Certified Clean Dry Cleaners

Sassan Rahimzadeh set out to create one of the most technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable dry cleaning services around. He succeeded when he opened the doors of Arya Cleaners. Understanding that people have many options when selecting their dry cleaning services, Arya Cleaners offers an environmentally friendly experience, along with state-of-the-art service.

Keeping sustainability in mind, the owners invested in environmentally friendly practices that gave them a competitive edge. This was accomplished by doing something as basic as rearranging their office layout and cleaning schedule, to more advanced changes in which they incorporated new technologies to cut back on chemical use.

What Actions Did Arya Cleaners Take to Save Energy?

Arya Cleaners was able to eliminate their water heating cost and the emissions produced through burning natural gas by replacing their water heaters with equipment that transfers heat from the boiler to heat the water for the laundry machines. They also invested $29,000 in a fuel efficient clean burning delivery van.

What Actions Did Arya Cleaners Take to Reduce Toxics?

By replacing 80% of their machines with wet-cleaning technology, Arya Cleaners was able to reduce their usage of PERC (perchloroethylene), a harmful chemical solvent used by dry cleaners, by 90%. This method benefits the employees working there and the public as well; PERC is classified as a hazardous chemical by Proposition 65 which was passed in California in 1986. The wet cleaning process is a new technology that uses a little amount of water with specially formulated biodegradable detergents and a computer controlled cleaning machine to clean dry clean garments. It uses only 19 gallons of water to clean 25 pounds of garments. It reduces the amount of electricity used about 80 %, eliminates cooling water for refrigeration units in the dry cleaning machine, and no longer generates hazardous toxic waste.

Notable Recognitions

• Certified Chula Vista Clean Business
• Mayor’s award for excellence in 2009 ensuring green friendly business practices are maintained
• Chair member of the city of Chula Vista
  Resource Conservation Commission
• CoolCalifornia.org Small Business Excellence Award Winner