Tide opens 24-hour, eco-friendly dry cleaners in Naples, FL »

Tide opens 24-hour, eco-friendly dry cleaners

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COLLIER COUNTY, FL –

Washed, pressed and ready to go.

For Joanne Hartman – she hasn’t been to the cleaners in years.

“I had to stop dry cleaning – I was hand-washing everything,” Hartman said.

That was until Thursday.

Hartman had to check out Tide Dry Cleaners – the first in the state of Florida, right in North Naples off Vanderbilt Beach Road and US-41.

“My husband and I drove by and I said, ‘oh my goodness, its green! We have to try it out,'” Hartman said.

You’re probably asking yourself – what makes this place different?

For starters it’s open 7 days a week.

“We like to say we’re on your schedule – not our schedule,” said Robert Lyons, President and Operating Partner of Tide Dry Cleaners in North Naples.

If you work late or are running behind, it’s not a problem. Tide is open 24 hours with a special drive through, which lets you access your account with an ATM kiosk.

“When you want to pick it up at 2 in the morning, you just swipe your card, get your own stuff and off you go. It’s pretty amazing,” Hartman said.

“All you do is put your card in the machine; it’s just like an ATM. It will actually deliver your clothes. For some reason if you have a business appointment the next morning and you need your suit after hours you can always get it,” Lyons said.

There’s also a drop box outside where you can leave your clothes any time of the day. Customers get a personalized Tide bag with their name on it. Each article of clothing is tracked with a small bar code sticker – one that’s linked to your account.

Also, the business uses the GreenEarth system. The machines are better for the environment with less hazardous chemicals.

“We use a process called GreenEarth, a silicone-based cleaner. It’s much more gentle on your clothes and the environment,” Lyons said.

Those chemicals are exactly what kept Hartman away from the cleaners for years.

“The chemicals, the damage that the chemicals do to your lungs, brain cells, to your blood, everything,” Hartman said.

“A lot of residents will look forward to this very organic type of dry cleaning,” said Georgia Hiller, Collier County Board of Commissioners. “The chemicals they’re using are not the run of the mill chemicals that other laundry services use.”

The new wave of dry cleaning plans on expanding throughout Southwest Florida – adding more shops to Collier and eventually Lee County over the years.

“It’s about time this came along. Someone was thinking,” Hartman said.

“We feel we bring to the market something that the customers really want and need,” Lyons said.

Updated: Jul 18, 2013 4:43 PM CDT
By Rick Ritter, Reporter – email