Alright folks, gather 'round! Let me tell you about my little adventure with this old green dry cleaning machine I snagged. It was sitting in this dusty corner of a warehouse, looking like it hadn't seen the light of day in decades. But hey, I love a good challenge, right?

First things first, I had to figure out how to even get the darn thing home. It was HUGE! Ended up renting a trailer and enlisting the help of a couple of buddies – bribed 'em with pizza and beer, naturally. Getting it off the trailer was another story. We used some heavy-duty straps and a whole lotta grunting. Seriously thought my back was gonna give out.

Once it was finally in my garage, the real work began. This thing was COVERED in grime and who-knows-what-else. I spent a solid afternoon just scrubbing the outside with degreaser. It was nasty, but I could see a glimmer of hope underneath all the gunk.

Next up: the internals. I started poking around, trying to figure out how everything was supposed to work. Found a user manual online (thank you, internet!), which was a lifesaver. Turns out, this thing was way more complicated than I thought. There were pumps, filters, tanks, and a whole bunch of wires that looked like they were about to fall apart.

The first major issue I tackled was the motor. It was completely seized up. I took it apart, cleaned all the bearings, and gave it a good oiling. After a few hours of tinkering, it finally started humming! Felt like a total victory.

Then came the plumbing. All the hoses were cracked and brittle. I replaced every single one. While I was at it, I cleaned out all the tanks. They were full of sludge. Seriously, I don't even want to think about what was in there.

The filters were another mess. They were completely clogged. I tried cleaning them, but they were too far gone. Ended up ordering new ones online. Took a couple of weeks for them to arrive, but it was worth the wait.

Finally, after weeks of work, I was ready to give it a test run. I filled the tanks with water (didn't want to waste any expensive dry cleaning fluid just yet), plugged it in, and crossed my fingers.

And...it worked! Sort of. There were a few leaks, which I quickly patched up. The machine was noisy as heck, but it was actually cleaning the water! I ran a few cycles, just to make sure everything was working properly.

Of course, it wasn't perfect. The timer was a little wonky, and the heating element seemed to be struggling. But hey, it was a start!

Here's a quick rundown of what I did:

• Disassembled and cleaned the entire machine.
• Replaced all the hoses and filters.
• Rebuilt the motor.
• Fixed the leaks.
• Tested the machine with water.

Overall, it was a pretty satisfying project. I learned a lot about how dry cleaning machines work, and I saved a ton of money by fixing it myself. Plus, now I have a super cool, vintage piece of equipment in my garage. Next step, actual dry cleaning fluid... wish me luck!