THE owners of a Darlington dry cleaning and laundry business have celebrated three years in business by taking on extra staff and investing in a revolutionary new machine.

Husband and wife, Gavin and Debbie Johnson, bought Cleancare Fabrics in Skinnergate from Anita Haire. She had owned it for 30 years and still acts as an adviser.

Since investing in an Ilsa Ipura Hydrocarbon machine, the business has done so well that the Johnsons plan to expand into neighbouring vacant premises.

The machine offers a much greener alternative to traditional technology as it uses less water and electricity and is also significantly quicker.

It also uses a gentler solvent, making it suitable for cleaning a wider range of fabrics and garments, including delicate and often valuable saris.

The extra business the machine has created has also led to the recruitment of three extra staff, bringing the workforce up to nine.

The company has also extended its collection and delivery service for laundry and ironing into the evenings, to cater for busy parents and young professionals in the Darlington area.

Mrs Johnson said after a good first year, their second was hit by the recession.

“However, we have made a strong recovery and I think we are seeing more people re-using their clothes by having them professionally cleaned, rather than buying new ones,” she said.