Samuels of Shropshire approached Renzacci UK looking to replace their 20-year old dry cleaning machine.

They found their existing system incredibly expensive to operate and maintain, so were keen to replace it with a system that was reliable and offers the same high-level cleaning quality, whilst future-proofing the business for the next 20 years.

Andrew Lambert, business development director at Renzacci UK, proposed wet cleaning as an alternative to the traditional dry cleaning technology they were used to.

At first, shop owner, Sam Bodkin, wasn’t overly keen on the concept. He was sceptical about the water-based cleaning technique – he believed shrinkage would be a huge problem and questioned whether the system could process the same garment types as a dry cleaning machine.

Nevertheless, Bodkin was open to new ideas, so agreed to visit Lambert at Renzacci UK’s London-based showroom and testing facility for a wet cleaning demonstration.

Following the session, Bodkin was completely blown away – the system’s ability to clean the most delicate of garments, its quicker processing time and the capacity to do both dry cleaning and laundry in the same machine left him pleasantly surprised.

Moreover, Lambert stressed that the system, which is incredibly compact in size and negates the need for additional machinery for the various cleaning stages, would free him up space in the shop, improve working conditions and double his existing laundry processing capacity.

Delighted with the results from the demonstration, Bodkin ordered the Electrolux lagoon Advanced Care Evolution set two weeks later.

One year on since converting from dry cleaning to wet cleaning, Samuels of Shropshire have reduced their running costs, increased their laundry capacity and now deliver a highly competitive service to locals in the area, offering environmentally- friendly cleaning.

“Our new wet cleaning system is absolutely fantastic and has been a complete game-changer. I’m able to process far more loads per day compared to my old dry cleaning machine, which has massively increased our capacity. Because of this, we’ve now increased our laundry capacity too, which has gone through the roof.

“I was shocked just how cost-effective it is. It uses far less electricity than my old dry cleaning machine, so my energy bills are lower. Ironically, it uses less water too, so I’ve saved money there as well. All in all, my running costs are lower and I’ve got the capacity to process more loads in a day, so it’s a fantastic revenue generator. There’s also much less paperwork involved, which for me is an added bonus. No solvent permits or toxic waste management required.

“We’ve now completely moved away from traditional solvent-based dry cleaning processes, which is the best commercial decision I’ve ever made.”