Green Dry Cleaner Shows the Way

Plaza Cleaners is a family owned and operated dry cleaning and laundry drop-off, pick-up and delivery service with over 35 years of professional alteration and dry cleaning experience. The business takes pride in being the first green cleaners in the city of Thousand Oaks and Ventura County.

Since 2006, the owners of Plaza Cleaners have used a professional wet cleaning process, using only biodegradable, environmentally friendly wet cleaning detergents and removing the use of a harmful toxic known as perchloroethylene from their cleaning procedures. The biodegradable detergents and new equipment result in cleaner garments with less wear, damage, and with no perchloroethylene residue left in the fabric. Committed to being an environmental leader among local cleaners, Plaza Cleaners shared their process with others by hosting a professional wet cleaning demonstration in collaboration with the UCLA Sustainable Technology & Policy Program.

In addition to their alternative method of dry cleaning, Plaza Cleaners has also made reductions in energy and water usage. With the encouraged use of reusable cloth garment covers/laundry bags, they have distributed over 1,000 reusable garment bags to their customers.

They recycle hangers, plastic and paper that cannot be reused. A discount coupon program is also offered to new customers who opt in for their reusable bag service. This reduction in plastic saves operational costs and reduces the public’s contribution to landfill waste. As a result of their efforts, they have decreased the amount of plastic poly bags needed per week from 3 rolls to 1/2 roll, saving operational costs, as well as removing items from contributing to the waste stream. Other green efforts include utilizing daylight and natural air flow and refraining from using unnecessary light fixtures or air conditioning during operating hours. Plaza Cleaners has won a number of awards for being a green business through the city of Thousand Oaks GreenBiz Program and the Board of Supervisors of Ventura County.