Criteria - Leading Cleaners Internationale

Not every city has a dry cleaner that lives up to the standards we have set forth at Leading Cleaners Internationale (LCI), nor are we looking to find or produce an affiliate in every market. It is our goal to locate operators that have demonstrated a passion for providing true excellence in the broadest sense of the word. Through our certification program, we seek to recognize the BEST cleaners in the industry --- wherever they may be located --- and to promote their continual improvement through association.

In short, experience with an LCI affiliate is an entirely new class of service. We regard this new "Couture Cleaning" class as being far superior to "Dry Cleaning."

Becoming an Affiliate
The certification criteria for earning the coveted Certified Couture Cleaner™ (CCC) status by LCI is the most demanding ever put forth in the dry cleaning industry. It requires recognition from both the dry cleaning and fashion industry as "The Cleaner of Choice." Only those cleaners that are deemed capable of achieving full certification as a Certified Couture Cleaner™ are offered an invitation to become an affiliate of LCI.

Pre-Certification
Affiliates must pass a pre-certification evaluation before beginning the formal certification process. Pre-certification entails extensive documentation of each affiliate's internal procedures and operational data, all to be verified during the certification. Pre-certification is intended to highlight any development areas necessary and lay the groundwork for certification. Once pre-certification has been achieved, an affiliate is designated as a Pre-Certified Affiliate (PCA) while proceeding through the certification process.

Certification Process

Reaching the Certified Couture Cleaner status requires each affiliate to meet and document an extensive list of quantified requirements. The criteria are then "Certified" utilizing an extensive third party on-site audit and formalized secret shopper evaluations. The average time it takes to complete the process is greater than one year. Periodic recertification and continual monitoring are necessary to maintain the certification status:

These procedures and criteria are designed to address the unfortunate and negative connotation so often attached to the dry cleaning industry. Stringent requirements were established to separate LCI affiliates from dry cleaners that have fallen short and have disappointed the consumer.

As an example; we have standardized complaint resolution, as to how "re-dos" are to be processed. The requirements set forth are far more effective than how the majority of dry cleaners operate. Our requirements address the following areas of operation.

Certified Couture Cleaner (CCC)
Affiliates can aspire to, and achieve, two levels of service as a Certified Couture Cleaner™; a Four Star and Five Star CCC. Both levels are considered "couture cleaners" and capable of processing designer clothing with confidence. The more discriminate Five Star CCC has slightly more stringent requirements including the following:

Please feel free to contact your local LCI affiliate or our Executive Director, Barry Gershenson, for further explanation of our criteria and certification process.