
It’s a puzzle you have to solve every December: How can you reward and celebrate your employees at the holidays without breaking the bank? A pay bonus is nice, but not as memorable as non-cash recognition. Here are some practical holiday reward ideas that can work in your plant, don’t disrupt production, and feel genuinely appreciative rather than gimmicky.
All I want for Christmas is… a goat
By Kevin Marois
I want a goat for Christmas.
Yes, four legs, fur and smell. I got a goat for my dad one Christmas so I think I’d like one this year. If you can’t afford a goat, I’d settle for a couple of chickens. But we’ll talk more about that later.
Wondering what’s on Kevin’s mind this month?
Your 2026 Marketing Resolutions
By Linley McConnell
2026 is around the corner, and as the saying goes, those who fail to plan, plan to fail. A new year always brings fresh momentum, but it can also bring pressure to overhaul everything at once. When it comes to marketing, the goal isn’t to do more, it’s to do better. Strong marketing starts with a few clear, disciplined resolutions that are built for consistency, not burnout. Here are six marketing resolutions that can help you kick the New Year off on the right foot.
Software to the rescue? Maybe not.
By Francis Flair
As the year comes to an end, a familiar cycle begins. Business owners reflect. Goals are reset. And suddenly, that one software platform that didn’t work last year starts to look shiny again. Maybe this time it’ll be different. New year, new software, right?
Read the hard truth from Francis.
