Doyoung Han, the owner of Strom’s Cleaners is now wetcleaning 80~90% of his volume using AquaMax
It’s rare to find someone in the dry-cleaning business who never does any water-based washing. Yet when asked to adopt wet cleaning, most shake their heads. “We can do it, but it’s difficult to work with,” is the common response in the field.
However, Doyoung Han, owner of Strom’s Cleaners in Teaneck, New Jersey, says he aquired a new wetcleaning machine “to make the work easier and accessible for anyone.” Here is his story.
“Honestly, I was too afraid to try wetcleaning”
Han is known in the industry as a diligent, study-driven professional. Since his early days as an employee, he attended NCA drycleaning school to learn the theory, and he strictly applies what he learns without cutting corners.
“When you work long enough, you run into garments that just can’t be handled by dry cleaning—like pants soaked with urine. In those cases, I would gently hand-wash them in the sink. That was the extent of my ‘wet cleaning.’”
He adds, “If you look at care labels, there are actually quite a lot of items that can be laundered. So, in a way, I’ve been doing wet cleaning all along—but honestly, it was just laundry.”
“I never even considered that wet cleaning could be easy. To be honest, I was too afraid to try it.”
The turning point came last November at an open house for the AquaMax wetcleaning system held at Kimber Cleaner in South Amboy, New Jersey.
“I was shocked to see that you could just press a button and the machine would handle wet cleaning. I thought, ‘Is it real that it works like this?’”
Initially, he planned to install the equipment at a newly acquired store, but as business at his existing location picked up, he changed course. In early April this year, he installed AquaMax at Strom’s Cleaners.
“AquaMax made the work easier”
Because of his meticulous nature, Han personally handled all of the cleaning work, often facing overwhelming workloads.
After Passover (about a week long), in particular, a backlog of garments would flood in, creating what he calls a “hell week.”
“Even if I run machines from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., sometimes I still can’t finish. Handling everything alone leaves me exhausted—my lips crack, and the stress level goes through the roof.”
This year was no different—if anything, it was busier. Over 3,000 pieces came in during the week after Passover. But the outcome was completely different.
“With a 40-pound dry-cleaning machine, I could only process one load per hour. With the 55-pound AquaMax, I get a load every 20 minutes. I was finishing by 2 p.m. every day. Of course, pressing still went on until 6.”
Even his wife, who had initially questioned the investment, changed her mind after seeing him work through Passover with ease. “She said, ‘That machine was definitely worth it.’”
What “easier” really means
For Han, “easier” isn’t just about speed—it’s about the overall workload.
“Dry cleaning actually requires a lot of manual effort. With wet cleaning, spotting is drastically reduced. It’s physically less demanding.”
He explains that when he relied solely on dry cleaning, he couldn’t keep up with the pressers, so he would have one load ready early in the morning before the pressers came to work.
“Now that 80~90% of garments are wetcleaned, I actually have extra time. I even find myself doing lint removal and other small tasks I never had time for before,” he says with a laugh.
Shirt quality has also noticeably improved.
“With AquaMax maintaining water temperature up to 160°F during the whole washing cycle, white shirts come out brilliantly bright.”
Fellow cleaners visiting his shop have even remarked that “the shirt section looks unusually bright.”
The only drawback for now is the drying process.
“I’m still using an LG home dryer because of space limitations. Once I secure space, I plan to install a commercial dryer right away.”
“I’m teaching my son, too”
Han is now training his son to use the AquaMax system.
“I’m preparing things so the business can run even without me. If some items are tricky for wetcleaning, he can always fall back on dry cleaning—so he’s not intimidated.”
His management philosophy is clear: “If improving efficiency requires investment, then it’s a given. You can save on other things, but not on business investments.”
Since acquiring the shop, he has continually upgraded major equipment. “I’ve replaced dry-cleaning machines twice, Wascomat washers three times, and delivery vans twice. The only thing I haven’t changed is one manual press.”
“The store was doing just over $200,000 when I took over. Look how much it grew now. In this business, equipment determines competitiveness. If you’re going into battle, would you really try to save money on weapons?”
He closes with advice to fellow cleaners: “In this line of work, it’s easy to become a ‘frog in a well’ because you rarely get to go anywhere. Don’t cling to your own ways—embrace new technology.”
“I never thought I’d see the day when I could do wetcleaning without special training.”
After a brief pause, he adds: “I learned something new again.”
For more information about this article, please call Strom’s Cleaners at (201) 801-9211.
