Chawla Dry Cleaners

The shop is at K-101 in Krishna Park Extn. It’s not a very big space, but we make it work with all the machines and the racks for hanging clothes. I started Chawla Dry Cleaners because I knew how to handle fabrics, and my brother joined me later. Most days we are just buried under piles of laundry. Some people bring in silk sarees that need a lot of care, while others just want their work shirts pressed so they look decent. We get a lot of dust from the road outside, so we have to keep the finished plastic covers on everything. The steam boiler sometimes makes a loud whistling noise that neighbors probably hate, but it’s part of the job. It gets really hot in the back during the summer months. We don't have a fancy computer system; we just write everything down in a big register and give you a paper slip. If you lose the slip, it takes us a bit longer to find your stuff, but we usually manage. We’ve seen the neighborhood change quite a bit over the years. New shops come and go, but we’re still here at the same spot. It’s hard work on the feet, standing all day, but it’s what we do. We try to be honest about what we can clean and what is just a permanent stain that won't budge no matter what.