Cleaning your clothing and textiles with chemicals and solvents rather than water is what is known as dry cleaning, it is called dry because of the lack of water.. Instead of water, a different kind of liquid is used to remove the dirt and stain off our clothes.
The methods used today in dry cleaners are not that much different then they were 20 or 30 years ago. It is still the process of using solvents and other chemicals to clean dirt and stains from fabric. The difference is in the technology and equipment used. The machines used in the dry cleaning businesses are self contained, self cleaning, mostly sealed systems that are computer controlled.
Clothing such as suits, dresses and delicate items or garments made from special material all require dry cleaning from time to time to ensure clothes stay clean and looking great. Of course, shirts, pants and almost any other article of clothing you can imagine can all be taken to the dry cleaner.
Dry cleaning has evolved in recent history to what it is today, a well established cleaning service in every corner of our country. It did not always use the same processes or chemicals as it does today, and the process what discovered by accident over 100 years ago by Jean Baptiste Jolly. His maid spilled kerosene on the tablecloth and Jean Baptiste noticed that the fabric became cleaner after the incident. This is the start of what we now know as dry cleaning. The early forms of this type of cleaning used very flammable liquids and was dangerous to work with.
One of the first chemicals to be used for cleaning was kerosene, which you should already know is very flammable, I have a kerosene heater at home that I use in the winter. By the 1930's, less flammable solvents were developed and used.
The development of "perc" almost revolutionized the dry cleaning industry by todays standards. Perchloroethylene was the name, shortened to perc. This is a chlorine based solvent that possessed great cleaning properties, was non-flammable and gentle on fabrics and textiles. What more could you as for? The problem with perc was that it was toxic to humans, so handling of the chemical was just as much work as the petroleum based solvents. Perc is still used today, with far stricter handling guidelines I might add.
Todays dry cleaners are predominantly small businesses in the corner shopping center or mall. They are all self contained and operate individually as franchises or independent businesses. This was not always the case. As the handling of toxic and flammable chemicals required larger buildings and zoning requirements, the actual cleaning process used to be done at a central cleaning factory and not at the local stores. The local stores used to be drop off and pick locations for the business customers. By the 1970's, smaller, self-contained dry cleaning machines were developed and allowed the smaller locations and small business owners to get into the business and not have to setup a large network for stores and cleaning factories. This development also helped the franchising industry spread all over the country.
Liquid silicone or D5 is an environmentally friendly alternative to perc. It is gentler on fabrics and does not cause color loss or change. Its GreenEarth Cleaning licensed and affiliation charged with an annual fee and its high price make D5 more expensive than perc but produces no toxic waste and degrades within days.
Another alternative to the common perc cleaning machines is a Carbon Dioxide dry cleaning unit. This type of cleaning process is again more expensive then perc but offers greater cleaning ability in some cases, especially with water and fire damaged clothing and fabrics. Carbon Dioxide dry cleaning is very effective in removing toxic spills and stains and many other odor causing chemicals. The problem today is the cost, although the cleaning properties are better, the cost difference over a traditional perc cleaning system is too high for most small business and franchise owners.
As I have already mentioned, perc is still in use today as it has been for over 50 years. The reason is mostly the cost and the efficiency of the cleaning ability of the product. It is widely used and available, which makes it a great candidate for smaller dry cleaner owners to use. What has changed over time is the regulation and handling of the chemicals used in the dry cleaning process. The machines today are sealed systems that emit little to no harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
Another alternative to dry cleaning is wet cleaning. This process is basically what you do at home in your own washer and dryer, except that it is done with a larger more sophisticated machine. Another difference is that you can in most cases clean dry clean only clothing with a wet cleaning system. The machine and system do use water ( the wet instead of dry part ) and an environmentally friendly soap. The machine also keeps clothing from shrinking ( which your home machine can't do ) and produces similar results. Also it is an alternative, there are probably only around 20 retailers in North America that offer the service.
