Houston’s Oaks Fine Cleaners One of 5 U.S. Finalists in Global Best Practices Awards Program

Houston-based Oaks Fine Cleaners is the only elite dry cleaner in Texas, one of only five textile merchants in the nation and among only 50 such businesses around the globe to be named a finalist in the prestigious Global Professional Textile Care Best Practices Awards Program for 2024.

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Oaks Fine Cleaners has been named an international finalist in the Global Professional Textile Care Best Practices Awards Program. The company is the only elite dry cleaner in Texas and one of just five in the nation to receive the honor. A winner will be announced in November. (Photo: Business Wire)

The program, managed by the Comité International De L`Entretien du Textile (CINET) International Selection Committee, recognizes best-in-class practices for quality, innovation, hygiene and sustainability among textile care providers, which can include dry cleaners, industrial laundries, furniture care companies and more. The winner will be selected Nov. 9 in Frankfurt, Germany at the World Congress in Global Best Practice Awards 2024 conference.

CINET Board Member Diana Vollmer encouraged Oaks Fine Cleaners Owner Rahim Maknojia to enter this year’s contest.

“I’m impressed with the new plant Rahim opened this year and that his company continues to grow in an industry where growth is the exception,” she said. “His use of cutting-edge technology — including artificial intelligence — is groundbreaking for the industry and will only move us forward. He has a point-of-sale system that is very advanced for this industry.”

Oaks Fine Cleaners is fully certified in all aspects of cleaning by the Dryclean & Laundry Institute. Services include dry and wet cleaning; couture cleaning; hand wash; vintage garment restoration; cleaning of linens, rugs and draperies; alteration and reweaving; wedding gown care; and more.

“We try to be very hands-on to gain a very true picture of the lifestyles of our clients lead so we can fulfill that demand,” Maknojia said. “We strive to be very responsive, with a standard five-minute response time to customer texts and emails through our advanced SMRT software system.”

To further understand their customers, the company has used artificial intelligence to identify the psychographics of their customers, allowing them to focus on customer experience, personalization and best retail partners.

Sustainability practices are a key consideration in naming the winner of the Global Professional Textile Care Best Practices Awards, and Oaks Fine Cleaners employs several industry-leading technologies to conserve water and reduce their company’s environmental impact.

“We use advanced machines such as a steam reclaimer that captures unused return steam to generate hot water for our laundry services and operational needs,” Maknojia said. “This initiative significantly contributes to conserving natural resources such as water and gas, which we have successfully reduced by 20 percent since moving to our new facility.”

An automated system in use at the new facility has reduced the use of poly bags and paper receipt rolls by more than 20 percent. Biodegradable soap is used in the company’s Miele wet cleaning machines. Press-only services and steam and spot cleaning reduce chemical usage. Oaks Fine Cleaners also encourages customers to return used hangers, with an approximate 90 percent annual reuse rate of more than 75,000 returned hangers.

Award host CINET is the global umbrella association for the Professional Textile Care Industry, representing 100 national associations, individual professional companies, research Institutes and international suppliers that represent more than 600,000 companies.

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