OUR HISTORY

R.R. STREET & CO. INC.

THE HISTORY OF R.R. STREET & CO. INC.

In 1876, the U.S. was celebrating its centennial, Ulysses S. Grant was serving his second term as President of the United States and Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. That same year, Robert R. Street founded R.R. Street & Company in Chicago, Illinois. Over 140 years later, the history of Street’s reflects many of the significant process and product milestones that have occurred in the professional textile cleaning industry over the past century.

LATE 1800’S

  • Sells dyes and supplies to textile mills
  • Among the first to offer drycleaning detergent to the U.S.

EARLY 1900’S

  • Develops first pressure filter for drycleaning which changes the way solvent is maintained
  • 1927-Begins selling products nationally through appointed distributors

1940’S

World War II

  • Leads industry drum recycling effort for war effort
  • Launches Staticol®, the first drycleaning detergent with anti-static properties
  • Introduces revolutionary 2-gun spotting system, the earliest form of spray spotting

1950’S

  • Publishes groundbreaking studies of micelles and conductivity, and invents the extractor rinse unit and “ECCU”-as a result, charge system immediately becomes dominant
  • Invents StreeTEX®, the first water-soluble and solvent-soluble spray spotter
  • Launches school for distributors

1960’S

  • Aligns with PerSec® brand perchloroethylene and Darco® brand carbon and quickly builds market leadership for these products
  • Sponsors National Institute of Drycleaning (now DLI) scholarships, fostering concept of Allied Trades support of industry education

1970’S-80’S

  • Backed by Street’s research, Puritan® Brand Cartridges and cartridge filtration become the benchmark for the highest quality and easiest to perform method for solvent maintenance

1980’S-90’S

  • Invents the CAREfill™ closed loop delivery system which changes the way perc is delivered and helps the industry be more environmentally responsible.
  • Establishes research professorship at Northwestern University Medical School “to increase mankind’s knowledge, better our existence, and allow informed judgements about chemicals to be made”
  • Invents Fabricol®, a unique load process detergent which allowed a wider range of detergent benefits to be experienced in “soap to each load” processes

2000’S-PRESENT

  • Partners with ExxonMobil Chemical to market and provide tech support for DF2000™ fluid
  • Invents high-performance products to help overcome challenges of modern high-flash point hydrocarbon cleaning systems
  • Invents eco-friendly, award-winning Solvair®
    Cleaning System which changed the way clothing can be cleaned and raised the bar on cleaning quality
  • Acquires the operations of Adco Products, LLC, resulting in consolidation of the Adco, Laidlaw, Puritan and Street’s brands under single ownership
  • Introduces new line of low VOC California VOC
    compliant stain removal agents
  • Brings the industry the latest advances in wet care chemistry: HPRO wetcleaning and the customizable FLEX™ commercial cleaning line
  • Opens Street’s Training, Research and Education Center to facilitate employee and distributor education, research and development