The spinning sign outside the old Quality Cleaners building in Admiral still reads, "Come Clean with Us," while a different kind of cleanup moves forward beneath the storefront. At the corner of California Avenue SW and Admiral Way, the family that owns the long-shuttered building is working through soil remediation after more than 70 years of dry-cleaning use.

The space has been empty for several years, and the owners say the delay traces back to soil testing in 2021 that found dry-cleaning chemicals. That discovery led tenants to leave the building and started a long process of figuring out whether to sell the property or take on the cleanup themselves.

The family says the work has been costly and slow, with multiple sale efforts falling through as the remediation process dragged on. They have since continued with consultants and a contractor specializing in a vacuum remediation system for this type of contamination.

According to the owners, the project is now nearing the permitting stage. The cleanup plan would allow the building to remain in use during remediation, and the current goal is to have the space occupied again sometime in the last quarter of next year.

For now, the familiar Admiral corner remains in waiting. But after years of uncertainty, the project appears to be moving from planning toward actual cleanup and eventual reuse.

Originally reported by West Seattle Blog.