Cadet Cleaners

Cadet Cleaners, Abandoned since around the late 90(a)s. They cleaned your cloths and other stuff. lol This property has been vacant for quite a while now, and someone has been living here. When I had my visit here it seemed and sounded like someone else was here when I was here. Really eerie. Looks like it(a)s going to be torn down in the near future. There was a bobcat in one of the door ways. The ground was dug up in certain spots inside. There was a bunch of dirt piles out back.

From NGTOne:

Abandoned light-industrial building in west Toronto near the Stockyards. Almost invisible unless you're looking for it, because the bulk of the building is hidden behind a row of houses and is shielded from view of the train tracks by trees by the back fence.

The main building was partially demolished around March 2013, but the abandonment itself is much older - May 2003 or so. Prior to being abandoned, it was the titular Cadet Cleaners from 1996, and Ronson Metalworks before that. Due to the demolition, there are areas that are inaccessible, but most of the building can still be explored. The debris is still on site and piled around the building (mostly just cinder blocks, but some other miscellaneous garbage as well), so watch your footing and avoid spending too long clambering around on it.

The main draw of Cadet Cleaners is twofold: first, there is still a wide variety of interesting junk lying around from its former use (especially in the basement and one of the loading docks), and the array of graffiti on display. Because of the long-term abandonment, local vandals have had ample time to work over just about every flat surface and produce an array of interesting artwork. The loading docks and upper floor provide lots of subject matter for photographers interested in street art. For those more interested in the remnants of the previous tenants, be sure to check out the loading docks, basement, and upper level (accessible via a cool spiral staircase). Among other things, you'll find signs for dry cleaning services (not all of which are Cadet), desks, barrels of unknown chemicals (be safe!), and a large office safe. In a final note for the shutter-happy, the basement, while difficult to access (most of the stairways are filled in with rubble and there's almost no light), offers ample reward. The mid-afternoon sun tends to "knife" in over the debris piles, illuminating some of the broken-down machinery and other bits left behind in all sorts of interesting ways. Just don't leave the remnants of your lunch down there the way some other schmuck did.

The boiler house, located at the rear of the property, is small and half-filled with dirt for an unknown reason, but also contains some interesting graffiti and photographic opportunities. Just don't mistake it for a garage.

While the building itself doesn't seem to be monitored, it's in a relatively busy area, and care should be taken when entering to avoid being seen. There are areas that are inaccessible without climbing, so be careful not to trap yourself high up where you can't get down (especially since you have to jump down into potentially unstable debris piles). I didn't catch any mould smell or anything of that kind, but as mentioned, there are barrels of unknown substances (might just be sand - who knows?) scattered around one area.

Update May 2016 From KnightHawk

At least a third of the building has now been demolished, and there is a high fence with security cameras around the property. It's clear this one won't be around for long.

Nov 2017 Zenit as of nov 2016 on google maps (street view). this location has been demolished.