Ted started his career in the industry some 55 years ago, initially working for Burtols Dry Cleaners and Dyers before moving to London where he worked for Lavender Hill Dry Cleaners in Battersea.
In 1953 he started his own company, Lewis & Wayne Ltd, in Penge, South East London and soon built up a reputation for providing a very high standard of service. The company's motto was, and still is, "We clean to a standard, not to a price." He travelled extensively around the world gaining further knowledge and ideas to progress the company, and in 1969 opened the first dedicated shirt laundry, The Whitsters of Chelsea, which was an instant success.
In 1973 he became chairman of the London Centre of the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers. Under his chairmanship attendance rapidly grew, as word spread of the verbal exchanges between himself and fellow members. He was also a regular attendee of The Whitsters Club lunches where many an exchange of views would be heard across the dining tables.
Ted was a keen contributor to Power Laundry, the forerunner to Laundry and Cleaning News. He conducted face to face interviews with industry leaders and also wrote articles including reports on the many establishments he visited abroad.
In 1988 he retired to Cyprus, with his wife Val.
