Dry cleaner in Frankfurt/Oder has been relying on Miele for more than 20 years

Clients of the Bliemel dry-cleaning company often travel long distances to get to the store of their choice. The 128-year-old company in Frankfurt/Oder is one of only a few in the region offering wet cleaning – for exclusive suits and dresses, hiking jackets and even tents. The benefits of the process: Many stains are removed more thoroughly than in a dry-cleaning process, not to mention the gentle treatment of both fabrics and the environment. And not least, wet cleaning also cuts costs.

'As we have virtually completely renounced the use of solvents, regular customers even travel as far as from Berlin to come to us', says the owner Petra Dräger. The textile engineer and long-standing Bliemel employee took over the business last year from Volker Bliemel, the grandson of the founder. Before that, the company, which is steeped in tradition, was reprivatised and taken back into family ownership after the fall of the Iron Curtain. She specialises, for example, in reprocessing the multifunction suits worn by holiday-makers who go deep-see fishing off the coast of Norway. The reason for this is that the solvents commonly used in dry cleaning would degrade the functionality of the membrane in the fabric. Wet-cleaning, on the other hand, fully retains the functionality of wicking membranes and the suits, which can cost several thousand euros a piece, are thoroughly cleaned and, where necessary, reproofed.

But it was an entirely different reason which led the then company boss Volker Bliemel to become interested in wet cleaning more than 20 years ago. The dry-cleaning business along the banks of the Oder river was located in the centre of a mixed-use industrial estate. Consequently, the use of perc had been banned and was no longer an option. In search of an alternative, Bliemel stumbled across the new wet-cleaning system from Miele Professional. The original 24 kg washer-extractor purchased in 1995 is still used today by his successor Petra Dräger, alongside a same-size but 3 year younger machine. Four washer-extractors, each with a load capacity of 13 kg, are from the most recent generation of products. Dräger: 'Wet-cleaning programmes run each and every day on all these machines'.

Today, she sees no viable alternative to wet cleaning. 'Chemical solvents are not effective enough on many stains such as blood and make-up, and even perspiration is removed more effectively in an aqueous wash'. New customers even make a point of asking whether Bliemel washes with water. 'Many of them dislike skin contact with dry-cleaned garments', says Dräger. 'And it isn't only allergy sufferers who see things that way'. Others prefer the fresh fragrance of wet-cleaned textiles and value the particularly gentle treatment of clothing, in particular woollen items.

Economic factors play a decisive role for the textile engineer and her staff of eight. As the detergents and chemicals used in combination with the WetCare system from Miele Professional are bio-degradable, disposal of any residues is far less complicated. Dräger: 'The bottom line is that this approach is far more economical than dry cleaning, particularly in combination with our dispensing systems for liquid detergents'. Further benefits in terms of running costs accrue from the indirect steam heating fitted on both washer-extractors and tumble dryers.

Professional finishing equipment ensures that Petra Dräger's turnaround times are particularly short. Additional services include an alteration shop and home delivery. 'We deliver to business customers, for instance doctors' surgeries and laboratories and provide door-to-door deliveries to older folk who would find it difficult to come out to us'. Our fleet of Bliemel-liveried company vehicles pick up laundry and make deliveries – and in most cases they are pretty full on the outward bound and return trips, with ski wear in winter and soiled curtains after spring cleaning. Not to forget duvets, costumes and the suits worn by fire-fighters which are brought in regularly for cleaning. In short, it is always high season for wet cleaning at Bliemel's.

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Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. This line-up is augmented by dishwashers, washer-extractors and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Miele Professional). The Miele company, founded in 1899, has 8 production plants in Germany as well as one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. 2014/15 turnover amounted to approx. EUR 3.5 bn with sales outside Germany accounting for around 70%. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. The Miele company, now in the fourth generation of family ownership, employs a workforce of around 17,740, 10,350 thereof in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.