In the early days, garment scourers and dryers found several fluids that could be used as dry cleaning solvents, including camphene, benzene, kerosene, and gasoline. These fluids are all dangerously flammable, so dry cleaning was a hazardous business until safer solvents were developed. 

Like many inventions, dry cleaning came about by accident. Legend has it that In 1855, Jean Baptiste Jolly, a French dye-works owner, noticed that his table cloth became cleaner after his maid accidentally overturned a kerosene lamp on it. Operating through his dye-works company, Jolly offered a new service and called it "dry cleaning."

 Throughout Europe the new process was called French Cleaning!

Although our name is French Cleaners it's not because of this "French Cleaning" legend; it was named after the original owner, Mr. French.

© 2006 The Cleaner Company Inc.