Speed, organization keys for dry-cleaning company.

Like any of the hundreds of dry-cleaning stores in the area, Sterling Cleaners will take your dirty clothes off your hands and return them clean and pressed, ready to wear - on the same day, if you need it.

But what happens in between? Are shins combined with others when washed and, if so, how are they not mixed up? What are those tags that wind up on everyone's clothes?

Barry Gershenson, president and co-owner of Sterling, recently took a reporter through the process - starting from the time the customer drops off his or her clothes and they're placed into those ubiquitous nylon bags (at Sterling, blue for laundry and red for dry cleaning).

"We operate on convenience," explains Gershenson, who along with his brother Harvey has been running Sterling since 1962. "People's lives are very busy, but they still have to look good."

Sterling, which has two locations in West Los Angeles, took in $3 million in revenues last year, said Gershenson.

It costs $1.60 to $1.90 to get a shin laundered at Sterling - a markup of roughly 60 cents to 90 cents. All the laundry is done at the Overland store and dry cleaning is done at the Westwood store. A van shuttles orders between the two locations several times a day.

Once the separate laundry bags are collected for that day's processing, they are then opened for tagging and sorting. Because Sterling cleans about 1,000 shins a day, marking the individual shirts is crucial.