Should you be concerned about virus spread when you take your clothes to the dry cleaner or laundromat?
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Laundromats and dry cleaners are considered essential businesses and can remain open while the El Paso County stay-at-home order is in effect.
Joshua Segovia, the owner of Custom Cleaners and Laundry in east El Paso is thankful he can keep his doors open. When the stay-at-home restrictions initially went into effect on Tuesday, he was unsure if his business would be deemed essential.
"I was freaking out. I kind of got with a bunch of the dry cleaners in the area, but no one was giving me answers," he said.
Eventually, the city released the full order on its website. Laundries and dry cleaners got the all clear.
"It gave us all a sigh of relief and my employees are very grateful for that," Segovia said.
It's a luxury he doesn't take for granted. His company has implemented new measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus. They do deliveries and can leave laundry hanging on someone's door without having direct contact with customers. Customers can also use the company's 24-hour drop box.
"Our solvents and the way we treat our clothes with the high temperatures it will kill bacteria and viruses like the coronavirus," Segovia said.
The Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute issued guidance for washing clothes during the outbreak. It's something that Segovia has implemented.
Howard Goldberg, president of Supreme Laundry & Cleaners, also assures customers that they should not be afraid to wash their clothes.
"Our dryers can get as hot as 190 degrees, and at 190 degrees you should be able to kill any kind of germ," President of Supreme Laundry & Cleaners Howard Goldberg said.
Goldberg said that while sales may be down, attention to detail is at an all-time high.
“All of our tenants are trained to keep the store as clean. Not only the machines, but the chairs, the tables and so forth," Goldberg said. "That’s the reason that we have chosen to have our stores fully attended at all times.”
