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Parkers and the History of Dry Cleaning in Toronto

February 3, 2015

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Hello there! If this is your first time visiting our blog, welcome; if you are a regular, welcome back!

We thought it would be a good idea to start off the new year by briefly re-introducing ourselves. For those who may be new to the Parkers blog or to Parkers Custom Clothing Care in general, it’s a chance for us to say hello, share who we are and where we have come from. For those who are familiar with our company and what we do, well, maybe you’ll discover something new!

Our current York Mills location

Of course you already know that Parkers is dependable, environmentally friendly, and always striving to be the best dry cleaning business in the Greater Toronto area! But do you know how it all started?

Robert Parker, our founder, emigrated from England to Canada in 1876 and upon relocating to Ottawa, purchased an old church with his sons where R. Parker Dyeing and Scouring Works was born. As dry-cleaning had not been invented yet, all items were washed in this old church, until 1903 when a brand new 3-storey building was constructed. Here, the main order of business was dyeing ostrich feathers and cleaning gloves – however, there was one room, fire-proofed for the new technique dry cleaning.

Dry cleaning was a bit different back then! The room had to be fire-proofed as the garments were brushed with benzene – a very flammable liquid – and then hung up to air dry.

 

With the arrival of WWI, Parkers received government contracts to dye khaki duffle bags (remember, we also used to be a dyeing house!), as well as dry cleaning. By then, in 1930, dry cleaning was done with a petroleum-based solvent. It wasn’t until after the war, and after the dry-cleaning business began to decrease, that Parkers began to use a new synthetic, non-flammable solvent.

Parker’s Dye Works & Cleaners Ltd was established in 1951 and has passed through a few hands since then! Parkers as you know it today was purchased from Canadian Corporate Management Co. Ltd in 1977 and now stands as one of the oldest dry cleaning businesses in Canada.

Since our very start, we have been at the forefront of our industry and interested in how we can keep improving what we do! We have come a long way from brushing garments with flammable liquids to boasting top of the line, environmentally friendly clothing and home textile care methods.

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Of Dropping Off and Picking Up Your Clothes

With Parkers free pickup and delivery service, you can enjoy the convenience of dry cleaning at your fingertips. Simply schedule your pickup online or by phone, and we’ll handle the rest.

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