Mr. Kong from Topps Cleaners in Springfield, NJ finally has found a wetcleaning system he can trust
Some wetcleaning experts brag a wash basin is all they need. One of the top wetcleaning experts, Mr. Myungsik Sohn once famously said “I can do $300K a year with one sink.” But what if the wetcleaning expert doesn’t want to be hands-on all the time? What if he is called away on an urgent business? Mr. Hwayeol Kong, the owner of Topps Cleaners in Springfield, NJ, is one of the pioneering members of the wetcleaning community and a recognized experts as well as a workaholic. But, now, he says “I don’t even have to look once I toss in clothes.” Let’s find out what happened.
Came to America during 2002 World Cup
Mr. Hwayeol Kong used to run a manufacturing factory in Korea until he came to America in 2002. It was his mom who invited him.
“I used to visit America once every 3, 4 years and I finally decided not to put it off any more. That year, I watched the World Cup Final in America.”
Mr. Kong’s heart was set on running a drycleaner even before he came here. One of his friends immigrated to America in the 80’s and operated a large wholesale plant. Mr. Kong always visited his plant whenever he visited America.
There was a hiatus for about 4 years and when he came over in 2002, the drycleaning market changed a lot.
“The owner financing was no more and people asked 120% of the annual sales. The numbers were way off.”
One of his older brothers was a HVAC technician so he decided to work for him to start his own HVAC company. But he soon ran into a less than comfortable realization that a lot of his potential customers could change their faces after the repair was done.
“I am not into getting into confrontations with customers. So, I changed my goal back to drycleaning.”
So, he started working for other drycleaners, running routes and stuff. After about 18 months, he ran into Topps Cleaners. He bought it in 2006.
It was never all drycleaning from day one
The previous owner of Topps was doing a lot of washing on his own. Mr. Kong welcomed the idea because he was practicing washing himself.
“When I was working for other cleaners, I wanted to practice cleaning but the spotter wouldn’t let me dryclean. So, I ended up doing a lot of washing. I was doing regular laundry. I wouldn’t dream of washing suits.”
So, on top of drycleaning, he did a lot of washing from day one. Then, he heard of a term “wetcleaning.”
“I heard of a guy who taught wetcleaning. Then, there was this guy who took lessons from him for $600. So, I called and asked. He told me to pack the drum completely full to wetclean. I knew it was no good but it got me on a new path.”
Mr. Kong tried many different methods to practice wetcleaning. There was no “right” method so he tried everything.
He started practicing by handwashing in the sink. Then, he got the idea of using air bubbles. So, he bought a jacuzzi tub and installed it in his store. He couldn’t thing of a good way to dry so he put 4 posts around the tub to hang dry. It worked pretty well but totally unexpected trouble found him.
“An inspector came and saw the 4 posts around the tub. He said 4 posts make it a structure and a structure required a permit. I asked clerks at the town hall but they couldn’t tell me what permit to get. To make a long story short, I had to remove the jacuzzi and the posts. The jacuzzi method was officially banned.”
I enjoy torturing myself
Mr. Kong replaced the existing perc machine with a new hydrocarbon machine in 2011. The state grant made him to switch. He could have relied on the new drycleaning machine but he continued wetcleaning.
“At that time, there was no proven method of wetcleaning but I was already wetcleaning most of the items except suit jackets. I would say I wetcleaned about 70%. Why? Because I enjoy torturing myself.”
He wetcleaned using a Unimac washer. It had W6 cycle with minimal mechanical action. He wanted to reposition clothes during extraction but there was no such function. So, he modified the machine himself to do just that.
He wanted to find the best method of extraction so he measured the weight after each cycle of extraction. 30 lbs. of clothes weighed 45 lbs. after washing.
“After extraction at 250 rpm, clothes weighed 30% less. After extraction at 400 rpm and then 500 rpm, they weighed 60% less. Extraction for more than 3 minutes did not make any difference.”
Mr. Kong used the drycleaning machine to dry wetcleaned clothes.
“The drum in the drycleaning machine has smaller diameter than a dryer. So, mechanical action was reduced from tumbling action.”
He could dry most of the wetcleaned clothes like that but he still couldn’t find a way to dry suit jackets other than hang drying. It made his work much harder. He could have drycleaned suit jackets but didn’t.
“What can I tell you? I enjoy torturing myself. That is why my wife is totally turned off by wetcleaning.”
Never saw a machine with no programs
Then another problem popped up. The Unimac washer needed to be replaced after 15 years. He researched his options and there were several wetcleaning washers. He considered a very popular wetcleaning washer but when he took a panel off to see what’s inside, he discovered the frame was made with folded metal sheets.
“I was shocked such a large factory would make a machine so cheaply. I used to be in manufacturing and there was no way I would buy something like that.”
Then, he saw an ad for AquaMax wetcleaning machine.
“I called the company and asked what kind of programs are installed. He answered it doesn’t have a program. I asked him what he meant and he answered the machine can be programmed in any way the user wants. That is the answer I wanted to hear.”
Mr. Kong was refining his method of wetcleaning over the years and there was no machine that could implement what he wanted.
So, he visited the warehouse to inspect the machine. Heavy-duty frame, quadruple heavy-duty suspensions. Strong air bubble action. And 7 injection pumps! He decided then and there and the machine was installed on March 4th.
It’s so comforting not to be hands-on all the time
Mr. Kong is now using a tumble dryer to dry suit jackets. AquaMax wetcleaning system solved his one last problem just like that.
“The soap and conditioner are very good. I really like the conditioner. They allowed me not to ‘care’ for the first time. “
As mentioned earlier, Mr. Kong used a jacuzzi to achieve air bubble action. The WAVE technology of AquaMax was better than a jacuzzi.
“There were some washers touting air bubble action but it was just a marketing gimmick. But WAVE technology of AquaMax is the real thing. I was finally reunited with the air bubble action.”
That doesn’t mean Mr. Kong has stopped his research on wetcleaning. He is making adjustments to his programs and observing any differences. But he is no longer torturing himself.
“With AquaMax, I just put in the clothes and forget about it. The machine and the chemicals do all the work. It’s so comforting not to be hands-on all the time.
For any questions, please call Mr. Kong at (973) 218-0476.
