“Perchloroethylene,“ “solvent immersion”, “fiber shedding”… As I start talking with Travis and Toby Bartlett, owners of Oak Hill Dry Cleaners, I quickly realize I’m in over my head. These people know dry cleaning. They’re pros, and they talk like it. As someone who has spent a lifetime avoiding (or destroying) “dry clean only” clothes, this is foreign territory.

Fortunately, Toby and Travis are as kind as they are skilled. One hour later I’ve gained new appreciation for their unique craft and I understand how they’ve attracted loyal customers from across the Greater Portland region – including one rep from an international company who invited them to be the first U.S. cleaners to trial a product that could dramatically reduce the environmental impact of this historically problematic industry.

From Lumberjack to Eco Clothes Horse

Growing up in a “lumberjack family” in Aroostook County, Travis never imagined he’d end up in the world of high-end garment care. He started out in the forest products industry, but his path changed when his mother bought Oak Hill Dry Cleaners in Scarborough. He moved south to work with her and found that the environment suited him — it was a place where his attention to detail and love for fine clothing could shine.

Travis earned his certification from the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute International in Maryland and took over the business in 2008. His vision was clear: he wanted to make Oak Hill Dry Cleaners a leader in an industry long scrutinized for its environmental impact. The road to sustainability wasn’t easy or quick. It meant changing his equipment and practices to use less water, less energy, and fewer chemicals. The state-of-the-art machine that allowed him to go green, which he purchased in 2016, cost a staggering $100,000, with the eco-friendly solvents adding another $10,000 to the bill.

Over time, the investments paid off. He reduced his waste output from one barrel of toxic waste per month to one barrel of non-toxic waste per year. Today, Oak Hill produces just 1-2% of the waste of a traditional dry cleaner, a remarkable achievement.

Beyond the machinery, Travis and Toby have taken other steps to reduce their environmental footprint. They’ve improved their lighting and started planning their delivery route using software to minimize fuel use. (Yes, they will deliver your freshly cleaned garments to your door for free). They’ve even experimented with alternatives to the ubiquitous plastic garment bags, offering cloth zipper bags for customers who want to go the extra mile in reducing waste. Perhaps it was this practice that caught the eye of a representative of Seaman Paper, a company developing a sustainable, paper-based alternative to plastic garment bags. Toby and Travis are the first to test the produce in the U.S., offering the company feedback about how best to integrate it into existing dry-cleaning operations.

Tradition Meets Technology

Despite their forward-looking mindsets, the Bartlett’s still honor the traditional, high-touch approach to quality dry cleaning. They inspect and tag every item that comes through the door – reading labels, examining stains, wrapping buttons and tassels. Sometimes things are carefully handwashed or go through multiple machines or run on very specific settings. Even a standard men’s dress shirt requires 10 or more steps, from unbuttoning and checking pockets to pressing, hanging, staying collars, and rebuttoning, Dry cleaning is a labor-intensive business.

Supporting this work is Oak Hill’s state-of-the-art, eco-friendly dry- and wet-cleaning machines. They represent a radical departure from traditional dry-cleaning technology. (Toby describes one as “a submarine married to a washing machine.”) The German-built Miele Professional Wet Cleaning machine has over 80 custom cycles programmed by Travis – specific temperatures, spin speeds, and cleanser ratios for nearly every item imaginable, from Ugg boots to wedding gowns to stuffed animals.

Thriving in a Shrinking Industry

The Bartletts’ reputation for the highest quality garment care has spread across the Greater Portland region and brought customers seeking help with their most treasured items, like an 80-year-old lace wedding gown that had turned brown with age and a quilt from WWII Germany sewn from pieces of flour bags. They’ve built a loyal following, with regulars traveling from as far as Brunswick.

This is unique in an industry experiencing a decades-long decline. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of dry-cleaning establishments has fallen from about 27,000 in 2001 to 15,000 at the end of 2023. People dress more casually, with fewer and fewer donning suits, dresses, and other “dry clean only” apparel. This change accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when working from home exploded. 

Labor of Love

It was during COVID when Toby, a professional writer for over 20 years, joined Travis in the shop. Overnight, it went from a 12-person operation to just the two of them. At first, she worried that working together might hurt their relationship, but their distinct areas of expertise (his in dry cleaning and hers in marketing and business management) have allowed them to thrive. “I wouldn’t be here without Toby,” Travis says. “She brought another set of skills that I didn’t have.” That’s good, because they spend most of their waking hours at the shop – six to seven days a week, sometimes up to 12 hours per day. In July, a peak month, they cleaned an estimated 3,000 items. This includes both dry cleaning and their small but growing wash-dry-fold service.

When their business model changed during COVID, Toby and Travis wanted it to have more of a “mom and pop” feel. Instead of tracking orders by phone numbers, they went back to using customers’ names. They offered free soft drinks and water in a cooler by the counter. They encouraged customers to chat for a while and bring in their pets for a quick visit. “We both genuinely like people.” In addition to their expertise and high-tech equipment, they credit their success in part to this welcoming, human touch.

Travis and Toby estimate that about one-third of the guests at their wedding were customers turned friends. Travis once needed shoulder surgery that doctors said he was too young to receive. A loyal customer, who was also a doctor, intervened and worked with her surgeon-husband to help Travis get the procedure. When a local TV show wanted to feature them in a last-minute segment, Toby and Travis sent an S.O.S. text to their customers. Ten people showed up on a Sunday morning, a testament to the loyalty and affection their customers feel for this small, family-run business.

Grateful for their strong community support, the Bartletts make a point of giving back. They are a lead sponsor of Scarborough’s Community Thanksgiving (following page) and started Maine Needs’ Winter Warmth Drive. For the latter, they collect hundreds of coats and blankets every year, and donate their time and equipment to wash them before passing them along to the Portland-based non-profit, which distributes them to people in need.

“We Just Keep Trying”

The Bartletts are not content to rest on their laurels. They’re constantly looking for ways to improve and expand their business, from growing their delivery route to finding a larger space where they can add a laundromat. “We just keep trying to be the absolute best we can be,” says Travis. They even dream of creating their own line of eco-friendly detergents.

As I left Oak Hill Dry Cleaners, I couldn’t help but feel inspired. Travis and Toby have turned a small dry-cleaning business into a model of sustainability, craftsmanship, and community spirit. They’ve shown that even in an industry as established as dry cleaning, there’s room for innovation, passion, and, most importantly, a human touch.