Now Environmentally Friendly - Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning is the process of cleaning fabric, clothes, textiles, and other clothing materials using solvents instead of soap and water. This is necessary if washing the material with soap and water will damage it. It involves using tetrachloroethylene or perchloroethylene (perc for short) as the most common dry cleaning fluid by many dry cleaning services. Many of these dry cleaning services offer general cleaning of carpets, suedes & leathers, rugs, and duvets, among many others. They also offer alterations and repair, laundry and ironing, and fabric restoration to name a few. Nowadays, environmentally-friendly dry cleaning is preferred by many consumers due to the growing awareness of taking care of the planet.

History of Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning has been around since the mid-19^th century when a French dyeworks owner named Jean Baptiste Jolly discovered how to use petroleum-based solvents to clean cloths or fabric. However, since using gasoline and kerosene was flammable, Keith Anderson, a dry cleaner from Laurieston, discovered and developed the Stoddard solvent which was less prone to catch fire. Subsequently, using perchloroethylene or perc was proven to be an ideal solvent for dry cleaning in the mid-1930s. Since then it became the standard solution used for dry cleaning because of its cleaning power, non-flammability, and gentleness to most garments.

Dry Cleaning Today

At present, there are hundreds of dry cleaning services all over the world. Due to many garments, fabric and cloth materials which are sensitive to water and cleaning solutions, many households bring them to dry cleaning services near their location. Since it would be an additional expense to purchase a dry cleaning machine, it is more convenient to go to a dry cleaning services establishment. The dry cleaners are able to clean garments in less than 4 hours. In addition, customers are sure to receive their evening dress or suit thoroughly cleaned and pressed.

Environmentally Friendly Dry Cleaning

Nowadays, most dry cleaning services offer environmentally-friendly dry cleaning because of our choice for green living. Instead of using perc, they use a siloxane solvent. It is environmentally-friendly because its components are found in natural earth elements. The most common is silica or sand, which is being used by several well known dry cleaning establishments. Choosing environmentally friendly dry cleaning assures you of a softer handle to your clothes, no color loss or fading, and no shrinkage, among many others.