Community & Causes

A laundromat built around service, trust, and community

Howard and Jill Pechter took over Clean Threads Laundry in August 2022 after long careers serving the public. Howard spent his career with the LA County Fire Department, and Jill served with the LAPD. When retirement arrived, they wanted their next chapter to stay useful, local, and hands on.

They had both seen how much good service matters when people are relying on you. They had also grown tired of storefronts where customer care felt like an afterthought. Clean Threads became their chance to build the kind of local business they wanted to see more often. Clean, attentive, respectful, and genuinely helpful.

From the beginning, it became a family project. Their sons helped in the store, during the transition, and behind the scenes. What started as a practical business quickly became something the family could build together with and for Simi Valley.

They also learned that laundry is more personal than it looks from the outside. Customers bring in uniforms, bedding, children’s clothing, senior care laundry, and the weekly routines that keep a household moving. That takes trust. Clean Threads tries to earn that trust with consistency, kindness, and real people on site who are ready to help.

Today, Howard and Jill think of Clean Threads as more than a laundromat. It is a clean public space, a neighborhood resource, a place for steady local jobs, and a storefront that can support practical giving when the community needs a visible place to gather donations.

That same approach has connected Clean Threads with local civic life. Howard was recognized as Businessperson of the Year by the Simi Valley Chamber, and he also serves on the Chamber Board of Directors alongside other local leaders working to support the business community.