Did you know that the inventor of Dry Cleaning, Thomas Jennings, was a New Jersey resident? Jennings was a 19th-century entrepreneur, abolitionist, inventor, and the first African American to hold a patent in the United States. New York City might claim Jennings as their own, but census data tells us that he actually lived in Hoboken, New Jersey! He commuted across the Hudson River, like many do today, to work as a tailor and eventually owned his own business in New York City.

Jennings invented dry-scouring in 1820, a method of cleaning clothes without water to keep delicate garments looking new. Jenning’s groundbreaking dry-scouring approach to clothing care evolved into what we know as Dry Cleaning today. We hope we’re making Jennings proud here at Rinse with our green Dry Cleaning methods!

Rinse is thrilled to serve the Gateway Region of Eastern New Jersey. This region of the Garden State has a vibrant history of garment and textile industries, especially as manufacturers flocked to Newark and Jersey City during World War II. Paterson, New Jersey was even known as Silk City at one time due to its silk manufacturing prominence.

We know you have better things to do in New Jersey than laundry - like enjoying the boardwalks along the ocean, watching a New York Giants game, or catching a flight out of Newark - so let Rinse take care of all your laundry and dry cleaning needs!